عنوان

Faith in conflict :

Number

TLets810170

Title Proper

Faith in conflict :

General Material Designation

[Thesis]

First Statement of Responsibility

Bell, Stuart Andrew

Title Proper by Another Author

a study of British experiences in the First World War with particular reference to the English Midlands

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

University of Birmingham

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

2016

Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree

Thesis (Ph.D.)

Text preceding or following the note

2016

Text of Note

The thesis addresses the question, 'How did the First World War affect the religious faith of the people of Britain?' The ways in which wartime preachers, hymn-writers, diarists and letter-writers expressed their faith are examined. For the vast majority, the War was both a military and a spiritual conflict of right against might and the rhetoric of a Holy War was popular. Questions of divine omnipotence and providence troubled many, the standard response being that war was a consequence of God's gift of free will. The language of sacrifice dominated public discourse, with many asserting that the salvation of the fallen was ensured by their own sacrifice. Prayers for the dead became widely accepted in the Church of England. Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy promoted the belief that God shares in human suffering. However, there is little evidence that his advocacy of divine impassibility was influential subsequently. Wartime ecumenical activities and attitudes are analysed, the hopes for Christian unity of the 1920 Lambeth Conference are discussed and the naïve optimism of many bishops is contrasted with the reality of ecclesiological differences. The conclusion is that the War's influence on people's faith was limited and reasons for this are suggested.

BL Religion; D501 World War I; DA Great Britain

University of Birmingham

University of Birmingham

Electronic name

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y