Description
Evangelicalism appeared as a new pattern of Christian devotion at a moment in history when the foundations of Anglo-American society were shifting. The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism sheds new light on the nature of evangelical religion by locating its rise with reference to major movements of the 18th century, including Modernity, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment. Hindmarsh draws on a wide range of sources to make meaningful connections between the evangelical awakening and the history of science, law, art, and literature. Each of these fields placed a profound emphasis on nature and the authority of natural knowledge, and democratic debate was encouraged in the public sphere. In this context, evangelicals forcefully pressed their agenda for "true religion," believing it was still possible to experience "the life of God in the soul of man." The results were dramatic and disruptive. This book presents a fresh perspective and new research on the religious thought of leading evangelical figures such as John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, and Jonathan Edwards. It also traces the significance of evangelical spirituality for non-elites across multiple genres. From the scribbled marginalia of lay Methodists and the poetry of an African-American laywoman to the visual culture of grand manner portraits, lunar drawings, and satirical prints, Hindmarsh traces the meaning of evangelical devotion in a rich variety of contexts. By presenting devotion, culture, and ideas together, The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism shows the advent of evangelicalism to be a significant new episode in the history of Christian spirituality.
About the Author
D. Bruce Hindmarsh is the James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Reviews
Hindmarsh's erudite and graceful book will become an indispensable guide for the perplexed. * John Coffey, University of Leicester, Eighteenth-Century Studies *
[this book] does not disappoint. It should be essential reading for religious and nonreligious students alike who are interested in understanding evangelicalism and the eighteenth-century Anglo-American World. * Karl Koop, New Direction *
This remarkable book ... places Hindmarsh in the highest echelon of scholars writing on evangelical history today. Experts on Christianity in the English-speaking world simply must contend with Hindmarsh's brilliant assessment of the reasons for evangelicalism's emergence in tandem with modernity. * Thomas S. Kidd, American Baptist Quarterly *
This is a remarkable book. One is impressed by the breadth of figures discussed, the depth of analysis, and skill in integrating it all intro a clear and readable account. But more than this, Hindmarsh takes us into new territory, giving us a far richer understanding of evangelical spirituality than we have had before. * Harold H. Knight, III, Methodist History *
offering what is perhaps the most complete and far-ranging assessment of early evangelical spiritual life as it relates to contemporary developments in science, law, art, and literature ... this new work offers a more expansive cultural account of the practical implications that flowed from making "true religion" a matter of transformative personal religious experience. * Brett Malcolm Grainger, Harvard Divinity Bulletin *
[a] magnificent new book ... Hindmarsh's wide frame of methodological reference is exceptionally stimulating * Gareth Atkins, Covenant *
Hindmarsh broadens and reconfigures our understanding of the early stages of the evangelical movement, laying out fresh avenues of research for future scholars. * Adrian Chastain Weimer, The Journal of Religion *
There could scarcely be a more satisfying perspective on North Atlantic evangelicalism than Hindmarsh's triple play: full definition, demographic sweep, and interdisciplinary skill....Hindmarsh excels at engaging a range of disciplines outside his formal academic ex-pertise. A church historian who can sometimes read language as closely as a literature professor, he observes just how far eighteenth-century aesthetics intersect with, and pro-ceed from, evangelical creativity. * Richard E. Brantley, The Scriblerian and the Kit-Cats *
The work as a whole is a brilliant synopsis of Christian belief and cultural engagement (especially in its Reformed and Wesleyan expressions) during the eighteenth century. * James M. Garretson, The Banner of Truth *
The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism weaves together an amazing breadth of scholarship with depth of knowledge in detail. Its analysis is subtle and suggestive, as well as comprehensive in synthesis. The thesis presented-that evangelicalism represents 'a distinctive form of traditional Christian spirituality that emerged in the eighteenth century highly responsive to the conditions of the modern world' (276)-is made persuasively and elegantly. This is a lucid and beautifully written book, and an important one. * Martin Wellings, Wesley and Methodist Studies *
Based on deep knowledge of Whitefield's and especially the Wesleys' reading and vast output of writings and of the contemporary context, this book throws brilliant new light on the emergence and development of Evangelicalism, whose flame still burns bright. For anyone seeking to explore Evangelicalism, this is an admirable book and, at this price in hardback, a bargain. * Dr William Jacob, Church Times *
This fascinating and meticulously researched book explores facets of early evangelicalism that have hitherto been underexplored in the literature. Hindmarsh, who is a specialist in evangelical spirituality, presents fresh perspectives on that spirituality as it relates to George Whitefield, the rise of modernity and science, the natural world, issues of conscience and conversion, and various forms of artistic expression. His style is pleasant to read and the prose is pregnant with historical richness. * Randall J. Pederson, Journal of Reformed Theology *
Book Information
ISBN 9780190616694
Author D.Bruce Hindmarsh
Format Hardback
Page Count 376
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 703g
Dimensions(mm) 155mm * 236mm * 31mm
About the Author
D. Bruce Hindmarsh is the James M. Houston Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Reviews
Hindmarsh's erudite and graceful book will become an indispensable guide for the perplexed. * John Coffey, University of Leicester, Eighteenth-Century Studies *
[this book] does not disappoint. It should be essential reading for religious and nonreligious students alike who are interested in understanding evangelicalism and the eighteenth-century Anglo-American World. * Karl Koop, New Direction *
This remarkable book ... places Hindmarsh in the highest echelon of scholars writing on evangelical history today. Experts on Christianity in the English-speaking world simply must contend with Hindmarsh's brilliant assessment of the reasons for evangelicalism's emergence in tandem with modernity. * Thomas S. Kidd, American Baptist Quarterly *
This is a remarkable book. One is impressed by the breadth of figures discussed, the depth of analysis, and skill in integrating it all intro a clear and readable account. But more than this, Hindmarsh takes us into new territory, giving us a far richer understanding of evangelical spirituality than we have had before. * Harold H. Knight, III, Methodist History *
offering what is perhaps the most complete and far-ranging assessment of early evangelical spiritual life as it relates to contemporary developments in science, law, art, and literature ... this new work offers a more expansive cultural account of the practical implications that flowed from making "true religion" a matter of transformative personal religious experience. * Brett Malcolm Grainger, Harvard Divinity Bulletin *
[a] magnificent new book ... Hindmarsh's wide frame of methodological reference is exceptionally stimulating * Gareth Atkins, Covenant *
Hindmarsh broadens and reconfigures our understanding of the early stages of the evangelical movement, laying out fresh avenues of research for future scholars. * Adrian Chastain Weimer, The Journal of Religion *
There could scarcely be a more satisfying perspective on North Atlantic evangelicalism than Hindmarsh's triple play: full definition, demographic sweep, and interdisciplinary skill....Hindmarsh excels at engaging a range of disciplines outside his formal academic ex-pertise. A church historian who can sometimes read language as closely as a literature professor, he observes just how far eighteenth-century aesthetics intersect with, and pro-ceed from, evangelical creativity. * Richard E. Brantley, The Scriblerian and the Kit-Cats *
The work as a whole is a brilliant synopsis of Christian belief and cultural engagement (especially in its Reformed and Wesleyan expressions) during the eighteenth century. * James M. Garretson, The Banner of Truth *
The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism weaves together an amazing breadth of scholarship with depth of knowledge in detail. Its analysis is subtle and suggestive, as well as comprehensive in synthesis. The thesis presented-that evangelicalism represents 'a distinctive form of traditional Christian spirituality that emerged in the eighteenth century highly responsive to the conditions of the modern world' (276)-is made persuasively and elegantly. This is a lucid and beautifully written book, and an important one. * Martin Wellings, Wesley and Methodist Studies *
Based on deep knowledge of Whitefield's and especially the Wesleys' reading and vast output of writings and of the contemporary context, this book throws brilliant new light on the emergence and development of Evangelicalism, whose flame still burns bright. For anyone seeking to explore Evangelicalism, this is an admirable book and, at this price in hardback, a bargain. * Dr William Jacob, Church Times *
This fascinating and meticulously researched book explores facets of early evangelicalism that have hitherto been underexplored in the literature. Hindmarsh, who is a specialist in evangelical spirituality, presents fresh perspectives on that spirituality as it relates to George Whitefield, the rise of modernity and science, the natural world, issues of conscience and conversion, and various forms of artistic expression. His style is pleasant to read and the prose is pregnant with historical richness. * Randall J. Pederson, Journal of Reformed Theology *
Book Information
ISBN 9780190616694
Author D.Bruce Hindmarsh
Format Hardback
Page Count 376
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 703g
Dimensions(mm) 155mm * 236mm * 31mm
