Tyler considers Diarmaid MacCulloch one of those rare historians whose entire body of work rewards reading. This work includes his award-winning Cranmer biography, his sweeping histories of Christianity and the Reformation, and his latest on sex and the church, which demonstrates what MacCulloch calls the historian's true vocation: unsettling settled facts to keep humanity sane. Tyler and Diarmaid explore whether monotheism correlates with monogamy, Christianity's early instinct towards egalitarianism, what the Eucharistic revolution reveals about the cathedral building boom, the role of Mary in Christianity and Islam, where Michel Foucault went wrong on sexuality, the significance of the clerical family replacing the celibate monk, why Elizabeth I—not Henry VIII—mattered most for the English Reformation, why English Renaissance music began so brilliantly but then needed to start importing Germans, whether Christianity needs hell to survive, what MacCulloch plans to do next, and more. Read a <a href= "https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/diarmaid-macculloch/">full transcript</a> enhanced with helpful links, or watch the <a href="https://youtu.be/zld39xD4sus">full vi</a><a href= "https://youtu.be/VeDKWf80Z3M">deo</a> on the new dedicated Conversations with Tyler channel. Recorded October 29th, 2025. This episode was made possible through the support of the John Templeton Foundation. Other ways to connect <ul> <li class="p1" style= "font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> Follow us on <a href= "https://twitter.com/cowenconvos">X</a> and <a href= "https://www.instagram.com/cowenconvos/?hl=en">Instagram</a></li> <li class="p1" style= "font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/tylercowen">Tyler</a> on X</li> <li style= "font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> <a class="c-link" href="https://mercatus.tfaforms.net/5060931" target="_blank" rel= "noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.tfaforms.com/5060931" data-sk="tooltip_parent">Sign up for our newsletter</a></li> <li style= "font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> Join our <a href= "https://discord.gg/JAVWP7vTxt">Discord</a></li> <li class="p1" style= "font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> Email us: <a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href= "mailto:cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu" target="_blank" rel= "noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link= "mailto:cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-haspopup="menu" aria-expanded="false" data-remove-tab-index= "true">cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu</a></li> <li class="p1" style= "font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> Learn more about Conversations with Tyler and other Mercatus Center podcasts <a href= "https://www.mercatus.org/podcasts">here</a>.</li> </ul> Image Credit: Barry Jones

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

Diarmaid MacCulloch on Christianity, Sex, and Unsettling Settled Facts

Conversations with Tyler

AI Chapters

AI Insights

Reviews