The Protestant Evangelical Awakening

Rating:
Summary: Ward Provides Essential Context for Methodism
Review: This is a masterpiece by one of the great scholars of English Methodism!

W. R. Ward provides us with a comprehensive and sweeping examination of the context into which (and from which) early British Methodism emerged. One of the few Methodist scholars with a true command of the German language, Ward has gone to the roots of Continental Pietism and drawn out the social, religious, and political circumstances that led to the Continental influence upon the religious developments of 18th Century Britain. Ward skillfully avoids both understatement and overstatement when situating the early Methodists within the events and trends of their era. Balance is one of the great strengths of this book, in fact.

This work monumental in scope. It is a must-read for anyone seriously interested in Methodist scholarship. But it is not an easy read. This is not a book you pick up and browse through. It requires a concerted and determined 'plough through.' But, for those who dare to take on the challenge, the rewards far outweigh the pains involved.

Superb!