Overview

"Stark, moving but with glimmers of humour amongst the wreckage, ""The Hardest Part"" asks perhaps the hardest question of all when faced with the horrors of the 1st World War - where was God to be found in the carnage of the western front? Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy's answer, that through the cross God shares in human suffering rather than being a ‘passionate potentate’ looking down unmoved by death, injury and destruction on an immense scale, was, and still is, revolutionary. Marking the centenary both of the end of the First World War and the original publication of The Hardest Part, this new critical edition contains a contextual introduction, a brief biography of Studdert Kennedy, annotated bibliography and the full text of the first edition of the book, with explanatory notes. Contents: The Man, the Padre and the Theologian - Thomas O’Loughlin Gone and Almost Forgotten: The Reception of 'The Hardest Part' - Stuart Bell The Hardest Part – the 1918 text Dedication Preface Author’s Introduction 1. What is God like? 2. God in Nature 3. God in History 4. God in the Bible 5. God and Democracy 6. God and Prayer 7. God and the Sacrament 8. God and the Church 9. God and the Life Eternal Postscript"

Full Product Details

9780334057192

Table of Contents

Reviews

'More than any other person Studdert Kennedy brings home to us the reality of a God who suffers, not just once on the cross, but in nature, history and contemporary pain. In The Hardest Part we have a theology that arose directly out of the horror and pity of his battlefield experience that still speaks to us today. Its blunt rejection of false ideas of God and vivid images that touched ordinary non-religious soldiers still has a freshness and relevance.' -- Richard Harries * former Bishop of Oxford * 'Geoffrey Studdert-Kennedy is a legendary figure in the history of the First World War, and indeed of the Anglican tradition in the twentieth century. The Hardest Part represents the efforts of this brilliant and profoundly sensitive thinker to the horrors he witnessed at the Western Front, and in the process he created a modern spiritual classic. This centennial edition should make it even better known to new generations. The editors have done a superb job of explaining the background to the man, and to the situation in which he found himself. The resulting book is a priceless contribution.' -- Philip Jenkins * Baylor University * 'What is God like? Asks Studdert Kennedy - Answer: 'God, the God I love and worship reigns in sorrow on the Tree, Broken, bleeding, but unconquered, very God of God to me.' This outstanding new critical edition focuses Studdert Kennedy's transformative theology, forged on the bitter, bloody anvil of murderous conflict.' -- Dr Stephen Platten

'More than any other person Studdert Kennedy brings home to us the reality of a God who suffers, not just once on the cross, but in nature, history and contemporary pain. In The Hardest Part we have a theology that arose directly out of the horror and pity of his battlefield experience that still speaks to us today. Its blunt rejection of false ideas of God and vivid images that touched ordinary non-religious soldiers still has a freshness and relevance.' -Richard Harries, former Bishop of Oxford Geoffrey Studdert-Kennedy is a legendary figure in the history of the First World War, and indeed of the Anglican tradition in the twentieth century. The Hardest Part represents the efforts of this brilliant and profoundly sensitive thinker to the horrors he witnessed at the Western Front, and in the process he created a modern spiritual classic. This centennial edition should make it even better known to new generations. The editors have done a superb job of explaining the background to the man, and to the situation in which he found himself. The resulting book is a priceless contribution.' - Philip Jenkins, Distinguished Professor of History, Baylor University

Author Information

Geoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy, MC (27 June 1883 – 8 March 1929), was an English Anglican priest and poet. He was nicknamed 'Woodbine Willie' during World War I for giving Woodbine cigarettes along with spiritual aid to injured and dying soldiers. Thomas O'Loughlin is Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Nottingham. Rev Dr Stuart Bell is an honorary research fellow at St John’s College, Durham

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available