Religious revivals in Britain and Ireland, 1859-1905

"This book explores the changing character of late nineteenth-century revivalism by looking at those who promoted it, such as working-class men, visiting American preachers, like Moody and Sankey, and a small, but significant number of women. This book also explores the response to this more 'professionalised' revivalism from within the evangelical community. Evangelicals had deeply contradictory attitudes towards the purpose and function of revivals. They were torn between their desire for renewed religious vitality and their concern for ecclesiastical structures and spiritual propriety, and as a result, revivalism was consistently marginalised as a method of promoting church growth."--Jacket.