Eight part history of the Christian faith, looking at its origins, development and turbulent past. High profile British personalities examine a religion that has particular resonance for them. Channel 4 series, not the BBC one. Ours is said to be a Godless age, yet billions remain faithful to religions thousands of years old. This provocative eight part series explores the history and global impact of the world’s biggest religion through the personal views of leading British figures. Over the course of the series, eight high profile personalities including Michael Portillo, Rageh Omaar, Kwame Kwei-Armah and Cherie Blair, look at the origins and history of the Christian faith. In each film the presenter addresses a subject that means something particular to them. In doing so, they bring their own perspectives to a challenging and comprehensive debate that explores Christianity’s role in shaping the modern world.
Episode 2 Rome – Michael Portillo, a lapsed Catholic himself, investigates the legacy of the Roman Emperor Constantine, the man who transformed Christianity into one of the world’s great religions with a global reach of over two billion worshipers. In 312 A.D. Constantine is believed to have had an epiphany that converted him to Christianity. Michael Portillo uses his politician’s mind to unravel the process by which Constantine and the church came together and questions how ruthless imperialism came to be reconciled with Christ’s pacifist, altruistic values.
