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Did Protestant missionaries help plant the seeds of democracy throughout the world? Prof. Robert Woodberry takes us on a historical tour-de-force around the globe showing how “conversionary Protestants” helped to promote literacy, spread printing technology, facilitate civic organization, defend religious and civil liberties, and protest the abuses of slavery and colonialism. We discuss how this happened and why Protestants were uniquely situated to do this, although we look at similar Catholic efforts in recent decades. We conclude with speculative thoughts about the Arab Spring.

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Prof. Sabine Hyland of St. Norbert College reveals what happens when Jesuits meet Incans in the Peruvian highlands during the 16th century, with a particular focus on the mestizo priest Blas Valera. Our conversation corrects some of the longstanding misconceptions of the role of religion during the Spanish Conquest, as well as misunderstandings about Incan religions. We also chat about how scholars and religious organizations deal with different cultures they encounter.

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Historian Philip Jenkins discusses the changing face of global Christianity. The conversation begins by looking at the global nature of Christianity throughout history and how it became conceived of as a European faith. Our attention then turns to how Christianity is expanding and changing in Africa, Asia and Latin America and what this means for religion in Europe and the United States.

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