Henry Wace

Henry Wace was an Anglican clergyman, theologian, church historian, and Dean of Canterbury. The Christian Sanction of War originated as an address delivered at Canterbury Cathedral in August 1914 during a service of intercession for British naval and military forces. It was later included in The War and the Gospel, a collection of Wace’s sermons and addresses. The text argues from scripture, civic duty, and the circumstances claimed by British leaders in August 1914. Modern readers encounter it as a primary document of wartime theology, not a neutral account of the conflict. Historical scholarship has examined how Christian language could frame soldiers as defenders of faith while leaving political causes less visible. Wace was already known for theological reference works and debates over biblical criticism. The Christian Sanction of War shows his public preaching responding directly to national crisis, joining religious interpretation with claims about obligation, justice, empire, and collective prayer.