Methodism has played a major role in all areas of public life in Australia but has been particularly significant for its influence on education, social welfare, missions to Aboriginal people and the Pacific Islands and the role of women. Drawing together a team of historical experts, Methodism in Australia presents a critical introduction to one of the most important religious movements in Australia's settlement history and beyond. Offering ground-breaking regional studies of the development of Methodism, this book considers a broad range of issues including Australian Methodist religious experience, worship and music, Methodist intellectuals, and missions to Australia and the Pacific.

About the Author

Hilary M. Carey is Professor of Imperial and Religious History and Head of the School of Humanities at the University of Bristol and adjunct Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Newcastle (NSW). Her books include Believing in Australia (1996), Empires of Religion, ed. (2008), Church and State in Old and New Worlds, ed with John Gascoigne (2011), and God's Empire: Religion and Colonialism in the British World (2011), which was nominated for the Ernest Scott Prize.

Glen O'Brien is Associate Professor of Church History at Booth College (a member institute of the Sydney College of Divinity), and an adjunct lecturer in the University of Divinity. He is a Research Fellow of the Australasian Centre for Wesleyan Research and an Honorary Fellow of the Manchester Wesley Research Centre. He has published widely on Wesleyan and Methodist themes and engaged in post-doctoral research at Duke University, Asbury Theological Seminary, and Oxford Brookes University. In 2013 he served as a Member of the 13th Oxford Institute for Methodist Theological Studies.

Reviews

'The book fills a deep gap in the history of Australian religion and daily life.'

Geoffrey Blainey, Emeritus Professor of History, Melbourne University, Australia

'This is an excellent read.'

Irish Methodist Newsletter

'Methodism in Australia is a landmark volume, and a welcome addition. It provides an authoritative overview, delivered in short, tightly worked and accessibly written chapters. The book is the product of intensive, thorough preparation and research, and it shows.'

Geoffrey Troughton, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, in Australian Historical Studies, 47:2

"Concise and crisp, the chapters of this book make a strong case for the significance of the Methodist tradition in Australia. The significance is pri marily explained in terms of social impact, and an excellent case is made for the deep impact of Methodism on nineteenth and early twentieth-century Australian life and the differences among the nation s different states. One might .not ordi.narily think ofAusb*alians as influenced by religion but this stereotype is effectively challenged in this book. " - Peter Lineham, Massey University

Book Information
ISBN 9781138549111
Author Glen O'Brien
Format Paperback
Page Count 328
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g