In his new book Jesus of Nazareth, Benedict XVI clarifies five disputed questions on the life of Christ that still spark heated debates among theologians and others. When was Christianity born? It all depends on how you define the term Christianity. Diarmaid MacCulloch on five works that explain the birth and development of Christianity around the world, from Bede to Baghdad. A review of Christianity: How a Tiny Sect from a Despised Religion Came to Dominate the Roman Empire by Jonathan Hill. Half of New Testament forged, Bible scholar Bart D. Ehrman says. Modern readers often take Augustine’s Confessions to be an account of a saint’s struggles with lust — in fact, it is a symbolic retelling of the spiritual journey taken by the early church’s leading philosopher. An interview with John Julius Norwich, author of The Popes: a History (and more and more and more). A review of Render Unto Rome: The Secret Life of Money in the Catholic Church by Jason Berry. The rise of anti-Western Christianity: A review of The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity and The Masque of Africa: Glimpses of African Belief by V.S. Naipaul. Sociologist Massimo Introvigne says a Christian is martyred every five minutes. What is there after this life? An interview with Paul O'Callaghan, author of Christ Our Hope: An Introduction to Eschatology (and part 2). Dale Ahlquist on the trouble with Catholic Social Teaching. Is Christianity anti-intellectual? A look at the not-so-smart side of faith. From The Christian Century, what's happening to church membership? Amy Frykholm investigates. An interview with Jim Dixon, author of Last Things Revealed. An interview with John Zmirak, author of The Bad Catholic’s Guide to the Seven Deadly Sins. What would Jesus drink? Joe Carter wants to know.
