Shaw and Christianity

Shaw and Christianity is the first full-length study of George Bernard Shaw's role as critic of religion. From the outset of his literary career until his death in 1950, Shaw criticized Christianity in the theater and on the lecture platform, in his essays and in his prefaces. His views were called blasphemous, silly, flimsy, and, in our own time, out-of-date.

The present study seeks to present Shaw's attitudes toward Christian doctrine and practice in their true perspective and to exhibit Shaw not as a flippant iconoclast, but as a serious critic whose writing deserves the name of prophecy.

After defining Shaw's attitude toward Chrristianity through reference to his Irish roots and a discussion of his major non-dramatic works, Mr. Abbott examines six plays, The Devil's Disciple, The Shewing-Up of Blanco Posnet, Major Barbara, Androcles and the Lion, and The Simpleton of the Unexpected Isles. Mr. Abbott considers the major religious themes in each play, shows their relationship to one another, and comments on the significance of each in Shaw's development as an artist.

In the concluding chapter, Mr. Abbott juxtaposes the questions about Christianity which Shaw asked against the questions and concerns of contemporary theology; he projects the need for a reassessment of Shaw's religious criticism; and he indicates how Shaw in his "theological contemporaneity" assumes for Christians a major importance in the present-day theater.

"Shaw and Chrisianity is a solid, fresh contribution to Shavian studies that no future critic or biographer should neglect. It reveals aspects of Shaw not explored in depth elsewhere. It shows G.B.S. as a knowledgeable gladfly to Chrisitian complacency. Anthony Abbott's excellent book is of special value to those interested in the tension between classical Christian doctrine and modern secular thought. It offers penetrating readings of Shaw's works."

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