What are the relationship between Christianity, ancient paganism, and Western culture? Does mass secularization in the West presage a new pagan era? Where is “New Atheism” 15 years after its peak?

These are just some of the questions Ben Bassett and I mull over. Bassett is an archaeologist but has a deep interest in ancient history. Three years ago he wrote:

• Progress and Polytheism: Could an Ethical West Exist Without Christianity?

We also referenced Unbelievable? Is the God of the Bible a capriciously malevolent, misogynistic, sadomasochistic bully? Dan Barker vs Martin Kuhrt and The Harlot by the Side of the Road: Forbidden Tales of the Bible. Tom Holland’s Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World and Ross Douthat’s Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics were also discussed.

We live in a time of religious change. Both Ben and I believe it is important to look at the last great change in Western history to get a sense of the future.