The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism:
True Religion in a Modern World
Description and Reviews
Oxford University Press, 2018
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.
“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
“Bruce Hindmarsh shows that the spirit of early evangelicalism did not drop from the sky (as partisans liked to suppose) or burst from the ground (as debunkers liked to claim) but emerged from a vibrant coalescence of medieval Catholic spirituality and modern notions of art, law, science, and communications. This is a work of deep research, luminous prose, and interdisciplinary dexterity. Hindmarsh swings for the fences, asking serious questions about serious issues that mattered then and continue to matter today.”
— Grant Wacker, author of America's Pastor: Billy Graham and the Shaping of a Nation
“The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism is a brilliant examination of the historical forces that shaped the rise of the evangelical movement. No one writes about evangelicals with greater sensitivity than Hindmarsh, who never loses sight of the spiritual hopes of both leaders and ordinary people. This is a beautifully written, deeply learned book.”
— Catherine Brekus, Harvard University, author of Sarah Osborn’s World
“Early evangelicals like John Wesley and George Whitefield spoke much about ‘true religion.’ But no one before Bruce Hindmarsh has explored in such comprehensive detail what evangelical spirituality actually meant. Deep research into sources from the evangelicals—but interpreted in light of the art, science, legal reasoning, and philosophy of the age—makes this book an extraordinary tour de force. The result is a treasure trove of historical, psychological, and (yes) spiritual insight.”
— Mark Noll, author of The Rise of Evangelicalism: The Age of Edwards, Whitefield and the Wesleys
“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’—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
“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 expertise. 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 proceed from, evangelical creativity.”
— Richard E. Brantley, The Scriblerian and the Kit-Cats
“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
“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
“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
“Bruce Hindmarsh is one of the leading authorities on eighteenth-century evangelical religion. . . . [This book] is a magnum opus, the culmination of thirty years of deep reflection on eighteenth-century religion and culture. Crucially, it is not a narrow exercise in ecclesiastical history. Instead, it situates evangelicals in relation to the history of reading, science, law, and art—and to the emergence of an even grander abstraction, ‘modernity.’”
— John Coffey, Eighteenth-Century Studies
“In this thoroughly researched study, Bruce Hindmarsh writes a brilliant account of the cultural moment when early evangelicalism first emerged . . . 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
“[a] magnificent new book ... Hindmarsh’s wide frame of methodological reference is exceptionally stimulating”
— Gareth Atkins, Covenant
“this insightful and original new book . . offers a fresh interpretation of the movement’s beginnings in the English-speaking Atlantic world.”
—Christopher Jones, Journal of British Studies
“This rewarding study of early evangelical piety at a critical juncture in cultural and intellectual history cements Bruce Hindmarsh’s status as one of the most sensitive and authoritative contemporary scholars of eighteenth-century religion in the English-speaking world.”
— Sarah Apetrei, International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church
“In crafting his narrative, the author draws on ethics, law, art, and the rise of science, and the result is a book that is as much about the cultural history of the 18th century as it is about religious history per se. . . . This accessible book will be valuable to those interested in the broad history of the modern era, as well as those interested in evangelicalism.”
—M. M. Veeneman, Choice
“This assessment is spot on, and highly recommended.”
—Doug Sweeney, The Jonathan Edwards Center at Teds
“One of the strengths of this book is that Hindmarsh relates evangelicalism to the culture of the times.”
—Paul Richardson, Church of England Newspaper
“This magnificent study will become the standard source for scholars and students alike to examine the nature and dynamics of early evangelical piety. . . . While this learned study treats early evangelical piety more deeply than any previous research, Hindmarsh’s style is both readable and accessible. There is a beauty to this writing that delights the reader and occasionally prompts one to pause and admire the author’s prose.”
—Tom Schwanda, Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care
“ Aside from the significant contribution to the history of the sources of modern evangelicalism, perhaps this book’s most significant achievement is Hindmarsh’s critical alternative for defining and capturing the spirit of the evangelical movement in its formative years in a way that is still relevant for interpreting contemporary evangelicalism.. . . In the Spirit of Early Evangelicalism, Hindmarsh provides a thorough and timely account of the origins of one of Christianity’s major spiritual traditions in the modern era.”
—J. August Higgins, Spiritus
“In The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism, Hindmarsh skillfully surveys the origins of the evangelical movement through its engagement with science, the Enlightenment, law, and the arts. The result is a remarkable study which gives us a vivid portrait of the devotion, intellect, and personalities that accompanied the rise of evangelicalism.”
—Robert W. Caldwell III, Christianity Today
“What we possess in this book is . . . an extraordinarily rich account of the heartbeat of the Evangelical movement in its infancy. The engagement with recent scholarship in many fields of eighteenth-century studies is exemplary, but equally welcome is the concentration on spirituality, which enables the author to capture the movement’s essence. . . . If readers want to understand what really motivated Evangelicals in the eighteenth century and even the early nineteenth century, they should turn to this book.”
—David Bebbington, Journal of Ecclesiastical History
“Hindmarsh is a meticulous researcher whose volume reflects not only deep familiarity with primary and secondary publications, but also painstaking study of archival materials. . . Overall, this is a superb volume that should be required reading for historians of evangelicalism, as well as scholars of eighteenth-century Anglo-American history—including those with interests in modernization, science, philosophy, law, and art—more broadly. The book brings fresh insight to subjects that have fascinated participants and scholars for centuries. This is a difficult task, and Hindmarsh has performed it with excellence.”
—Candy Gunther Brown, American Historical Review
“Hindmarsh provides a genuinely expansive and diverse account of evangelical intellectual life and engagement, filtered through the lens of spirituality. . . The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism is both deep in its investigation and yet diverse in its scope. It will likely already be on the bookshelves of those who are interested in the broader history of evangelical Christianity; however, given the quality of research and argument in its pages, anyone interested in the intellectual history of Christianity would read it to their benefit.”
—Thomas Breimaier, Church History
“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
“This sophisticated analysis of eighteenth-century evangelical spirituality is remarkable for its breadth of engagement. Bruce Hindmarsh takes us beyond the constricting boundaries of ecclesiastical history, to an interdisciplinary immersion in natural philosophy, criminal law, music, and literature. . . These various themes are normally studied in academic silos, but Hindmarsh brings them together boldly. His detailed case studies are illuminating, and his judgements adept, sparked by flashes of impish humour.”
—Andrew Atherstone, Journal of Theological Studies
“Hindmarsh’s argument about the importance of 18th-century scientific thought, alongside art, law, and commerce, is impressive and convincing. The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism is model scholarship in its research and follow-through.”
—Tucker Adkins, Reading Religion
“In this excellent book, Hindmarsh deploys profound scholarship accessibly presented to provide an important re-evaluation of early evangelicalism in its spiritual and cultural context. . . . It is an impressive achievement.”
— John Wolffe, Theology