Religion

Making New Religions: The Mighty 'I AM'

'Religious experiences which are as real as life to some may be incomprehensible to others.' The colourful activities of a religious movement in the 1930s were to lead to landmark Supreme Court decisions about the relations of religion and the state.

Whatever Happened to the English Reformation?

'Revisionism' has now become a historian's catch-phrase. Long-cherished interpretations of upheavals in British and European history have been re-examined. In this light, Glyn Redworth examines revisionist interpretations of the English Reformation.

Stewart Headlam and the Christian Socialists

'Stirring up divine discontent' by education to effect a transformation of the social order became the credo of one of Victorian Christian Socialism's most colourful characters, far outpacing the more temperate aims of its founders.

Medieval Christmas

Existing elements of pagan midwinter rites fused with the developing theology of Christmas in an appeal to the senses of both sacred and lay.

'Woodbine Willie': Religion and Politics after the Great War

Gerald Kennedy shows how a fear of revolution and the growing strength of organised labour created tensions in Britain after the end of the First World War. Men such as 'Woodbine Willie' attempted to defuse the situation by preaching the gospel of 'Christian Socialism' at mass meetings across the country.

Pagans and Christians

James Graham-Campbell looks at the persisting image of the Vikings as pagan raiders striking at isolated Christian settlements. But is this the whole truth? And how and why did the Vikings adopt Christianity?