Born in Crisis and Shaped by Controversy. <i>The Relevant History of Methodism, Volume 1:</i> Born in Crisis

This, as the title suggests, is the first in a projected two-volume set exploring the rise and character of early Methodism. John Tyson is Professor Emeritus of Church History at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School and the author of several previous volumes on Wesleyan thought, early Methodism, and the eighteenth-century Evangelical Revivals. The aim of this volume (and its successor) is to place the early Methodist movement in its proper historical context. Volume 1, Born in Crisis, does so by outlining the exigencies of the times in which the Wesleys and their followers lived and worked. Tyson does this through a number of ‘lenses’: the challenge of ‘reason’ to traditional Christian faith, the contemporary state of the Church of England, and the realities of societal divisions, including those relating to class, wealth, gender equality, and racial and religious prejudice.In each chapter, Tyson outlines, succinctly and with clarity, something of the nature of the theme, drawing helpfully on contemporary writings, records, and culture. Included are useful illustrations—for instance of the works of Hogarth—which complement the text effectively. He then contrasts the resulting picture with the ways in which the leaders of early Methodism, especially John Wesley, responded to, critiqued, and was in dialogue with them. In this, Tyson’s immersion in the writings of Wesley is clear, and he draws skilfully on a range of texts to ground his case.The book is written primarily for those seeking an introduction to early Methodism, approaching the subject by trying to see its rise and character from the ‘outside’ of the society in which it was formed. Tyson’s brevity and clarity are great advantages in this; he does not overwhelm the reader, and he makes his points with conciseness and obvious expertise. A downside of this is that some of the complex topics he is dealing with can seem rather too quickly summarized, and even sometimes a little caricatured. For instance, his examination of the Church of England seems to fall a little into a rather easy and outdated stereotyped account of a moribund and universally apathetic institution, and it neglects to draw out the depth and fervency of Wesley’s own devotion to it as the national church. The manner of Tyson’s approach thus leaves little time for the kind of nuance that would be ideal but for an introductory text that may not matter too much.There are a number of consistent typographical errors, especially in punctuation, and a few factual inaccuracies (Jonathan Swift was dean, and not bishop, in Dublin). Tyson’s praiseworthy efforts to write in accessible language also occasionally leads him into some curious anachronisms, such as describing Wesley’s working contemporaries as living ‘from paycheck to paycheck’. But overall, this volume is an admirable contribution in offering a straightforward account of the rise of Methodism in its own context and is likely to be of value and utility to those seeking to approach it for the first time. The second volume, Shaped by Controversy, will endeavour to explore Methodism’s inner divisions and debates. In all of this, Tyson holds up a ‘distant mirror’ to enable and encourage twenty-first-century Christians to ponder the contexts and challenges of their own faith, and each chapter concludes with a series of questions designed to facilitate this conversation among his readers. In that aim, it will likely be important to read both volumes together as modern Methodists continue to wrestle with their own responses to living out their faith in divided and anxious days and amid great upheavals in both church and society.

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