Research Catalog

Title

God and greater Britain : religion and national life in Britain and Ireland, 1843-1945 / John Wolffe.

Author

Wolffe, John.

Publication

London ; New York : Routledge, 1994.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

xii, 324 pages : illustrations; 23 cm

Summary

• God and Greater Britain is an examination of crucial aspects of the relationship between religion and national consciousness in Britain and Ireland at a pivotal period in the history of both countries. Innovative in the way it transcends the narrow limits of traditional 'church history', it nevertheless demonstrates the centrality of religion in Ireland, Scotland and Wales as well as England in the period.
• An exploration of the various modes of approaching the history of religion and nationality is John Wolffe's starting place. He continues by describing and analysing the place of religion in nineteenth and early twentieth century society. The focus is particularly on the impact of evangelicalism and Catholic revival, and on the differing manifestations of official and unofficial religion.
• The second part of the book builds on this foundation to relate religion more explicitly to issues of politics, culture and nationality. It opens with some verbal 'snapshots' portraying the various dimensions of the situations around 1850, and continues with chapters concentrating on politics, and on theology and national cultures.
• The final major chapter analyses the relationship of religion to national experiences of empire and war, and the book concludes with a summary of its implications, relating especially to theories of secularization. This book places 'national' religion in its historical context in a fresh way and as such will interest all modern historians and historians of religion.

Subjects

• British Isles > Church history > 20th century
• Christianity > Related to > Politics > History
• Great Britain
• British Isles > Church history > 19th century

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. 298-308) and index.

Contents

1. Introduction: Religion and Nationhood in Modern Britain -- 2. A Strange Warming? The Formation of Victorian Religion -- 3. God Made Them High or Lowly? Official Religion -- 4. Outside the Sheepfold? Unofficial Religion -- 5. High Tide of Faith? Religion and Nationhood Around 1850 -- 6. Thine is the Kingdom? Politics, Community and the Monarchy -- 7. The Real Free Church? Culture and Belief -- 8. Onward Christian Soldiers? The Empire and War -- 9. Conclusion: Nationalism and Secularization.

ISBN

0415035708

LCCN

93038980

OCLC

ocm29361232

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries