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Methodism: Empire of the Spirit. By David Hempton (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2005. Pp. 278. Cloth, $30.00.)
At the start of his new book on the rise and global expansion of the Methodist movement, David Hempton writes that "the two things that can be said with certainty about Methodism are that it grew prodigiously . . . and that historians will continue to disagree vigorously about why such growth took place and what were its consequences" (10). Building upon his vigorous work on early British Methodism and popular religion, Hempton's study takes the long view both chronologically and geographically and, unlike most other treatments, provides the reader with a sweeping survey of the impact of John Wesley's movement from an Oxford study circle in the 1730s to the enduring international phenomenon it had become by the late-nineteenth century. ' As such, Methodism is the best synthesis available on the vast reach of the church and the many elements that went into establishing its popularity. At the same time, it suggests that the social history of religion, including in the early republic, may be approaching a crossroads.
Hempton's book assesses the varied aspects of what he describes as the rise and fall of the Methodist "empire." His best chapters-"Enlightenment and Enthusiasm," "Money and Power," and "Mapping and Mission"-analyze the ideological origins of Methodism and the material means by which the church and its missionary extensions became so large, both in membership and ambition, literally extending into all inhabited continents. Hempton emphasizes the influence of E. P. Thompson's The Making of the English Working Class, especially its extraordinary exposition of the impact of Methodism on English workers in the Age of Revolution. A major and refreshing distinction of this...