Past Programs
Christianity - 2007
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Anglican Church and State Read Transcript
25/11/2007
Founded by King Henry VIII, the Anglican Church has had an historic relationship to the State. But the conflict between the 'High' and 'Low' wings of the Church, and with the Roman Catholic Church, has forced changes to the relationship between church and state, as Tom Frame explains.
The Pursuit of the Millennium Read Transcript
04/11/2007
It's the title of one of the most important books written on the history of religion, by Norman Cohn, who died at the age of 92 on 31st July this year. Persecution driven by apocalyptic fanaticism was a central theme of Cohn's work, which is discussed by America's leading historian of millennialism, Richard Landes, at the University of Boston.
Westminster Abbey Read Transcript
28/10/2007
This most French of English cathedrals is a Gothic masterpiece. It has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs. Oxford University professor Richard Jenkyns takes us through Westminster Abbey.
Amazing Grace Read Transcript
14/10/2007
A deserter, slave-trader and atheist, John Newton, born in 1725, would become a Christian by the age of 25. He settled back in England, became a vicar, and in 1772 wrote the hymn Amazing Grace. Newton was also behind the first Christian service conducted in the colony of New South Wales.
Church Registers Read Transcript
05/08/2007
Checking on your ancestry used to entail long trips to country churches. Now the Society of Australian Genealogists has put church registrations of baptisms, marriages and burials on microfilm.
Nathanael Pepper Read Transcript
08/07/2007
In 1860 Nathanael Pepper became the Moravian Protestant mission's first Aboriginal convert. He would become a symbol of Evangelical Christianity's struggle to convert the indigenous people of Australia.
Henrietta and Hubble Read Transcript
01/07/2007
Henrietta Leavitt, the daughter of an American Congregationalist minister, identified the variable luminosity of stars which enabled astronomer Edwin Hubble to make his great discovery of other galaxies.
Ada Cambridge Read Transcript
03/06/2007
A 19th century novelist and poet who lived in Melbourne, Ada Cambridge is enjoying a revival, particularly for her religious poetry which is to be set into a liturgy at St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, on 10 June this year.
Crusader Medicine Read Transcript
27/05/2007
Crusader battlefields were the Emergency Wards of the medieval period of European history where injured knights received medical treatment provided by monks. Today's well known names, such as St John's Ambulance, have their origins in these monastic medical orders.
Australia's Religious Beginnings Read Transcript
06/05/2007
The earliest records of the religious life in New South Wales have been collected and put online at the NSW State Library.
Visit to the Sepulchre Read Transcript
08/04/2007
Visitatio Sepulchri, The Visit to the Sepulchre, is a medieval Mystery Play, written for Easter morning, which focuses on the three Marys at Christ's tomb.
The Catholic Origin of Everything, Pt 2 Read Transcript
18/02/2007
Weightlifters pressing dumb-bells over their head are re-enacting an ancient Catholic rite. Right or wrong?
The Catholic Origin of Everything, Pt 1 Read Transcript
11/02/2007
A host of implements, names, foods and expressions have a Catholic origin, such as the knife, dumb bells, snack food and even sign language for the deaf.
Religion and Tourism Read Transcript
04/02/2007
One of the largest international businesses today is tourism and it was alive and well in antiquity.
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Read Transcript
28/01/2007
It's just over 100 years since the German founder of sociology, Max Weber, published his seminal essay on the origins of Capitalism.
Medieval Women Mystics: Julian of Norwich Read Transcript
14/01/2007
Holed-up in solitary confinement, Julian of Norwich is England's most famous 14th Century anchoress.
Galileo's Crime Read Transcript
07/01/2007
In 1633 Galileo Galilei was found guilty of 'vehement suspicion of heresy'. The trial has since been regarded as the greatest scandal in Christendom.
