"Hymns are the poems of the people," said John Betjeman, establishing his belief in the bond between English culture and the Church. He went on the explore the richness of that bond [in this collection], marvelling at the Church's capacity to absorb creatively, from whatever source. He rejected nothing: even elements of Christianity that no longer appeal, such as the militarism of the Victorian Church and Bishop Heber's celebration of martyrdom "The Son of God goes out to War", found a place ... an object lesson in how Christianity's numerous strands - often hostile to each other in their origins - now live harmoniously on the hymnbook's pages.
