VisionTV’s Decoding Christianity unlocks the hidden meanings of Christian images and rituals

New doc series premieres March 19

Angels and demons. Martyrs and miracles. Crucifixion and resurrection.

Every person raised in the Western world has some knowledge of Christianity’s symbols and rituals. But what lies behind them? How did they come into being, and what do they represent?

Decoding Christianity, a new VisionTV documentary series, is devoted to unlocking the hidden “codes” of the Christian faith. The six-part program explores both the spiritual and artistic, offering insight into the meaning of Christianity’s signs, symbols, myths, miracles and icons.

VisionTV presents the Canadian television premiere of Decoding Christianity on Wednesdays, starting March 19 at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

The first episode, “Flesh and Blood,” airs as part of VisionTV’s week-long series of special presentations to honour Holy Week and Easter. For more information on the network’s Lenten season schedule (including a Good Friday broadcast of the Stations of the Cross ceremony from Rome), please visit www.visiontv.ca.

Decoding Christianity is hosted by renowned Irish television presenter and writer Christy Kenneally. A former priest, Kenneally has authored numerous bestsellers, including Maura’s Boy, The New Curate, Small Wonders and The Remnant.

Each episode of Decoding Christianity begins with a simple question – such as “Where do we go when we die?” or “What are angels?” – and reveals how Christian believers have encoded their understanding of the answers into great works of art, elaborate rituals and a myriad of other symbolic forms.

The series follows Kenneally as he seeks out extraordinary examples of Christian imagery and symbolism at locales in a dozen different countries – from the catacombs of Rome to the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania.

Decoding Christianity sheds light on the intimate relationship between the spiritual and artistic impulses. Throughout history, religion and art have inspired one another. To understand the symbolism of Christian art is to come closer to unlocking the mysteries of Christianity itself.

Filmed in High Definition, Decoding Christianity is a co-production of Tile Films in Dublin, Ireland and VisionTV International. The series was shot in the U.S., Russia, Lithuania, Turkey, the Czech Republic, France, Italy Wales, Ireland, Ethiopia and the Philippines.

The series was produced and directed by Stephen Rooke, one of Ireland’s leading documentary filmmakers (Heaven on Earth, The Lost Gods). Alberta Nokes is the Executive Producer for VisionTV.

Decoding Christianity: Episode Lineup

Wednesday, March 19: “Flesh and Blood”
“Christianity,” says Decoding Christianity host Christy Kenneally, “is not for the faint-hearted.” Why do vivid images depicting the torment of Jesus Christ and the Christian martyrs play such an important role in Christian art? In this episode, Kenneally attempts to decode the powerful symbolism of the crucifixion and the Christian fascination with physical suffering. His journey takes him from a church in Dublin, Ireland that claims to hold the remains of the martyred St. Valentine, to Pampagna in the Philippines, where devout believers seek salvation by enduring crucifixion.

Wednesday, March 26: “Damned and Saved”
Where do we go when we die? What happens to the soul on its final journey? Because the Bible offers little detail about either Heaven or Hell, Christian artists and writers have filled in the gaps. In this episode of Decoding Christianity, host Christy Kenneally reveals how the idea of the afterlife has evolved through the centuries. He investigates the Christian concept of Original Sin, explains where the notions of Limbo and Purgatory – neither of which appears in the Bible – came from, and contemplates the powerful hold that visions of Hell and the Last Judgment have had upon the artistic imagination.

Wednesday, April 2: “Angels”
More than three-quarters of North Americans believe in angels. But what are angels, and where do they come from? In this episode of Decoding Christianity, host Christy Kenneally considers the many ways in which artists have portrayed angels over the centuries. He ventures into the catacombs of Rome to find one of the earliest depictions of a Christian angel, learns how angels got their wings, and ponders the dark side of angels. Finally, he takes a look at the present-day “angel industry,” traveling to Reno, Nevada to meet a woman who claims to be a channel for the Archangel Michael.

Wednesday, April 9: “Secrecy, Symbols and Mystery”
Why is Christianity so steeped in symbols? In this episode of Decoding Christianity, host Christy Kenneally asks how the faith developed such a rich symbolic language. He revisits Christianity’s origins as a persecuted underground movement, and explains how early followers used secret signs to identify themselves to one another. He also discovers how the cross went from a symbol of shame to a powerful and glorious image, and reveals the importance of mystery to Christian practice.

Wednesday, April 16: “Miracles”
What is a miracle? In this episode of Decoding Christianity, host Christy Kenneally asks why, even today, people all over the world quest after miracles. He considers one of the earliest and most significant of miracles – Constantine’s vision on the Milvian Bridge in the 4th century – and investigates the connection between saints and miracles, joining pilgrims on their journeys to the sites of miraculous happenings from Ethiopia to Wales.

Wednesday, April 23: “A Faith Divided”
In the 11th century, Christianity split into the Eastern Orthodox and Western Churches. In the 16th century, Western Christianity divided into Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. Why did these great divisions take place? In this final episode of Decoding Christianity, host Christy Kenneally examines the causes and impact of the Great Schism and the Reformation, and ponders the possibility of reconciliation between Christianity’s Western and Eastern traditions.