Key ideas from Diarmaid MacCulloch

• Christianity introduced baptism as an egalitarian innovation - unlike male circumcision in Judaism, both men and women could receive it
• The 12th-century celibacy requirement for Western clergy transformed marriage theology, making procreation central to valid marriage
• Medieval cathedrals were 'factories of prayer' funded by nobility seeking salvation through purgatory, creating Europe's architectural legacy
• Protestant Reformation reversed Christian ideals by making married clergy the model Christian life instead of celibate monks
• Michel Foucault's assertion that homosexuality was invented in 1869 is 'so stupid and so French' - MacCulloch
• English parish system created unprecedented religious coverage - virtually every location in Europe had pastoral care within walking distance
• Hell doctrine is 'profoundly unconvincing' and unnecessary for sustainable Christianity, unlike Eucharistic faith - MacCulloch
• Historians keep 'the human race sane' by unsettling settled facts and preventing society from listening to lies