In his book saints of the twentieth century brother kenneth records how once studdert kennedy was to tell a pious congregation with a beautiful and ancient parish church that sometimes he felt he would like to take a great sledgehammer and smash every stained glass window in the church, and then go out and celebrate the eucharist in a field with a teacup and plate. His poems and theological reflections were inspired by times of crisis and troubling questions he faced in the war. The pastor and the suffering god an ocms lecture about geoffrey studdert kennedy, given by. Paying further tribute to the popular and wellknown priest on 10 march 1929, the sunday after studdert kennedys death, the dean preached a sermon in worcester cathedral, which, as well as reminding hearers of studdert kennedys wider ministry, was clearly full of admiration for the man as a public speaker. Woodbine willie felt god s heartbeat for people and ministered faithfully, through practical love and through his poetry, to the ordinary soldiers living through hell. If christians know anything about god from the cross, it is that the weakness of god is stronger than men 1 cor. Woodbine willie they gave me this name like their nature, compacted of laughter and tears, a sweet that was born of the bitter, a joke that was torn from the years. Studdert kennedy was also a tireless champion of the social gospel who wrote a so declared geoffrey woodbine willie studdert kennedy 18831929, a decorated frontline chaplain whose battlefield experiences in world war transformed him into the most eloquent defender ofchristian pacifism of his generation. Page 75 we stood up to give the blessing, and commend him to the lord, when a sudden light shot soaring silver swift and like a sword. Studdert kennedy in many ways agrees with the militarism abounding in the hymnals and in the book of. 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. Studdertkennedy and the jewish biblical scholar abraham heschel. In his 1918 book the hardest part, he described a god who is not remote and inaccessible and who was capable of suffering with humanity. Sep 09, 2015 studdert kennedy approaches the problem of suffering with a distinct point of view shaped by the war, and beautifully articulates honest questions about god in the face of suffering.
The titles of two poems differ from studdert kennedy s. Editor kerry walters introduces the texts with a biographical and thematic essay. Books go search hello select your address best sellers help new releases gift ideas gift cards home books sell computers electronics registry. The hardest part by ga studdertkennedy baptist union of.
Studdertkennedy by ben witherington kennedy was a chaplain in wwi for the british and saw the worst of human evil in the maginot line. Geoffrey anketell studdert kennedy woodbine willie was an anglican priest and british army chaplain who served heroically at the front during world war i. Studdert kennedy, a world war i british army chaplain, and were published in his rough rhymes of a padre in 1918. How the ww1 pastor known as woodbine willie influenced 21st. May 01, 2008 geoffrey anketell studdert kennedy, mc 27 june 1883 8 march 1929, was an anglican priest and poet. The pastor and the suffering god transformation 223 july 2005 1 67. The hardest part theology eked out on the battlefield on the omnipotence of god and suffering. 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. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. To him, the only christian answer to the suffering of the soldiers was that god was down there with them, suffering along with them.
It can be found in his wonderful long out of print book the unutterable beauty pp. Walking with god through pain and suffering by timothy j. 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. That race was completed and for the moment at least, if i was to speak to.
Extract from the suffering god, in geoffrey studdert kennedys. Although now probably better known in germany through the work of jurgen moltmannn than in britain, studdert kennedy s ongoing fame and influence stems from a new theology he forged in and around messines ridge in june 1917, which anticipated many developments in the later 20th century. The cross does not make god a helpless victim of evil, but is the secret of his power and his triumph over evil. In this poem, done in cockney dialect i have americanized it a bit for the sake of intelligibility. The collected poems of g a studdertkennedy woodbine. Rough rhymes of a soldier by sergeant leo t brinson. So declared geoffrey woodbine willie studdert kennedy 18831929. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Rough rhymes of a padre geoffrey anketell studdert kennedy. They provide wider theological insight into how, in the contemporary world, life and tragedy, likewise god and suffering, can be. Studdertkennedy kennedy was a chaplain in wwi for the british and saw the worst of human evil in the maginot line. The hardest part theology eked out on the battlefield on.
So declared geoffrey woodbine willie studdert kennedy 18831929, a decorated frontline chaplain whose battlefield experiences in world war i transformed him into the most eloquent defender of christian pacifism of his generation. After war, is faith possible the life and message of. This concept helped many men in the trenches but did not have wide acceptance in the first half of the 20th century, and kennedy has been credited as important actor in its development. God and evolution, god and suffering a search for darwins god. For god so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
In his book the hardest part, studdert kennedy states that god in christ. And through these verses, studdert kennedy gave the simple soldier the dignity of straining and groping towards a recognition of gods place in the midst of suffering. At a stroke it slew the darkness, flashed its glory on the mud, and i saw the sergeant staring at a crimson clot of blood. And a packet of fags a play by david gooderson about the story of woodbine willie studdert kennedy geoffrey studdert kennedy. In richard holmes book tommy, an account of the first world war, one grateful soldier told of how studdert kennedy had written a letter home for him to his then girlfriend to tell her that her loved one was alive. After war, is faith possible the life and message of geoffrey woodbine willie studdert kennedy ebook.
The life and theology of geoffrey studdert kennedy understanding. My choice of lenten poem today is indifference, or when jesus came to birmingham, written by geoffrey studdert kennedy while he was a chaplain during world war i. For studdert kennedy, separating god from suffering is the same theological tendency that separates the soul from the body and concerns itself with the salvation of the former and not the latter. It helped us better understand why studdert kennedy was so popular. The unutterable beauty the collected poetry of g a studdert. He is an ordained minister in the baptist union of great britain and has served congregations in milton keynes and bristol. He published several books, including poetry, theology, philosophy, and reflections on war. After war, is faith possible the life and message of geoffrey.
His mate by studdert kennedy is retitled a soldier for his mate by brinson. The pastor and the suffering god when i was asked for a provisional theme for this lecture last summer it seemed a long way away and at that time my mind was occupied with the race to finish a book on the theology of intercession. The hardest part theology eked out on the battlefield on the omnipotence of god and suffering book. Kennedy, affectionately known as woodbine willie for dispersing cigarettes as well as spiritual aid to the troops, returned from the front line determined, like many other army chaplains, to ensure that the sacrifices of war would not be made in vain and would lead to a more equal society. William temple wrote this tribute to him, if to be a priest is to carry others on the heart and offer them with self in the sacrifice of human nature the body and the blood to god the father of our lord jesus christ then geoffrey studdert kennedy was the finest priest i have ever known. Surely then studdert kennedys soldier is correct to ask the question. The pastor and the suffering god an ocms lecture about geoffrey studdert. Peace is the power that comes to souls arriving up to the light where god himself appears. Geoffrey anketell studdert kennedy mc 18831929 was an english anglican priest and poet. The life and theology of geoffrey studdert kennedy. When jesus came to birmingham but the crown jewel is his poem, the suffering god.
This is a pre1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. There are no words foul and filthy enough to describe war. Books go search hello select your address best sellers gift ideas new releases deals store coupons amazonbasics gift cards customer service sell registry. Studdertkennedys collection of poems, the utterable beauty, has some verses in cockney dialect from his service as a wwi british chaplain handing out woodbine cigarettes to the doughboys, and most of them grow out of his wrestling with the suffering of war, insensitivity, and misfortune, but these verses rise in truth to the level of the unutterable beauty. Reverend geoffrey anketell studdert kennedy anglicans online.
Geoffrey anketell studdert kennedy at the online books page. Studdert kennedy and kerry walters editor a timely volume gathering the most important writings of woodbine willie, the influential christian pacifist and campaigner for social justice. After war, is faith possible share book recommendations. Centre for mission studies, entitled the pastor and the suffering god. Poem hunter all poems of by geoffrey anketell studdert kennedy poems. God, the father god of love, is everywhere in history, but nowhere is he almighty. He was nicknamed woodbine willie during world war i for giving woodbine cigarettes along with spiritual aid to injured and dying soldiers. The pastor and the suffering god an ocms lecture about geoffrey studdert kennedy, given by robert ellis, 2005 february 15. The pastor and the suffering god transformation 22 3 july 2005 1 67.
Much has been written on the centenary of the first world war. The essays thus represent a highly original contribution to the history of the first world war in general and the work of studdert kennedy in particular. For studdert kennedy, the starting point is recognising that god is willing to share our human condition, and so must share in our suffering and pain. Studdert kennedy, the chaplain of the great war known as. Studdert kennedy s collection of poems, the utterable beauty, has some verses in cockney dialect from his service as a wwi british chaplain handing out woodbine cigarettes to the doughboys, and most of them grow out of his wrestling with the suffering of war, insensitivity, and misfortune, but these verses rise in truth to the level of the unutterable beauty. He demolishes the subchristian theology of triumphalism, and writes. His words and arguments are roughly hewn, but they are built upon by other authors such as moltmann into more tidy arguments about the suffering god. Description of the book after war, is faith possible. Apr 17, 2016 he was unafraid to show mercy to wounded germans his calling was to show the love of god to all. The spirit of love in man 93 chapter five the religious thought of g.
Studdertkennedy approaches the problem of suffering with a distinct point of view shaped by the war, and beautifully articulates honest questions about god in the face of suffering. Nov 25, 2009 studdert kennedy approaches the problem of suffering with a distinct point of view shaped by the war, and beautifully articulates honest questions about god in the face of suffering. Rough rhymes of a padre geoffrey anketell studdert. Ellis is tutor in pastoral theology at regents park collee, oxford in this article i want to consider the question of human and divine suffering as a problem that is both pastoral and theological, and ponder the relationship between these two perspectives. In the book studdert kennedy reflects movingly from within the. Robert ellis was born in cardiff and educated at regents park college, oxford, and received his dphil from the university of oxford in 1984. Oct, 2018 the poem was originally published in rough rhymes of a padre one of two volumes of wartime poems issued in 191418 under the pseudonym woodbine willie. The book pulls together studdert kennedys most important writings on war and. Studdert kennedy thus arrives at his distinctive willingness to speak of divine suffering the divine passibility not as a result of an abstract deduction from cosmology, but as a. Rather than an academic theological study of human suffering, sks writing reveals a pastoral. Only with him, my comrade god, beside me, can i go forth to war with sin and 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. Only in him can i find home to hide me, who on the cross was slain to rise again.
Ga studdert kennedy was an influential and original thinker as well as a wellloved padre. Paying further tribute to the popular and wellknown priest on 10 march 1929, the sunday after studdert kennedy s death, the dean preached a sermon in worcester cathedral, which, as well as reminding hearers of studdert kennedy s wider ministry, was clearly full. Though we have made best efforts the books may have occasional errors that do not. Why ever should god be suffering so, and man be sinning. The book pulls together studdert kennedy s most important writings on war and peace, poverty, the problem of evil, the churchs role in the world, sin and atonement, the suffering god, love versus force as world powers, and the beloved community. Phenomenal woman, still i rise, the road not taken, if you forget me, dreams. Each essay applies its reflections to the life of faith today, thus representing a highly original contribution to the history of the first world war in general and the work of studdert kennedy in particular. A con1 66 transformation 223 july 2005 geoffrey studdert kennedy. G a studdertkennedys poems like his fiercely written devotional and exhortatory books overflow with love and tenderness, passion and anger against injustice, hypocrisy and cant. Find all books by g a studdert kennedy and compare prices.
Go search best sellers gift ideas new releases deals store. His other major sources for challenging gods immutability and apatheia were g. When i was asked for a provisional theme for this lecture last summer it seemed a long way away and at that time my mind was occupied with the race to finish a book on the theology of intercession. Poems by the first world war army chaplain nicknamed woodbine willy for his habit of handing out woodbine cigarettes to the men in the trenches. Studdert kennedy violently opposed this view of god. How the ww1 pastor known as woodbine willie influenced. The hardest part by ga studdertkennedy the baptist union. Taking their cue from the famous british army chaplain geoffrey studdert kennedy, seven central essaysall by.
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