Introduction

Abstract

Although the Evangelical Revival was cradled in the Church of England, its relationship to its mother Church was not always an easy one. From the outset, its presence aroused hostility. There were persistent claims that Evangelicals were suspect as churchmen, that they were half-hearted in their attachment to the Establishment, if not downright disloyal. Their theology aroused uncomfortable memories of militant Puritanism. Evangelical ecclesiology was regarded with similar suspicion, for it placed paramount stress on the overriding claims of the invisible ‘Church of Christ’. This book explores the complexities of Evangelicalism by looking at those clergymen who were so discontented with the status quo in the Established Church that they were propelled into outright secession. The main focus of this study is on the period between 1800 and 1850, especially that of the 1830s and 1840s, which produced the greatest number of secessions.