Eric Gill at Ditchling

There is a very interesting exhibition at the Ditchling Museum in Sussex, on the time Gill spent in this small (and rather idyllic) Sussex village. It includes various pieces of Gill's work, sketches, models and letters, as well as exploring Ditchling connections with others including David Jones and the engraver Joseph Cribb. The exhibition itself is not huge, but when viewed alongside the museum's permanent exhibits relating to the subject, it is well worth a visit. There is, I understand, a catalogue in production, which should be ready in the autumn.

Redefining Christian Britain

I've recently received a copy of a new book: Redefining Christian Britain. Post 1945 perspectives, edited by Garnett, Grimley, Harris, Whyte and Williams. It is a very interesting collection of essays which together explore some different conceptual frameworks in which to consider the transformation of Christian Britain. From the point of view of the arts, there are five pieces of particular interest:

• Bernice Martin on Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy
• George Pattison on the visual arts
• William Whyte on church building
• Alana Harris on changes in liturgical language, and
• (and here's the advertising), Ian Jones' and my own piece on the idea of authenticity in music for worship.

SCM Press have very helpfully provided a PDF version of the Introduction which helps to place the overall intent of the book in relation to trends in the literature on the period.

Wesley the musical

The Guardian recently included an obituary of the actor Gordon Gostelow, principally known for a number of TV and film roles. He also took the lead in Ride ! Ride !, a musical about John Wesley, which was first produced in 1976. Whilst I knew about the churches producing works for their own use, this had a successful run at the Westminster Theatre. I shall try to find out a little more about how it was received, as I think this cross-over of religious work into the mainstream theatre would probably bear further work.

Callum Brown on twentieth-century Britain

There are some interesting points made by Callum Brown in his Religion and Society.. book of 2006 about the motivating factors behind the adoption of 'pop' music by the churches in the 1960s. See my review of it, and his response (both of which discuss music) at Reviews in History.

The emotional power of music

The St Paul's Theological Centre, part of Holy Trinity Brompton, have just released a sound recording of their annual lecture. Given by James Steven, it addresses the emotional power of music in worship, and whether this is something to be feared. I've yet to listen to it, but it is another example of the debates going on within the contemporary Christian music scene, and, I think, a sign of increased self-awareness within the scene as a whole (difficult to imagine the same debate happening amongst evangelicals in 1970, say).