The Christian Church in Canada

by H.H. Walsh

Publication of the first edition of The Christian Church in Canada in 1956 aroused considerable interest in research in the field of Canadian church history. The book gives a complete view of Canada's religious development. H. H. Walsh singles out several historical factors influencing Canada's ecclesiastical progress. These include the controversy over free and established churches; the clash of church and sect the affinity of politics and religion in Canada; the existence of two major cultural groups within one national framework and the deep sense of responsibility on the part of Canadian church leaders for the national welfare of their country.

355 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1968

Reviews

[Alex Strohschein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent overview of Canadian Christian history until the Second World War. A lot has changed since then. Not only do some of H.H. Walsh's word choices seem abrasive to 2025 ears ("half-breeds"), but the church in Canada has also decidedly changed. Walsh begins his book cooing about the potential for a United and Anglican Church union but that has yet to take place - if it ever will. Walsh notes that the "sectarian" churches (Holiness, pentecostal, Mennonite, etc...) have been predominant in the West and this is fascinating as the West, particularly British Columbia, was and is more irreligious as well (ably chronicled in Infidels and the Damn Churches: Irreligion and Religion in Settler British Columbia and The Secular Northwest: Religion and Irreligion in Everyday Postwar Life). Walsh spotlights the important role played by Bible colleges in the West but these have now dismally dwindled in number.