The response of the leadership of the Church of England to the welfare state and the "new morality," 1945-75

The purpose of this study was to delineate the response of the leadership within the Church of England to the welfare state and the 'new morality" that emerged in Great Britain after 1945. The Church of England enjoys a special historical and legal status in the nation, and therefore its reaction to the changing social order is of particular interest to the historian.

To achieve this purpose, it was necessary first to describe the origin and organization of the religious institution and to present a brief overview of its development of a social conscience over the last century. Following this background material, the Churchmen's attitudes toward the major aspects of the welfare state and post-war morality were investigated in the main body of the thesis. Finally, recent trends within the Church of England were discussed.

The methods used to obtain much of the needed information for this study included extensive research into statements by the bishops contained in the House of Lords debates (1938-1978), analysis of available Church reports and religious writings, and a critical review of appropriate secondary sources (numerous books, periodical articles, and newspaper accounts).

After only a cursory examination of the primary research, it became obvious that no singular, Church-wide stand on many social issues existed because the leadership of the Church has split itself into at least two main theological strands since the war. This division may be expressed in different ways, but it is essentially a group of conservative, traditional Churchmen as opposed to a segment of liberal, progressive leaders. Yet, generally, both of these factions reacted favorably to the tenets of the welfare state as a way to improve the quality of each individual's life. Some conservative Churchmen, however, expressed fears concerning the ever-increasing power of the state and lamented the absence of traditional moral standards after the war. Both groups worked to secure the dignity of each individual in a society that they considered to be basically Christian in nature. In recent years, some elements in the Church have attempted to fit in with the new society by instigating various reforms in its organization and its outlook, while at the same time, other elements have stressed the basic principles of Christianity, especially in regard to morality.

To conclude that the Church of England has been totally successful in its responsibilities to post-war British society would be a vast overstatement of its accomplishments, but to content that the Church has been completely ineffective would also be unfair. . Without question, the division of the Church's leadership weakened its efforts. But the successes of the Church cannot be measured in the same manner as the secular world. Consequently, the Church's mission to spread Christianity has often been achieved on an individual basis through a very gradual, somewhat intangible process.