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David W. Bebbington, The Dominance of Evangelicalism: The Age ofSpurgeon and Moody. Vol. 3 of A History of Evangelicalism, ed. David W. Bebbington and Mark Noll. Downer's Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2005. Pp. 288. $23.00.
Although it is chronologically third, this work is the second published volume in InterVarsity's multi-volume History of Evangelicalism, covering roughly the years 1850 to 1900. Drawing upon a wealth of knowledge regarding evangelical history and an impressive familiarity with the primary and secondary literature, David Bebbington, professor of history at the University of Sterling, supplies a precisely written work.
The Dominance of Evangelicalism's modest thesis is suggested in the title. Despite the burgeoning Broad Church movement in England and the ascending Andover liberals in America, the evangelical movement was "the cutting edge of Christian numerical progress during the late nineteenth century" (255). Instead of a strongly thesis-driven work, Bebbington aims to provide an "exploration of the life and the thought of evangelicals during the later nineteenth century" (252). He hits the mark, displaying his skill at weaving diverse elements of the evangelical movement into a cohesive narrative, allowing the reader to gain a genuine feel for evangelicalism as a worldwide movement in the age of Spurgeon and Moody. Emphasizing the similarities and interconnectedness of this Western religious movement, Bebbington comfortably draws on sources from England, Scotland, the United States, South Africa and Australia. This story of worldwide evangelicalism fills an important gap in a field that often focuses on evangelicalism in particular nation states (e.g. English evangelicalism, etc.).
This book is exceedingly well-organized. Topical chapters describe varying aspects of evangelical life in the latter half of the nineteenth century. After a brief introduction to politics, society and...