Why listen to more church history podcasts? Because by learning more about church history we can step back and make a more informed judgement on events in the church during our own time. The broad view of history helps us to understand that the church has been through trying and terrible times in the past. Perhaps there was no bigger crisis than that which hit the church in the sixteenth century.

Characters of the Reformation explains the theological, political, spiritual and human elements in the drama and Belloc traces the supernatural hand of grace in it all. After this series I will be recording a series based on John Allen’s book The Future Church so we can also see what God is doing in the world and in the church today, and not only look back on the past, but look to the future to see what trends are emerging in our own time. I believe church history goes in five hundred year segments. The sixteenth century ushered us into an age of revolution.

We are at another turning point now, and it is exciting to see what happened in the past in order to understand the present and look forward to the future.

So tune in to this podcast series, and if you can share it with others!

Pope Clement VII was weak rather than wicked, but despite his dithering and the extreme pressures under which he ruled, he did not ultimately compromise the moral and doctrinal authority of the papacy. When many Catholics are worried about the present pope and the situation in Rome, we can learn lessons from this tumultuous time in Church history–a time when the whole of Christendom was splintering, when Rome was corrupt and often immoral and when the statements from the papacy seemed weak, uncertain and ambiguous. Nevertheless, the ultimate authority held firm even though it was sorely tested.

Donor Subscribers can listen now to this seventh episode in my reading of Hilaire Belloc’s classic. Just go here. This episode is also now published on BreadBox Media and other podcast outlets. Go here to listen on those outlets free of charge, but you will have sponsorship advertising. Donor Subscribers get the new podcasts a week early and have access to all my podcast channels and archived podcasts. The lower subscription rate for podcasts only is $4.95 a month. That’s less than $1.25 a week. Can you help support this ministry? Go here to learn more.