Religion of the People: Methodism and Popular Religion 1750-1900 - Hardcover

""Religion of the People is an extraordinarily good book--distinguished for the lucid complexity of its arguments as well as for its compelling use of wide-ranging sources. Hempton resists the urge--which has in fact overpowered some very good historians before him--to oversimplify the rise and spread of evangelical Protestantism. Instead, he roots his analysis of evangelical themes, personalities and commmunities in multiple layers of causation. Whether on the religious character of Methodist experiences, the dynamics of itinerant preaching, the differences between evangelicals in various regions of Britain, Ireland, and North America, the indispensable contribution of women to the rise of evangelicalism, the legal status of eighteenth-century Methodists, or a wealth of other subjects--this is historical writing at its very best." -Mark A. Noll, Professor of History, Wheaton College "Those who want the latest word on Methodism's first century can do no better than turn to this collection of essays by David Hempton. Written in a crisp, incisive prose, lucidly-argued without oversimplification, unobtrusively learned, they offer the clearest path through the jungle of Methodist studies . . . These essays are a pleasure to read because of Hempton's undogmatic inquisitiveness, his balanced appreciation of Methodism's many-sidedness, and his ability to empathize without ever becoming sentimental or romantic." -Hugh McLeod, University of Birmingham

Taking account of broader patterns of growth, the focus of this book is Methodism in the British Isles. Hempton discusses why Methodism, the most important religious movement in the English-speaking world in the 18th and 19th centuries, grew when and where it did and what was the nature of the Methodist experience for those who embraced it.
He also explores the themes of law, politics and gender which lie at the heart of Methodist influence on individuals, communities and social structures.