Believing in Britain: The Spiritual Identity of Britishness

Description

It is often claimed that Great Britain is one of the most secular nations on earth, but Ian Bradley argues that 'Britishness' (like the overlapping crosses on the 400-year-old Union flag) is best understood in religious terms. He maintains that the idea of 'being British' has special value as a broad church measure of spiritual and cultural inclusiveness - and as a positive alternative to fundamentalism, narrow nationalism and jingoism. The author explores various distinctive contributions to Britishness made over the centuries by the Celts, the Anglo-Saxons, the Scots, and the new black and Asian Britons. Looking to a new sense of British identity that combines myth, imagination and tradition with an open-minded respect for difference, Believing in Britain makes a thoughtful and challenging contribution to one of the most important discussions of our time.

Ian Bradley is Senior Lecturer in Practical Theology at the University of St Andrews. A former political correspondent on The Times, he has written several books including Abide With Me, The Penguin Book of Hymns, God is Green and The Celtic Way.