An Ecclesiastical Abdication Crisis

In November 1946, the Revd. Dr. James Welch was one of the most famous Christians in Britain. As Director of Religious Broadcasting at the BBC right through the Second World War, his voice was familiar to millions of listeners, who had heard him bring the Christian message to the nation several times a week since 1939. Even if Welch was not quite as well-known as C.S. Lewis, whom he had recruited to give the famous broadcast talks on the basics of the Christian faith which would make...
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In November 1946, the Revd. Dr. James Welch was one of the most famous Christians in Britain. As Director of Religious Broadcasting at the BBC right through the Second World War, his voice was familiar to millions of listeners, who had heard him bring the Christian message to the nation several times a week since 1939. Even if Welch was not quite as well-known as C.S. Lewis, whom he had recruited to give the famous broadcast talks on the basics of the Christian faith which would make him a household name, or as Dorothy L. Sayers, whose cycle of twelve plays on the life of Christ he had commissioned, everyone had heard of Welch. Those who gave the matter any thought at all considered that Welch was heading for a brilliant career in the Church. Then he disppeared and, for most people, was never heard of again. This book reveals the reasons for this mysterious disappearance in the context of the life of this remarkable and talented man, who was, at the same time, missionary, educator, broadcaster, pastor and talent-spotter.