Faith on the Home Front

The nature of religion on the domestic front in Britain during the Second World War has, hitherto, been relatively unexplored. This study focuses on Birmingham and describes wartime popular religion, primarily as recounted in oral testimony. The difference the War made to people's faith, and the consolation wrought by prayer and a religious outlook are explored, as are the religious language and concepts utilised by the wartime popular media of cinema and wireless. Clerical rhetoric about the War and concerns to spiritualise the war effort are dealt with by an analysis of locally published sources, especially parish magazines and other religious ephemera, which set the War on the spiritual as much as the military plane. A final section of the study is devoted to measuring the extent of the influence of the churches in the creation of a vision for post-war Britain and Birmingham.

Autorentext

The Author: Stephen Parker is a native of Birmingham. He holds a BEd (Hons) degree in Religious and Theological Studies, a Masters degree in pastoral studies and a Ph.D. in theology, all awarded by the University of Birmingham. Formerly a lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Chester, he is currently head of Religious Studies at Cadbury Sixth Form College, Birmingham.

Zusammenfassung
«This is a valuable contribution not only to our knowledge of the history of religion in Britain during the Second World War - in itself a seriously neglected field - but also to the continuing relevance and vitality of religion within British culture and society during the first half of the twentieth century.» (Gerald Parsons, Journal of Ecclesiastical History)
«Certainly, in this carefully balanced work Stephen Parker gives us much to consider on both the religious and historical front. He has also done a service in bringing to the fore aspects of inter-war life requiring further research, not merely in Birmingham but in comparative studies of different economic regions.» (Barry K. Hill, Journal of Beliefs & Values)

Inhalt

Contents: The Research Context - Popular Religion and the Experience of War - The Churches' Ministry in Wartime Birmingham - War's Ending: The Churches Vision of the Post-War World.