Christianity: A History (2009) Channel 4

Episode 4: Crusades

Episode 4: Crusades

Acclaimed war correspondent Rageh Omaar examines the effect the Crusades have on the world today.



In the West, the Crusades are a chapter of Christian history that has little impact on our everyday lives, but in the Middle East many believe that the Crusades are happening again.



In the wake of 9/11, President George W Bush described the War on Terror as a 'Crusade'. Rageh believes this invocation of Christian Holy War alienated much of the Muslim world. Bush's comments have never been forgotten and are today exploited by Islamist terror organisations, who refer time and again to the West as Crusaders.



On his journey through Europe and the Middle East, Rageh speaks to historians as well as ordinary people in order to understand how it is that events of 900 years ago can have such a divisive effect on relations between the West and the Muslim world, and on two of the world's greatest religions - Islam and Christianity.

Christianity: a History

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.

Leading British lawyer and committed Catholic Cherie Blair investigates Christianity over the last 100 years and explores its future prospects. She examines the challenges to Christianity posed by the trauma of war and political oppression in the 20th century, which culminated in the genocide of the Jews in the Holocaust.



Into the huge God-shaped hole fell the modern 'faiths' of materialism and secularism. Christianity was becoming more isolated by so-called 'progress', and this marginalisation was exacerbated by the new, hedonistic anything-goes society of the 1960s. But there is one part of the western world where Christianity has bucked the downward trend and has never been stronger - the USA.



Cherie uncovers the reasons for its continued success there and looks at what the future holds for Christianity. Are we living in a post-Christian age? Or is the 21st Century really going to be the Christian century?



Series Summary



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.



EPISODES



Episode 1: Jesus the Jew

Episode 2: Rome

Episode 3: Dark Ages

Episode 4: Crusades

Episode 5: Reformation

Episode 6: Dark Continents

Episode 7: God and the Scientists

Episode 8: The Future of Christianity