Taking Heaven by Storm: Methodism and the Rise of Popular Christianity in America (Religion in America) - Hardcover

Wigger, John H.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195104528 ISBN 13: 9780195104523

Publisher: OUP USA, 1998

Synopsis

Following the Revolutionary War, American Methodism grew at an astonishing rate, rising from fewer than 1000 members in 1770 to over 250,000 by 1820. John H. Wigger seeks to explain the puzzle of this remarkable growth, offering a provocative reassessment of the role of popular religion in American life. Wigger argues that in the post-Revolutionary years Methodism's style, tone, and agenda worked their way deep into the fabric of American life, influencing all other mass religious movements that would follow, and many facets of American life not directly connected to the church as well.

About this title

Review

Wigger's monograph not only contributes substantially to our understanding of the extraordinarily rapid development of Methodism after the Revolution, but also demonstrates the part religion has played in American social development. ... demonstrates that religious development is intertwined with the social context within which it takes place. ... admirable study. (Colin Bonwick, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Vol 50 no 4 October 1999)

Professor Wigger ... writes with clarity and penetration and for the scholar there are 60 pages of footnotes! ... a fascinating survey which I heartily commend. (Methodist Recorder)

About the Author

University of Missouri, Columbia

Edition details

• Publisher: OUP USA
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195104528
• ISBN 13: 9780195104523
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288