John Maiden

'What could be more Christian than to allow the Sikhs to use it?' Church Redundancy and Minority Religion in Bedford, 1977-8

This chapter explores the attitude of the Church of England to the sharing of redundant consecrated church buildings, formerly used for worship, to non-Christian religious groups. It draws on a case study of St Leonards Church, Bedford, in the late 1970s. Highlighting the relevance of the themes of theological considerations, community relations and understanding of diaspora in the decision making of the Church Commissioners, it explores the relationship between a local controversy and a wider debate in the Church.

Renewing the body of Christ: Sharing of Ministries Abroad (SOMA) USA and transnational charismatic Anglicanism, 1978-1998

Sharing of Ministries Abroad (SOMA) was formed in the late 1970s as an international organisation for the cultivation of charismatic renewal amongst leaderships within the global Anglican Communion. This article explores the ethos and activities of its American national body. It argues that its short term, cross-cultural missions increasingly displayed mutuality and long-term partnership rather than one-directional American influence, and thus reflected a developing shift in the understanding and practice of global mission in the late twentieth century. The organisation shaped awareness of the global Church amongst some US Episcopalians and constructed an influential transnational network within charismatic Anglicanism. Furthermore, SOMA’s network was one context for the emergence of global north-south conservative solidarity in the politics of the Anglican Communion.

Parliament, the church of England and the last gasp of political protestantism, 1963-4

Political protestantism has been an enduring theme in parliamentary and ecclesiastical politics and has had considerable influence on modern Church and state relations. Since the mid 19th century, evangelicals have sought to apply external and internal pressure on parliament to maintain the �protestant identity� of the national Church, and as late as 1928, the house of commons rejected anglican proposals for the revision of the prayer book. This article examines the attempts by evangelicals to prevent the passage through parliament of controversial measures relating to canon law revision in 1963�4. It assesses the interaction between Church and legislature, the influence of both evangelical lobbyists and MPs, and the terms in which issues relating to religion and national identity were debated in parliament. It shows that while evangelicals were able to stir up a surprising level of controversy over canon law revision � enough for the Conservative Party chief whip, Selwyn Lloyd, to attempt to persuade Archbishop Ramsey to delay introducing the vesture of ministers measure to parliament until after the 1964 general election � the influence of political protestantism, and thus a significant long-term theme in British politics, had finally run its course.

Discipline and Comprehensiveness: the Church of England and Prayer Book Revision in the 1920s

This chapter discusses the problem of discipline and diversity within the Church of England, exploring the proposals for Prayer Book revision in the 1920s. It suggests that there was an uneasy tension in the revision proposals, which aimed to both enlarge comprehensiveness and strengthen discipline with the Church. The paper analyses the role of ecclesiastical authority and Anglican identity, suggesting that the controversy over revision provides a longer historical perspective for current debates within the Anglican Church.