Christian Left Pamphlets

AuthorNameYear
1CollectiveWhat is the Christian Left?1938
2Kenneth IngramWill Britain go Fascist?1938
3Kenneth IngramThe Christian Left and the Churches1939
4Fanny StreetCan the Christian Stay out of Politics?1939
5CollectiveWhere Do We Stand Now?1940

The purpose of the Christian Left

1. The Christian Left has arisen out of the recognition of the religious nature of the present critical stage in the transformation of society. This recognition shows us that religion is about human community; that a conception of God which is not a conception of human community is meaningless; and that a religion which does not effectively transform human relations in every sphere of life is an illusion.

2. Jesus proclaimed the truth about human life that man cannot fulfil his true nature except in communion with his fellows. The acceptance or rejection of this truth is expressed in the manner in which the material means of life are produced and made available. The effort to deny this truth lies at the root of the present world crisis. Consequently our society is under judgment, as is shown by the collapse of the social and international order.

3. The true nature of man is asserting itself in the demand for a change in the organization of society which will abolish the private ownership of the means of production, and establish production for use in the place of production for profit. It is asserting itself in the desire for an organization of human life that will abolish political and racial domination and establish a universal commonwealth of peoples.

4. The emergence of Socialism in the U.S.S.R. has brought mankind to a new phase of its development. The refusal elsewhere to proceed to a Socialist stage is a deliberate denial of equality and freedom, and thwarts progress towards a universal community.

5. Fascism has its immediate source in this refusal and is the organized form of it. It suppresses the spiritual nature of man and exalts race and nationality. It is a false religion, the negation of Christianity, not because it attacks Christian doctrine and the organized Church, but because it opposes the creative process of Christianity in the world.

6. It is the religious task of the working-class to bring about the Socialist transformation. We therefore identify ourselves with the political struggle of the Socialist working-class movement.

7. The task of the Christian community is not to save Christianity but to save the world. If it seeks to save its own life it will lose it. The life of a Christian community is one of freedom, equality and brotherhood. These are mere words unless they are embodied in the structure of human life, and their extension and realization over the whole field of human life is the purpose of men are not merely the basis of personal life, they are an inherent part of it and the criterion of its reality. In our day the economic integration of humanity determines in large measure what forms of personal life are possible. As result it is no longer possible to maintain or extend the personal life that Christianity demands of us without a transformation of the existing political and economic structure of human life as a whole. It is because we realize that the acceptance or rejection of Christianity is at stake in it that we commit ourselves to an active part in the struggle for Socialism.

8. We recognize that the task of the Christian Left is the true task of the Church. The fact of our existence points to the failure of the Churches. In proclaiming our message: in insisting that the Churches have failed: in pointing the signs of the times which show the inevitability of the transformation: and in preparing the minds of men for its oncoming by putting our lives at the service of the working-class movement, we see our religious task.

(This text was published at the end of three of the five short pamphlets)

Christian Left Members

Warning: this table is a copy from the Wiki’s Christian Left page. The latter is the canonical version.

First NameLast NameReligion1Politic2Wrote
OttoBauer
EugenBenedikt
OscarBock
AlfredCannon
DavidCass Beggs
BarbaraCass Beggs
X and YCornford
ZoeFairfield
MichaelFielding
JohnGrosser
J.Jordan
KennethIngramAn Outline of Sexual Morality (1922); The Changing Order – How a new parson came to the village and disquieted it with strange practices, and how the meaning of Anglo-Catholicism was expounded to the squire (1925); A portrait of six Christian heroes: St. Appian, St. Alban (1926); Why I believe (1927); Out of Darkness: a drama of Flanders (1928); The Coming Civilization (1935); Christianity Right or Left? Which Way Will Religion Move in the World Crisis (1937); The Christian challenge to Christians (1938); “Will Britain go Fascist?” (1938); “The Christian Left and the Churches” (1939); “Defeat of War: Can Pacifism Achieve it?” (1939); Christianity, Communism and Society (1951); Easter journey (1953)
(Father) Iredell / Iredale
DougJolly
HelenKennipcott
GrossvaterKolnaï
TrudeKurz
FritzLener
JohnLewispart. ed. Christianity and the Social Revolution
XMacky / Mac
JeanMcConnell
DouglasMcLean
W.DMcClellandAttracted by Communist Party[3]
XMansfield
ElisabethMacMurray
JohnMacmurray
CasparMaier
DouglasMcLeanCommunist
KennethMuir
MaryMuir
AgnesMurray
GilbertMurray
Jack(Poterill?)High Anglican priestLeft-wing
MarjorieReid (née Young)
NiebuhrReinhold
KennethRidyard
NormanRidyard“Devout and proselytizing Christian”[4](Chemist at King’s College, University of London)
Timothy(Room?)
LeonardSchiffAnglicanLeft-Wing
Esther (Tess)Simpson
JohnStrachey
FannyStreetCan the Christian Stay out of Politics?“ (1939)
TammyStreep
LeoSzilard
xTatlow
PaulTillich(Jewish background)
xTissingdon
HelenTurton
EleanorUllman
HelenUllman
GregoryVlastos
JohnWesley

See also : Irene Grant’s conversation with Kari Levitt [30/03]

The Christian Left in the KPA

KPANameYear
20/10News Sheet of the Auxiliary Christian Left/Christian Left, nos. 1-1919361940
20/11Christian Left Group Bulletin, no. 1 – “Trotzkyism. Earlier Works of Marx”19361938
20/12Christian Left Group Bulletin, no. 2 – “Notes of a Week’s Study on The Early Writings of Karl Marx and Summary of Discussions on British Working Class Consciousness”1938
20/13Christian Left Group Bulletin, no. 3 – “Critique of Pacifism”1938
20/14Christian Left Group “Russia in the World” – Bulletins for Socialists, no. 41939
20/15Christian Left Group “The Cry of the Chartists 1839-1939”, Bulletins for Socialists, no.1939
20/16Christian Left Group – “Coercion and Defence” – Bulletins for Socialists, no. 61939
20/17Christian Left Group Gerrard Winstanley – “The Law of Freedom by Gerrard Winstansley 1652” – Bulletins for Socialists, no. 71942
20/18Ukrainian Problem (Christian Left Group Draft Manuscript for Bulletin 16, no. 1)1938
21/03Christian Movement Group – Synopsis. Three talks on “Social Values in the Post-war World”1936
21/07Christian Left Group – Lancing St. Schools1937
21/08Christian Left Group – “Nationalism in Europe” – Leeds University, Student Christian Movement Group1937
21/09Church and State on the Continent” – Newark1937
21/14The Christian Auxiliary Movement Papers presented at a Conference on the “Christian Answer to Fascism” – Oriel House – St. Asaph, North Wales1938
21/21Christian Left Group – Draft memoranda and articles with participation of Karl Polanyi19341936
21/22Christian Left Group – The Auxiliary Movement – “Statements from Christian Left Training Week-ends”1937
21/23Christian Left Group – Minutes and agendas of meetings. File consists of hand-written minutes of the Christian Left meeting. January 18, 1936, 10p19361937
21/24Christian Left Group Enquiry Committee – Minutes of meetings1936
21/26Christian Left Group “Notes on Policy Conference”19341940
21/27Christian Left Group Correspondence19361940
21/28Student Christian Movement Pamphlet1969-1972
21/29Newspaper clippings19351936
21/33“Christian Left Study Circle”1935
21/35“The Christian Left, The Introductory Sequence”1984
30/03Transcript of an Interview with Irene Grant1984-1986
14/02Irene and Donald Grant: Austrian anti-fascist material19341945
56/13Correspondence: Karl Polanyi and Ilona Duczyńska – Irene Grant1929-1964
56/14Correspondence: Karl Polanyi and Ilona Duczyńska – Irene Grant1933-1969
56/15Correspondence: Irene Grant1938-1980

Notes

  1. According to Irene Grant in 30/03. ↩︎
  2. According to Irene Grant in 30/03. ↩︎