Fourth consultation of the European Colloquium on the Sociology of Religion (William Temple College, Rugby, England, 17-21 April, 1963).

This article presents an overview on the fourth consultation of the European Colloquium on the Sociology of Religion at William Temple College, Rugby, England from April 17-21, 1963. Twenty six people from a dozen countries, including the U.S. and Finland, met for the conference. Canon R. S. O. Stevens of Birmingham, who acted as secretary to the Colloquium, opened the conference, welcoming the visitors and introducing Miss M. Batten, Principal of the College, whose paper Religious Life in Britain in the Post-War Period, proved a fitting beginning, discussing as it did the basis for sociological investigation in the sphere of religion. The following morning, with the Reverend Michael Jackson in the chair, Doctor John Kent, a church historian from Manchester, gave a paper, Sociological Factors in Disunity. His analysis of the history of divisions within the Protestant churches in England was of considerable interest, and his suggestions as to the causes of the present movement towards Anglicanism on the part of Methodists in Britain, were illuminating. Plans for the future were discussed at length, Professor Goldschmidt giving the report for the steering committee. Brief reports on work in progress then followed.