The Evangelical Conversion Narrative:
Spiritual Autobiography in Early Modern England
Description and Reviews
Oxford University Press, 2005.
Paperback edition, 2007.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, thousands of ordinary women and men experienced evangelical conversion and turned to a certain form of spiritual autobiography to make sense of their lives. This book traces the rise and progress of conversion narrative as a unique form of spiritual autobiography in early modern England.
After outlining the emergence of the genre in the seventeenth century and the revival of the form in the journals of the leaders of the Evangelical Revival, the central chapters of the book examine extensive archival sources to show the subtly different forms of narrative identity that appeared among Wesleyan Methodists, Moravians, Anglicans, Baptists, and others. Attentive to the unique voices of pastors and laypeople, women and men, Western and non-Western peoples, the book establishes the cultural conditions under which the genre proliferated.
“Hindmarsh has landed upon an important yet surprisingly understudied theme, researched it thoroughly, and explored it in a wide-ranging and insightful manner. The Evangelical Conversion Narrative deserves to be read, discussed, and cited for many years to come.”
— Timothy Larsen, English Historical Review
“Hindmarsh’s study is definitive in many respects, most notably in its breadth of vision, its analytical precision, and its evident compassion.”
— Phyllis Mack, American Historical Review
“The Evangelical Conversion Narrative fills an inexplicably hitherto vacant niche in our understanding of religious first-person narratives in the eighteenth-century English-speaking world.”
— Christina Marie Devlin, Journal of Religion
“Hindmarsh’s great strength is that he combines the interests and methods of a theologian, a religious historian, a literary critic, and a book historian, and he has made a substantial contribution to debates about the formation of modern identity, taking issue with those who see the religious narratives of this period as throwbacks.”
—Isabel Rivers, Modern Language Review
“This excellent book is a sensitive combination of historical investigation, literary criticism, social analysis, psychological awareness, and religious evaluation . . . it should be read by every serious student of eighteenth-century Christianity.”
— Richard P. Heitzenrater, Church History
“An absolutely excellent book that will be required reading for the period.”
— W. R. Ward, Theology
“This is likely to be the standard work on the subject for a considerable time to come.”
— Henry Rack, Journal of Ecclesiastical History
“With this brilliant work, impeccably researched and compellingly written, Hindmarsh has established himself as a leading historian of 18th-century evangelicalism.”
— Jonathan R. Baer, Reviews in Religion and Theology
“In this finely researched and compellingly written account of the hitherto relatively underexplored phenomenon of religious conversions in early modern England… Hindmarsh argues convincingly that… a more nuanced reading of this key historical period of evangelicalism is needed… Evangelical Conversion Narrative will be a first port-of-call for any serious inquiry into this eponymous cultural and religious phenomenon which swept through the Atlantic world in the mid- to late eighteenth century.”
—Paul C.H. Lim, Religious Studies Review
“This book is hugely readable throughout . . . I certainly recommend this new work on the Evangelical Revival. Its immediate concern with spiritual autobiography makes the book interesting but not obscure.”
—Dan Peters, Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology
“…an impressive study.”
—John Kent, Journal of Theological Studies
“He achieves the pacing and language of a great storyteller.”
—Erin Kelly, Studies in Religion
“This is an outstanding book…Hindmarsh is properly critical, is deeply aware of the context, and is also splendidly readable. This is one of the finest books that I have read on the eighteenth-century evangelical revival.”
—Ian Randall, Evangelical Quarterly
“Hindmarsh’s mastery of the disciplines of theology, history, and literary theory, together with his rigour and sound judgement, will command respect among secular scholars.”
—Colin Podmore, Church Times
“This new study offers fresh approaches and an array of intriguing insights based on a mountain of scholarship… On the whole, it is an outstanding monograph.”
—Robert Glen, Anglican and Episcopal History
“Exhaustively researched and leavened with dry wit, The Evangelical Conversion Narrative offers a focused and sometimes moving insight into the lives of all sorts and conditions of people, from barely literate laborers to self-consciously literary preachers and poets.”
—Maria M. Scott, Christianity and Literature
“This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking work – informed but not overwhelmed by literary theory and alive to wider debates about understandings of the self and society in the eighteenth century.”
—Mark Smith, International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church
“a clear, reliable and sophisticated account of a central feature of the Evangelical tradition.”
—David Bebbington, Baptist Quarterly
“. . . compelling combination of literary, cultural, historical and theological analysis”
—Christian Century
The most comprehensive, and authoritative, account of spiritual autobiography in 18th-century Methodism.”
—Brett McInnelly, Literature Compass
“Hindmarsh has provided historians of religion, scholars of life-writing and many others with an invaluable reference tool and a thorough survey of a neglected field.”
—Elspeth Jajdelska, Review of English Studies
“In writing the ‘biography of a genre’ Hindmarsh takes on a challenging task. With historical sensitivity, deep research, and engaging writing he brings to life not just the conversion narrative genre but the thousands of people who turned to it to recount their experiences.”
—Carrie Hintz, University of Toronto Quarterly
“[There is now an] increased attention to spiritual autobiography . . . a significant revival . . . It was D. Bruce Hindmarsh’s The Evangelical Conversion Narrative: Spiritual Autobiography in Early Modern England (2005) that opened this renovated trend . . . erudite, and very pleasantly written.”
—Fabio Battista, StatusQuaestionis
“Bruce Hindmarsh has produced an ambitious and important book. It is a model example of serious academic analysis of the much neglected area of evangelical spirituality. . . For historians working on the Evangelical Revival this is a stimulating, not to say inspiring book, and will leave its mark on the historiography of Evangelicalism for many years to come. But this volume will surely also become essential reading for all those interested in eighteenth-century religion and culture.”
—David Ceri Jones, British Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies
“These are complex and testing areas, yet Hindmarsh’s handling of his subject matter is superb, revealing depth of knowledge and an engaging style…The differences and similarities between conversions in different parts of the evangelical movement are explored and analysed with finesse…It is a landmark study deserving of the highest praise for its scholarly integrity and breadth of vision.”
—Gareth Lloyd, Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies
“ . . . succeeds admirably, providing a nuanced and insightful history of the evangelical conversion narrative, and its meanings for the men and women who chose to tell of their experiences.”
—Joanna Cruickshank, Melbourne Historical Journal