Tom Holland | How Christianity Gained Dominion | A Secular Historian Loses His Faith (In Liberalism)

Tom Holland is an historian and author of many books including "Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind." Here he speaks with Glen Scrivener about losing his faith. But the faith that he loses is a faith in what he calls "the pallid simulacrum" of Christianity — western liberal values. Instead he has found himself surrendering to the moral and mythical truth of the stories — ie the stories of Christianity.

RESET is a series of conversations exploring the meaning crisis. With the help of cultural analysts and biblical scholars we're going back to the beginning — to Genesis, the West's great origins story — to see whether the ancient text can speak today.

Subscribe to Speak Life and be the first to watch each video in the series. We're talking to:

Douglas Murray
Katharine Birbalsingh
Tom Holland
Alastair Roberts
Miroslav Volf
John Behr
Wendy Alsup
Rachel Gilson
Rebecca McLaughlin
John Lennox
Rupert Sheldrake
Malcom Guite
Esther O'Reilly
Kristi Mair
Mike Reeves
Paul Vanderklay

Speak Life is a UK based charity that resources the church to reach the world.

Social Media

[margaretinsydney]

I've been getting a lot of Tom Holland in my feed these days, even four-year-old conversations delivered in the time of plague. He is wonderful, and has warmed the cockles of my heart, too. Blessings on this channel, and of course, on Dr Holland. 🙏

[profeh]

Finding this 3 years later. ❤. Gonna listen a couple of times.

[arthurw]

Visiting from 3-and-a-half years in the future. Brilliant. Thank you.

[malachigamingandtalk]

Im a Christian and a huge history nerd. I loved Tom Hollands (which I came across in the history section of B&N but I downloaded the audio book that he narrated. It's a wonderful and entertaining lecture on the entire history of Christianity interspersed with the authors pwrsonal story of losing his faith but still having a lot of passion and respect for christianity. His passion in his work is apparent in his writing and his voice as he narrated it . I can't wait to look at his other books about Rome and I pray that he finds his faith one day. God bless

[daughterofalmasih]

The west has to acknowledge Christianity as it’s Glue or perish... exmuslim who met Jesus Christ the saviour!

[PaulVanderKlay]

I know that Google analytics rates videos by the "engagement" as to how much they promote it so dropping comments helps boost videos. I'll do my part with this one. :)

[samuelglenn]

Tom Holland is completely brilliant. What an amazing case he makes for Christianity and in such a unique way. To remember what the cross meant to the Romans... and what it now means... incredible.

[quad]

"Humanity cannot bear too much of reality."
Great quote.

[nickstone]

Excellent, superb. I am Greek Orthodox Christian and find Tom's book amazing and thought provoking and with a honest clarity so lacking in the narrow new atheist orthodoxy that prevails today in academia and culture.

[ocheesy]

Tom is so right. Looking at Western culture and history through the perspective of an atheist/spiritualist Asian culture, Christianity is so fundamental to everything to the West, including things that most Westerners think of them as secular and totally removed from Christianity. Like the 'Enlightenment'.

[Frederer]

Thanks to Tom, we are clearly in a post-Dawkins/Hitchens era. God bless you for that.

[DiscoverJesus]

This fellow is absolutely on point he's swimming up stream and I pray he meets Jesus on the way.

[artscience]

Really a great interview. I appreciate how Glen lets his guest talk for long periods of time, but also has challenging questions. So thought-provoking and encouraging.

[darylhoyt]

Tom...wow, the big takeaway for me from this interview is how refreshingly brave and open-hearted you are in your quite personal admissions of the impact of your research on your worldview and belief persuasions...all while you and your stellar host for this interview are thinking and talking at a depth and with so finely-honed perception that I’m trailing far behind, yet with my thoughts greatly stirred.
Thank you both!

[noelcarroll]

What a wonderful communicator Tom Holland is, I don't know about anyone else but I could hear as he spoke, the internal struggle in the debts of his soul for a real and tangible touch from the Holy spirit regarding the existencial and relevant truth, not only of God's word but God Himself. I'll be praying for you Tom

[TeresaE]

Love to listen to Tom Holland no matter where it is - The Rest Is History Podcast is fantastic!

[DSTH]

An astonishing interview! Things I never fully saw before. Thank You.

[BlondeBeard]

Everyone who watches this should read “How Should We Then Live: The Rise and Fall of Western Thought and Culture” by Francis Schaeffer. It touches on similar themes from a believing/practicing biblical Christian perspective. Even if you are not a Christian it’s incredibly interesting to follow the history that Schaeffer presents.

[jess_thinking]

Listening to Tom speak of these things was a strange experience. It seems he has a more solid faith than a lot of Christendom....though he may not see it that way. He believes in the power of the Cross! But not in a shallow and meaningless way.
I pray the Holy Spirit illuminates his heart and he sees that Christ who died on that cross, did so, not to just make the world a better place...

[Apriluser]

Love his honesty. Holland is near the Kingdom.