ePub The Christian Church in the Cold War (Penguin History of the Church) by Owen Chadwick in History

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From the end of the Second World War until the rise of Gorbachev; the churches in the two halves of a divided Europe might have been living in different worlds. . . . Almost all had to adapt to declining congregations; new concerns about women’s role in religion; and changing attitudes to abortion; contraception; and divorce. Yet the Eastern churches; undermined by state control; savage ideological attacks; show trials; and sometimes physical violence; still managed to support resistance movements; for example; the Polish priests who supported Solidarity. In the West; by contrast; tradition—the great monastic orders; the language of the liturgy; pilgrimages to saints’ shrines—was weakened by the fierce winds of secularization; only the charismatic movement proved astonishingly successful. All this is surveyed in the concluding volume of the Penguin History of the Church. The series starts with the first Disciples; it ends in the late twentieth century—with Christians struggling to face up to fresh global challenges and opportunities. “The editor of the series; Owen Chadwick; the distinguished Cambridge historian; did well to reserve this volume for himself; lending to it the wisdom of his years and an aura of academic detachment. . . . Consistently; he brings to light material which well-informed readers will have missed.”—Michael Novak; The Times “Dr. Chadwick’s concise narrative ought to enlarge the knowledge and sympathy of many.”—David L. Edwards; Church Times “Chadwick in his usual engaging style combines fast-moving narrative with dazzling portraits”—Peter Hebblethwaite; The Time Literary Supplement