This book unpacks the core message of the Labour Church and question views of the movement by analysing its history, significance and meaning. The religious influences on late-19th / early-20th century British Socialism are examined and placed within a wider context, highlighting a continuing theological imperative for the Labour movement.
'I mistakenly began Johnson’s book expecting it would be a general history of this duality in the journey of the party – however, the first half is a detailed account of a small forgotten by-way off the main highway - one which I found fascinating...Johnson’s book is both a tribute to Trevor, an interesting account of his life and work and an analysis of the continuing interweaving strands of faith and political struggle.'
Linda Shampan,Labour Heritage Bulletin, Autumn 2018.
Neil Johnson was born and raised in the North East of England; for the past 20 years he has lived with his family in Birmingham where he serves as a Methodist minister. He was awarded his PhD at the University of Birmingham in 2015, having been supervised through his research on the Labour Church movement by Professor Hugh McLeod. In 2017, he became an Honorary Research Fellow of the Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham.