Ann Loades has been instrumental in bringing forward for the attention of readers in later generations “voices from the past,” notably highlighting the work of pioneering women such as Evelyn Underhill and Dorothy L. Sayers as well as advancing the study of better-known Anglican forebears C. S. Lewis and Austin Farrer—always with her own distinctive concerns. A key interpreter of the Anglican tradition and with a keen eye to ensure the full recognition of women, these studies by Ann Loades are essential reading in Anglican, feminist, and twentieth-century theology.

Ann Loades, CBE (1938–2022), was Emerita Professor of Divinity at Durham University, UK, and Honorary Professor at University of St. Andrews, UK. 

Stephen Burns is Professor of Liturgical and Practical Theology at Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity, Australia.

A Personal Note Stephen Burns; Foreword Simon Oliver; Introduction: The Grace of Intelligence Stephen Burns; One Evelyn Underhill (1875–1941): Mysticism and Worship; Two Evelyn Underhill: As Novelist – Exploring Mysticism; Three Dorothy L. Sayers (1893–1957): War and Redemption; Four Dorothy L. Sayers: Are Women Human? Considering Dante’s Beatrice; Five C. S. Lewis (1898–1963): On Gender; Six C. S. Lewis: On Grief; Seven Austin Farrer (1905–1968): Love Almighty and Ills Unlimited; Eight Austin Farrer: And Friends; Nine Simone Weil (1909–1943): Resistance and Writing; Ten Simone Weil: Eucharistic Sacrifice – Exploring a Metaphor; Eleven Stephen Sykes (1939–2014) and Colleagues: Exploring the Problematic Legacy of Power; Afterword: The Passionate Intellect of Ann Loades Robert MacSwain; Acknowledgements;  Bibliography; Contributors; Index

“This brilliant and passionate book weaves the lives and voices of Christian women from the twentieth century – Evelyn Underhill, Dorothy Sayers, Helen Waddell and others – whose voices need to be heard through the bloodshed of the two world wars informing a tradition of Anglican theology expressed in the work of such theologians as Austin Farrer, Donald Mackinnon, Michael Ramsey, the silencing of which has had dire consequences for our present Church and its episcopacy” — The Revd Canon Professor David Jasper DD FRSE, Emeritus Professor – University of Glasgow, Honorary Professorial Research Fellow – University of Glasgow, UK; Associate Editor, International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church.

“This is an important collection of Ann Loades’ reflections on significant twentieth century Anglican lay theologians, including a number who have been neglected. Stephen Burns has done a fine job in gathering and editing the materials, and it marks a fitting memorial to Loades’ huge contribution to modern theology, spirituality and philosophy.” — Professor Nicola Slee, Director of Research, The Queen’s Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, Birmingham, UK; Professor of Feminist Practical Theology, VrijeUniversiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Visiting Professor, University of Chester, UK.

“For Ann Loades, theology is ordinary Christians’ experiences, questions, quests, and “creative imagination” of the divine from where they stand and speaking up for justice as they inhabit their particular tradition. With these “preoccupations” of Evelyn Underhill, Dorothy Sayers, C.S. Lewis, Austin Farrer, Simone Weil, and Stephen Sykes, she gives us a vignette into their (and indeed her own) theological method.”— The Rt Revd James Tengatenga, Distinguished Professor of Global Anglicanism, School of Theology, The University of the South, Tennessee, USA.

“This compilation of essays reveals Ann Loades’ rich intellect and imagination at work. A truly gifted woman, Loades’ essays reveal her perceptive, intuitive nature coupled with her voluminous knowledge of history. Loades makes connections, identifies key themes and draws the reader into the life and writings of some key theological figures of the twentieth century.”—Dr Robyn Wrigley-Carr, Associate Professor, Spiritual Care, University of Divinity, Australia.

“Ann Loades’s final book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how changing views of authority, power, and gender presented the post-war Church of England with a set of theological challenges that have remained unresolved. Yet Explorations in Twentieth-Century Theology of Philosophy: People Preoccupied with Godalso explores the personalities and debates that ensured Christianity remained an intellectually respectable option throughout this period, offering a rare insight into the turbulent interface between church, society, and academy.” —Professor George Pattison, Honorary Professorial Research Fellow, University of Glasgow, UK.

Ann Loades draws upon a rich tradition of scholarship in the twentieth century, much of it from women in a still male-dominated institution and world, to draw our attention to the dangers of the current theological illiteracy in the church and the perils ensuing from that. As a portrait of the church and theology in the twentieth century, this book should be compulsory reading for all ordinands, and indeed for all current clergy and bishops— David Jasper, University of Glasgow, UK The International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church