The Church of England and the First World War

The Church of England and the First World War (first published in 1978) explores in depth the role of the church during the tragic circumstances of the First World War using biographies, newspapers, magazines, letters, poetry and other sources in a balanced evaluation. The myth that the war was fought by 'lions led by donkeys' powerfully endures turning heroes into victims. Alan Wilkinson demonstrates the sheer horror, moral ambiguity, and the interaction between religion, the church and warwith a scholarly, and yet poetic, hand. The author creates a vivid image of the church and society, includes views of the Free Churches and Roman Catholics, portrays the pastoral problems and challenges to faith presented by war, and the pressures for reform of church and society. The Church of England and the First World War is written with compelling compassion and great historical understanding, making the book hard to put down. This expert and classic study will grip the religious and secular alike, the general reader or the student.

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 lenght, with carefully researched material forming the basis of a balanced judgement. 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 deah 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 post-war problems. A vivid picture of the impact of trench warfare on twentieth-century sensibility emerges, reinforced by the use of contemporary photographs and illustrations.