The Church of England and the First World War
Alan Wilkinson, "The Church of England and the First World War"
English | 2014 | ISBN: 0718893212 | PDF | pages: 379 | 7.7 mb
English | 2014 | ISBN: 0718893212 | PDF | pages: 379 | 7.7 mb
The Church of England has often been severely criticized for its role in the First World War, but this is the first study to be published in this country which treats its involvement at length, with carefully researched material forming the basis of a balanced judgment.
Every aspect of the Church’s life before and during the war is considered: its reaction to the outbreak of hostilities, the work of its chaplains in the field, its handling of the pastoral problems caused by widespread death in the trenches and bereavement at home, its responses to anti-German hysteria and the agitation for reprisals, and the undermining by the war of traditional attitudes towards theology, ethics, and church structures. Alan Wilkinson also evaluates the response of the Church of England to postwar problems. A vivid picture of the impact of trench warfare on twentieth-century sensibility emerges, reinforced by the use of contemporary photographs and illustrations.