My book, British Methodist Revivalism and The Eclipse of Ecclesiology is now available. After many years of work and several delays (pandemic-related and personal) it is a pleasure to have the hard copy in my possession. I hope it will make a solid contribution to our understanding of the history and theology of Methodism, especially as it deals with some figures who have received little attention from a theological perspective.

The book is rather expensive for personal purchase, but, if you are interested, please encourage your librarian to pick up a copy for their collection. This flyer provides a discount code for 20% off the list price until March 1.

If you would like a preview, you can read the introduction and a good portion of chapter 2 on Google books.

In many ways, the book extends my previous work on the Salvation Army backwards to the time of Wesley, as well as considering the trajectory of British Methodist revivalism into the early twentieth century, In brief, the book demonstrates that the personal work of the Spirit was magnified by revivalists at the expense of the Spirit’s corporate work through the church, and argues that this pneumatological imbalance contributed to the division of British Methodism. The theology of revivalism was empowering to ordinary people, but was less successful at grounding the personal discernment of the Spirit in the broader community. The book points to the need for a full-orbed understanding of the Spirit’s work in the church through the means of grace–a pneumatology that recognizes that the Spirit’s work is personal and corporate, immediate and gradual, innovative and institutional. Crucially, the I argue that the means of communal discernment must include the ministry of oversight, or there will be no lasting unity in any ecclesial body.