A fresh, wide-ranging collection that charts English Christianity’s historical path from the sixth century to the present

For many today, the Christian church stands picturesquely in the background of modern life, yet its time-honored place remains firmly in the foreground, woven into the fabric of English society and culture over thousands of years. Though the church itself may have faded from view, its legacy is everywhere. This edited collection brings its past to life, exploring what it has stood for, what it has achieved, and the upheavals it has caused.

Tracing English Christianity from its pioneering origins through the flowerings of the Enlightenment and up to the uncertain age of the present, this collection tells the still-unfolding story of a religion as told by its saints and sinners, dignitaries and dissidents, shrewd observers, and ordinary parishioners.