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War, The Nation, and the Kingdom of God: The Origins of the National Mission of Repentance and Hope, 1915–16

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2016

David M. Thompson
David M. Thompson*
Affiliation:
Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
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The National Mission of Repentance and Hope, launched by the archbishops of Canterbury and York and led by the bishop of London in the autumn of 1916, has not been regarded as one of the more successful episodes in the history of the Church of England. Hensley Henson, who can always be relied upon for a suitable comment, called it ‘a grave, practical blunder’, whilst a very different type of churchman, Conrad Noel, called it ‘the Mission of Funk and Despair’. Its treatment in the secondary sources is curious. Bell has a chapter on it in his life of Randall Davidson, but it says much about Davidson and little about the Mission. The same is true, mutatis mutandis, of Iremonger’s treatment in the life of Temple. S. C. Carpenter chose to omit the chapter on the National Mission from his life of Winnington-Ingram. Lloyd depends heavily on Bell; Wilkinson is more rounded, but the fullest account by Mews remains unpublished.

Type
Research Article
Information
Studies in Church History , Volume 20: The Church and War , 1983 , pp. 337 - 350
Copyright
Copyright © Ecclesiastical History Society 1983

References

1 Braley, [E.F.], Letters [of Herbert Hensley Henson] (London 1950) p 14 Google Scholar; Groves, R., Conrad Noel and the Thaxted Movement (London 1967) p 176 Google Scholar.

2 Bell, [G. K. A.], [Randall] Davidson 3rd ed (London 1952) pp 767-74Google Scholar; Iremonger, [F. A.], [ William] Temple (London 1948) pp 204-19Google Scholar; Carpenter, S.C., Winnington-lngram (London 1949) p 4 Google Scholar; Lloyd, [R.], [The] Church of England [1900-1965] (London 1966) pp 226-31Google Scholar; Wilkinson, [A.], [The] Church of England and [the First World] War (London 1978) pp 70-9Google Scholar; Mews, S.P., Religion and Society in England in the First World War (unpub. Cambridge Ph.D. dissertation 1974) pp 224–301 Google Scholar.

3 Record 18 Nov 1915, referring to a letter in the issue for 8 Dec 1914; Church Family Newspaper 12 Nov 1915.

4 Temple, [W.]; A Challenge [to the Church] (London 1917) p 1.Google Scholar

5 Iremonger, , Temple pp 206-7Google Scholar. This is not mentioned by Bell and I have been unable to trace this correspondence in the Davidson papers so far.

6 Viscount Bryce, ‘The Immediate Duty of Christian Men’ Layman’s Bulletin June 1915: in the A.W. Robinson papers.

7 [Lambeth Palace Library], D[avidson] P[apers]: ‘War’ Box 14: bishop of Worcester to Davidson, 9 Mar 1915; Davidson to bishop of Worcester, 19 Apr 1915; A.W. Robinson to Davidson, 19Jun 1915; Davidson to Robinson, 24Jul 1915.

8 Gore was not a member of the group, as stated by Wilkinson, Church of England and War p 72.

9 Bell, Davidson p 736. Armitage married Mrs Davidson’s secretary in Lambeth Palace chapel injan 1915. Lloyd, Church oj England p 226, mistakenly says Armitage Robinson was asked to be chairman. Sheen, H.E., Canon Peter Green (London 1965) p 80 Google Scholar makes the same mistake.

10 Robinson, A.W., The Way to Pray (London 1931) pp 23-7Google Scholar.

11 [A.W.] Rfobinson] P[apers]: circular letter from Davidson, 29 Jul 1915. I am grateful to the Rt Revd Dr J.A.T. Robinson, Trinity College, Cambridge, for allowing me to consult his father’s papers, which are in his possession.

12 RP: circular letter of A.W. Robinson, Aug 1915.

13 RP: The Spiritual Call [to the Nation and the Church: What is being taught by the War and What should be done] (privately printed) p 6.

14 Bell, Davidson pp 767-8; Robinson to Davidson, 24 Nov 1915.

15 RP: [Informal] report of a Conference [held at London House on] November 24, typescript, pp 2, 3 5-6.

16 The Chronicle of Convocation, 1916 pp 3-8; The York Journal of Convocation, 1915-16 pp 95-98.

17 The Chronicle of Convocation, 1916 p 52; The Spiritual Call p 6.

18 Iremonger, Temple p 208.

19 Temple, 4 Challenge p 3.

20 RP: Frere to Robinson, 30 Sept 1915.

21 RP: Frere to Robinson, 21 Oct 1915.

22 RP: Robinson’s ms notes of Beaconsfield meeting, October 1915. Except where otherwise indicated statements made at this meeting come from this source, which is impagina ted.

23 The Spiritual Call pp 6, 8.

24 DP: ‘National Mission’ Box 1: Davidson to Mrs Penrose, 23 Jun 1915; Davidson to Robinson, 6 Aug 1915.

25 Temple, W., ’Our Need of a Catholic Church‘ Papers for War Time 2nd series, no 19 (London 1915) p 14 Google Scholar; Church and Nation (London 1916) pp 44-5.

26 Temple, A Challenge p 12.

27 DP: ‘National Mission’Box 1: Notes of [Private] Conference [at Lambeth], 21 July 1916.

28 RP: Report of a Conference, November 24, pp 1-2.

29 The Spiritual Call p 4; RP: Temple to Robinson, 22 Oct 1915.

30 RP: McCormick to Robinson, 20 Oct 1915.

31 RP: Cunningham to Robinson, 20 Oct 1915.

32 RP: Temple to Robinson, 22 Oct 1915.

33 Temple, A Challenge p 15.

34 RP: Murray to Robinson, 8 Oct 1915.

35 RP: Davidson to Robinson, 8 Oct 1915.

36 DP: ‘War’ Box 14: Lang to Davidson, 11 Dec 1915.

37 DP: ‘War’ Box 14: Temple to Davidson, 7 Feb 1916.

38 RP: Notes of Beaconsfield Meeting, additional memo.

39 RP: Trevelyan to Robinson, 6 Oct 1915.

40 RP: Report of a Conference, November 24, p 4.

41 DP: ‘National Mission’ Box 2: Temple to Davidson, 17 Dec 1915.

42 DP: ‘War’ Box 14: Memo of interview with Shakespeare, 23 Mar 1916.

43 DP: ‘National Mission’ Box 1: Notes of Conference, 21 July 1916.

44 Church Times 3 Mar 1916, p 219.

45 Temple, A Challenge p 7.

46 Green, Peter, ’The Humiliation of War‘ in Bell, G.K.A., ed The War and the Kingdom of Cod (London 1916) p 60 Google Scholar.

47 Ibid pp 91-2.

48 Braley, Letters p 15.

49 DP: ‘National Mission’ Box 2: bishop of Lichfield to Davidson, 11 Feb 1916.

50 Sheen, Peter Creen pp 98-108.