Methodism : empire of the spirit / David Hempton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hempton, David.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Methodism--History--18th century.

Methodism.

Methodism--History--19th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (304 p.)

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, c2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The emergence of Methodism was arguably the most significant transformation of Protestant Christianity since the Reformation. This book explores the rise of Methodism from its unpromising origins as a religious society within the Church of England in the 1730's to a major international religious movement by the 1880's. During that period Methodism refashioned the old denominational order in the British Isles, became the largest religious denomination in the United States, and gave rise to the most dynamic world missionary movement of the nineteenth century. By the end of the nineteenth century, Methodism had circled the globe and was poised to become one of the fastest-growing religious traditions in the modern world. David Hempton, a preeminent authority on the history of Methodism, digs beneath the hard surface of institutional expansion to get to the heart of the movement as a dynamic and living faith tradition. Methodism was a movement of discipline and sobriety, but also of ecstasy and enthusiasm. A noisy, restless, and emotional tradition, Methodism fundamentally reshaped British and American culture in the age of industrialization, democratization, and the rise of empire.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

One. Competition and Symbiosis

Two. Enlightenment and Enthusiasm

Three. The Medium and the Message

Four. Opposition and Conflict

Five. Money and Power

Six. Boundaries and Margins

Seven. Mapping and Mission

Eight. Consolidation and Decline

Nine. Methodism's Rise and Fall

Appendix: Methodist Membership and Rates of Change, United States and United Kingdom

Chronology

Notes

Suggestions for Further Reading

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [227]-268) and index.

ISBN:

9786611722500

9781281722508

1281722502

9780300129854

0300129858

OCLC:

952730816