Life & Faith: Crusades

“Religion is the cause of all wars.” This is a popular assumption in the West – but also a lazy one. History suggests the relationship between religion and violence is much more complicated.

One of the best-known episodes of violence in the history of the Christian church is the Crusades. But how much do we really know about this notorious conflict?

In this episode of Life & Faith, we speak to experts and scholars who unpack the history, myths and misconceptions surrounding this series of religious wars between the 11th and 15th centuries.

“The Crusades seem glamorous, they seem dramatic, they seem alien,” says historian Christopher Tyerman. “In the West … they are seen as an example of medieval brutality in the name of religion. In other parts of the world they have been rebranded as an example of early Western imperialism and colonialism. Both sides of that equation are false.”

This is Part II of our four-part series featuring interviews from our forthcoming documentary, For the Love of God: How the Church is Better and Worse Than You Ever Imagined. To catch up on Part I and to make sure you don’t miss the rest of the series, subscribe to Life & Faith on iTunes: http://bit.ly/lifeandfaithpodcast.