War, Peace and the British Free Churches, 1914-1945
War, Peace and the British Free Churches, 1914-1945
Description
Surveying experience across the Free Churches, this book considers the involvement of British Christians in the public debates about the justification and conduct of war and the pursuit of peace in the first half of the 20th century.
It explores church involvement with issues like Great War conscientious objectors, World War One rhetoric, the commemoration of war, and the arms trade of the mid-20th century. War, Peace and the British Free Churches, 1914-1945 shines a light on the significance of key individuals, such as Walter Mursell, Padre Ernest Lodge Watson and Henry Carter, and gives balanced coverage to the public participation of Methodists, Baptists, Congregationalists and more.
The book examines the Free Church interactions with the League of Nations and its engagements with ideological discussions around Liberalism and Pacifism in the period. Indeed the era addressed by the volume is widely acknowledged as a time in which the Free Churches enjoyed a height in popular adherence across much of British society, rivalling and often eclipsing the 'Establishment'; the book therefore provides a vital understanding of a previously neglected and yet critical dimension of Britain's relationship with peace and conflict in the 20th century.
Table of Contents
Andrew Chandler, University of Chichester
Oxford's Free Churches and the outbreak of the Great War in 1914.
Martin Wellings, Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History, Oxford Brookes University
'The Fellowship of trial': Religious Rhetoric in the First World War: The Sermons of Walter Mursell, Minister of Thomas Coats Memorial Baptist Church, Paisley.
Brian Talbot, Senior Research Fellow, International Baptist Theological Seminary, Amsterdam
Padre Ernest Lodge Watson (1878-1951) and Army Chaplaincy during the First World War.
Neil Allison, Official Historian to the United Navy, Army and Air Force Board; Highland Theological College, University of Highlands and Islands
'Who speaks for the Christians'? The Great War and Conscientious Objectors in the Church of Christ: An Expansion in Tribute to Mike Casey.
Peter Ackers, Emeritus Professor, Loughborough University
Methodism and Military Chaplaincy, 1900-30
Peter Howson, honorary research fellow, Oxford Brookes University.
The Colleges of Mansfield Road, Oxford, in the era of the Great War
David Seymour, Independent scholar
Strict Baptist Reactions to War, 1914-19
Kenneth Dix and Judith James, Strict Baptist Historical Society
The Warmongering Pacifist: A Family Story
John G. Ellis, Former Moderator, United Reformed Church
From pride in the Living to Commemorating the Dead: Rolls of Honour in the First World War.
Anne C. Brook, Independent scholar
'Divinely Ordained for the World's Life': The Free Churches and the League of Nations
Markku Ruotsila, University of Helsinki
Building God's Kingdom on Earth: Lord Davies of Llandinum, Gwilym Davies and Christianising the Interwar Quest for Peace.
Evan Lawry, University of Aberystwyth
Henry Carter, British Methodism and the Search for Peace.
Michael Hughes, Professor of Modern History, University of Lancaster
'Swords and Ploughshares': The Free Churches and the Arms Trade in twentieth-Century Britain.
Pippa Catterall, Professor of History and Policy, University of Westminster
British Congregationalism, Liberalism and Pacifism in the middle twentieth century: the place of Nathaniel Micklem.
Andrew Chandler, University of Chichester
Martyn Lloyd Jones and the Evangelical Response to War and Peace.
David Ceri Jones, University of Aberystwyth
Index
Product details
| Published | Nov 13 2025 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (PDF) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | 9781350431300 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Illustrations | 15 bw illus |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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