This year I went to the Auckland Theatre Company’s production of Schiller’s Mary Stuart, and was reminded of how much of English history is also church history. Robert Lacey is my favourite historian (followed closely by Simon Schama). In this exceedingly readable history of England, religious figures and places appear regularly.

Chapters in this narrative history include: Jesus and The Legends of Glastonbury, Pope Gregory’s Angels, St. Augustine’s Magic, King Oswy and The Crown of Thorns, The Venerable Bede, Elmer the Flying Monk, The Legend of Lady Godiva, Murder in the Cathedral, A King Repents, King Henry VIII’s ‘Great Matter,’ ‘Let There Be Light’ – William Tyndale and the English Bible, The Pilgrimage of Grace, Boy King – Edward VI – ‘The Godly Imp,’ 5/11: England’s First Terrorist, King James ‘Authentical Bible,’ and Born Again.

Today, as people try to minimise the role Christianity has in Western society, it is good to be reminded how significant a role it had in moulding our society, and to not forget that history is still his story.

– David McLeod-Jones