The Changing Shape of English Nonconformity, 1825-1925 PDF
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THE CHANGING SHAPE OF ENGLISH NONCONFORMITY, 182,5-1925 This page intentionally left blank THE CHANGING SHAPE OF ENGLISH NONCONFORMITY, 1825-1925 Dale A. Johnson Recipient of the 1996 Albert C. Outler Prize in Ecumenical Church History of the American Society of Church History New York Oxford Oxford University Press 1999 Oxford University Press Oxford New York Athens Auckland Bangkok Bogota Buenos Aires Calcutta Cape Town Channai Dar es Salaam Delhi Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Paris Sao Paulo Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto Warsaw and associated companies in Berlin Ibadan Copyright © 1999 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Johnson, Dale A., 1936- The changing shape of English nonconformity. 1825-192,5 / Dale Johnson. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-19-512163-5 1. Dissenters, Religious—England—History—I9th century. 2. Theology—Study and teaching—England—History—i9th century. 3. Dissenters, Religious—England—History—2oth century. 4. Theology—Study and teaching—England—History—2oth century. I. Title. BX203.2.J63 1999 5 28o'.4'o94209O34—dczi 97-50482 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper With thanks and appreciation for several important teachers and guides: R. V. Smith H. G. Pitt Robert H. Fischer Robert T. Handy Wilhelm Pauck This page intentionally left blank ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A project that has been pursued for a number of years perhaps accumulates more debts than one completed more quickly. A whole host of appreciations are called for to acknowledge the support and assistance given to me by in- dividuals and institutions during the course of my work on this book. The staff and fellows of Mansfield College, Oxford, and Clare Hall, Cambridge, provided congenial environments for sabbatical leaves, as did the staff of St. Deiniol's Library, Hawarden, North Wales, for several weeks of writ- ing. The many knowedgeable and helpful persons at the Jean and Alexan- der Heard Library of Vanderbilt University; the Bodleian Library, Oxford; the Cambridge University Library; the John Rylands Library and the North- ern College, Manchester; Mansfield College and Regent's Park College, Ox- ford; and Westminster College, Cambridge, all contributed significantly to my ability to use their resources. I am very appreciative of the financial support for travel and extended stays in Britain given by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and from the Uni- versity Research Council of Vanderbilt University. Particular thanks go to Alan P. F. Sell for the suggestions offered after reading an earlier draft of the manuscript. Material in chapter 3 and chapter 7 is reprinted with permission from Church History 51 (September 1982): 304-20 and 66 (December 1997): 735-49. Material in chapter 8 is reprinted with permission from Anglican and Episcopal History, volume LIX, no. 1 (March 1990): 76-98. My wife Norma has patiently offered support and understanding over the years to my work on this project, and for all that and much more I am enor- mously grateful. This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Introduction, 3 PART I "Factories of Preachers and Pastors": The Nonconformist Engagement with Theological Education 1 Modest Beginnings, 15 2 Evaluation and Reform, 33 3 The Methodist Quest for an Educated Ministry, 48 4 Piety, Education, and Ministry, 62 PART II Ministry and Theology in a New Age: The Nonconformist Engagement with Its Message and with the Culture 5 The Ministry Required by the Age, 77 6 The Shifting Sands of Religious Authority, 100 7 Theology and the Task of Reconstruction, 125 8 Nonconformity and Identity: Beyond the Chilling Mists of Controversy, 163 Conclusion, 180 Notes, 187 Bibliography, 223 Index, 243
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