The Ramsay Centre Podcast: Tom Holland – ‘Why the West is more Christian than it thinks’

What has been the impact of Christianity on the development of Western civilisation? Could it have been so profound that it is now hidden from view? Even in a secular West, are we ‘goldfish swimming in a Christian pond’? 

In our final Ramsay Lecture for 2021, Centre Academic Director and Deputy CEO Dr. Stephen McInerney interviews award-winning UK historian, biographer and broadcaster Tom Holland. Mr. Holland is author of the 2019 Sunday Times best-seller Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind. 

In their discussion Mr Holland presses his case for the central place of Christianity in the formation of Western values, arguing ‘Christianity is the most enduring and influential legacy of the ancient world, (and) its emergence the single most transformative development in Western history. 

In this exclusive interview Dr McInerney and Mr Holland discuss: 

• How Mr Holland’s interest in antiquity led him to explore the shift from the brutality of ancient times to a more compassionate society today; 
• The crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the ‘myth’ which lies at the heart of the development of Western values; 
• The changing symbolism of the cross and its relationship to concepts of power;  
• Christianity’s permeation in other ‘secular’ structures; and 
• The influence of Christianity on modern concepts of love. 

Please join us for this wide-spanning conversation.