Rev Geoffrey A Studdert Kennedy, arguably one of the most famous Great War army chaplains, died in 1929 at the age of just 45. At the time of his death he was one of the world's most prolific and bestselling authors of religious books and of very popular poetry. His ideas influenced Christian thinking in the 20th century and remain wholly relevant today.
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.
His work for the Industrial Christian Fellowship involved reconciling workers and industrial owners. The authenticity of his identification with the working classes was seen in much of his written work and speeches, in which he called for fairness in an increasingly divided society.
In a 1926 speech, as reported by the Church Times at the time, he states: 'I hate living in a world where there is a nice end of town where presumably all the nice people live and an end of dirty ramshackle pigsties where apparently all the nasty people live.'
Modern times in Britain have seen the rise of homelessness and poverty to which the churches have responded to with increased involvement in food banks and shelters. The motto of the Industrial Christian Fellowship was 'Christ the lord of all life' and in his 1921 book Democracy and the Dog Collar Kennedy advocated an increasing dialogue between the capitalist classes and the working people, led by Christians.
Kennedy's change of heart – from a fierce patriotic near-jingoist to a vocal pacifist – can be said to have influenced the development of religious pacifism in the 1920s and beyond. He was very close to Rev HRL 'Dick' Sheppard who formed the Peace Pledge Union in 1936 and, if Kennedy had lived, would have played an active part in Christian pacifism. His attitude to collective security and support of the League of Nations would have no doubt influenced the growing nationalism and populism of today.
Towards the end of his life, Kennedy had become concerned with subjects that were not widely discussed at the time. In his only novel, I Pronounce Them: A story of man and wife, published in 1927, he addressed the theme of divorce and remarriage, giving some of his characters moving and convincing arguments emphasising the pain caused by the rigid rules then in place in the Church of England.
The plot also dealt strongly with issues revolving around the issue of contraception and the improvement in poor people lives if families were limited. He had already spoken openly about contraception on public platforms and advised that decisions should be guided by women themselves.
The church struggled in the 20th century with the problem of divorce and remarriage and struggles today with issues of same sex partnerships and equal marriage. Kennedy's balanced but far-seeing attitudes on issues may be a good template to follow in the light of Christian sexual politics in the 20th century.
In his work in poor parishes and during the war Kennedy developed the theory of a 'suffering God'. 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.
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.
During and after the Second World War theologians such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Jurgen Moltman took up the concept, which has become an accepted orthodoxy amid the horrors of war, ethnic cleansing and genocides in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Kennedy's life experiences led him to think deeply about the nature of God, social moral and economic problems. His ideas were not always fashionable during his life but have had an effect on Christian thought in the years since his death.
That he had the power to influence and move the ordinary men and women of his time is shown by the popularity of his books, the large crowds at his public appearances and the widespread mourning at his funeral.
Christians today are grappling with some of the same social and economic problems, with the increasing distance between rich and poor in our society, and moral and ethical issues of a complexity that might have surprised Kennedy, but it can be seen that an examination of his ideas and attitudes and the reassurance of a loving God who with us in our sufferings is very relevant to today's society.
Dr Linda Parker is one of the UK's leading historians of religion and the First World War. Her new book, 'A Seeker After Truths', is a compelling biography of the life and times of Woodbine Willie. It is published by Helion, price £22.50.
