Religion, Politics and Dissent, 1660-1832: Essays in Honour of James E. Bradley

by Robert D. Cornwall (Editor), William Gibson (Editor)

The idea of the long eighteenth century (1660–1832) as a period in which religious and political dissent were regarded as antecedents of the Enlightenment has recently been advanced by several scholars. The purpose of this collection is further to explore these connections between religious and political dissent in Enlightenment Britain. Addressing the many and rich connections between political and religious dissent in the long eighteenth century, the volume also acknowledges the work of Professor James E. Bradley in stimulating interest in these issues among scholars.

Contributors engage directly with ideas of secularism, radicalism, religious and political dissent and their connections with the Enlightenment, or Enlightenments, together with other important themes including the connections between religious toleration and the rise of the 'enlightenments'. Contributors also address issues of modernity and the ways in which a 'modern' society can draw its inspiration from both religion and secularity, as well as engaging with the seventeenth-century idea of the synthesis of religion and politics and its evolution into a system in which religion and politics were interdependent but separate.

Offering a broadly-conceived interpretation of current research from a more comprehensive perspective than is often the case, the historiographical implications of this collection are significant for the development of ideas of the nature of the Enlightenment and for the nature of religion, society and politics in the eighteenth century. By bringing together historians of politics, religion, ideas and society to engage with the central theme of the volume, the collection provides a forum for leading scholars to engage with a significant theme in British history in the 'long eighteenth century'.

Contents: James E. Bradley: an appreciation; Introduction, Robert D. Cornwall and William Gibson; Part 1 Accommodating Religious Heterodoxy: Why the third fell out: Trinitarian dissent, Thomas C. Pfizenmaier; The Bowman affair: latitudinarian theology, anti-clericalism and the limits of orthodoxy in early Hanoverian England, Stephen Taylor; Enlightened thought devised from Biblical principles, Rena Denton; Philip Doddridge and the formation of Calvinistic theology in an era of rationalism and deconfessionalization, Richard A. Muller; 'The weight of historical evidence': Conyers Middleton and the 18th-century miracles debate, Robert G. Ingram; Varieties of heterodoxy: the career of Edward Evanson (1731–1805), G.M. Ditchfield. Part 2 Religion, Politics and Society: Dissenters, Anglicans and elections after the Toleration Act, 1689–1710, William Gibson; Politics and the lay baptism controversy in England, 1708–1715, Robert D. Cornwall; Religious dissent, the church, and the repeal of the Occasional Conformity and Schism Acts, 1714–1719, David L. Wykes; Archbishop Markham and political preaching in wartime England, 1776–77, Nigel Aston; The changing legacy and reception of John Foxe's 'Book of Martyrs' in the 'long 18th century': varieties of Anglican, Protestant and Catholic response, c.1760–c.1850, Peter Nockles; Index.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Robert D. Cornwall is minister-at-large after his retirement as pastor of Central Woodward Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Troy, Michigan. . He holds a M.Div. and a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and is a graduate of Northwest Christian University in Eugene, OR. He is the author/editor of several books including "Second Thoughts About the Second Coming: Understanding the End Times, Our Future, and Christian Hope" (Westminster John Knox Press) coauthored with Ronald J. Allen. Other books include the second edition of "Unfettered Spirit: Spiritual Gifts for the New Great Awakening" and "The Letters of John: A Participatory Study Guide" (Energion Publications), along with a wide variety of other books (see the author listing), including Visible and Apostolic: The Constitution of the Church in High Church and Nonjuror Thought (University of Delaware Press, 1993); Gilbert Burnet's Discourse on the Pastoral Care, (Edwin Mellen Press, 1997), A Cry from the Cross: Sermons on the Seven Last Words of Christ (CSSPublishing, 2008), Religion, Politics and Dissent, 1660-1832: Essays in Honour of James E Bradley, edited with William Gibson (Ashgate, 2010); Ultimate Allegiance: The Subversive Nature of the Lord's Prayer, (Energion Publications, 2010); and Ephesians: A Participatory Study Guide, (Energion Publications, 2010). He has contributed articles to a number of books, encyclopedias, and journals, including Religious Identities in Britain, 1660-1832, Events that Changed the Word in the Eighteenth Century, The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, The Encyclopedia of the Stone Campbell Movement, Encyclopedia of Protestantism, Church History, Anglican Theological Review, Christian Century Congregations, the Progressive Christian, and Anglican and Episcopal History. He served for many years as the editor of Sharing the Practice, the journal of the Academy of Parish Clergy.

Reviews

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that I co-edited with William Gibson. It is a festschrift for my mentor James Bradley. A study of the relationship of religion and politics in 18th century Britain.