God In Number 10

The Personal Faith of the Prime Ministers, from Balfour to Blair

Mark Vickers

• Publisher: SPCK Publishing
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9780281087303
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Teología y religión
• Subtopic: Religión, política y estado

'Mark Vickers has given us a wonderful new reference book of the beliefs (and non-beliefs) of 20th-century PMs - a meaty volume that can also be consumed as a social history of British religion.' THE TELEGRAPH'This carefully researched and well-written study reveals the religious faith of our Prime Ministers, or lack of it, in vivid colours. Prepare to be shocked and surprised as the author lays bare their souls.' SIR ANTHONY SELDONMark Vickers' acclaimed volume on the faith of the twentieth-century Prime Ministers casts a new perspective on these holders of the highest political office in the realm. While there are biographies aplenty on the 18 men and 1 woman who took up residence behind the famous black door, it is notable that that many of these works fail to reflect an important - sometimes the most important - aspect of the life of their subject. God in Number 10 rectifies this omission, offering intriguing insights into Margaret Thatcher's legendary 'Sermon on the Mound', Tony Blair's perception of Jesus as a modernizer, Arthur Balfour's recourse to spiritualism, Stanley Baldwin's mystical experiences, and Winston Churchill's involvement with astrology. The book considers the role of religion generally in the political classes of the period, the reasons for the declining influence of faith in the public forum, and the relationship between Church and State. The families of H. H. Asquith, Bonar Law, Ramsay MacDonald, Neville Chamberlain, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home and Harold Wilson have all expressed their support for God in Number 10 and, where able, helped in the research, while John Major has assisted fully.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Contents
• Plates
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Arthur Balfour (1902–1905)
• Henry Campbell-Bannerman (1905–1908)
• H. H. Asquith (1908–1916)
• David Lloyd George (1916–1922)
• Bonar Law (1922–1923)
• Stanley Baldwin (1923–1924, 1924–1929 and 1935–1937)
• Ramsay MacDonald (1924 and 1929–1935)
• Neville Chamberlain (1937–1940)
• Winston Churchill (1940–1945 and1951–1955)
• Clement Attlee (1945–1951)
• Anthony Eden (1955–1957)
• Harold Macmillan (1957–1963)
• Alec Douglas-Home (1963–1964)
• Harold Wilson (1964–1970 and 1974–1976)
• Edward Heath (1970–1974)
• James Callaghan (1976–1979)
• Margaret Thatcher (1979–1990)
• John Major (1990–1997)
• Tony Blair (1997–2007)
• Conclusion
• Sources and select bibliography
• Index
• Back Cover