The similar phrase 'Worldly Christianity' is one used by Bonhoeffer. It's J Gresham Machen that I want to line up most closely with. See his Christianity and culture here. Having done commentaries on Proverbs (Heavenly Wisdom) and Song of Songs (Heavenly Love), a matching title for Ecclesiastes would be Heavenly Worldliness. For my stance on worldliness, see 3 posts here.

10 Great English Classical Composers

1. John Dowland
2. William Byrd
3. Henry Purcell
4. George Frederic Handel (actually a German, but resided in England for a large portion of his life)
5. Edward Elgar
6. Frederick Delius
7. Gustav Holst
8. Ralph Vaughan Williams
9. Benjamin Britten
10. Malcolm Arnold

3 comments:

Alan said...

Thomas Tallis
Orlando Gibbons
Henry Lawes
Jeremiah Clarke
Thomas Arne
William Boyce
Gerald Finzi
Richard Rodney Bennett
Arthur Sullivan
Lennox Berkeley
Peter Maxwell Davies
Benjamin
Butterworth
Tavener

The list goes on (I think they're all English).
You can drop Handel easily.

John Calvin said...

Who wants to drop Handel?

Gary Brady said...

Presumably the only reason for dropping Handel is on racial grounds but then what about Holst? Delius alos spent a lot of time outside the country. I just wanted ten that I knew and broadly liked. Hence no Lawes, Finzi, Butterworth. I happened to listen to Classic fm the other Sunday night and they played nine English composers. As you say, there are loads.