The Evangelical Conversion Narrative: Spiritual Autobiography in Early Modern England

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, thousands of ordinary women and men experienced evangelical conversion and turned to a certain form of spiritual autobiography to make sense of their lives. This book traces the rise and progress of conversion narrative as a unique form of spiritual autobiography in early modern England. After outlining the emergence of the genre in the seventeenth century and the revival of the form in the journals of the leaders of the Evangelical Revival, the central chapters of the book examine extensive archival sources to show the subtly different forms of narrative identity that appeared among Wesleyan Methodists, Moravians, Anglicans, Baptists, and others. Attentive to the unique voices of pastors and laypeople, women and men, Western and non-Western peoples, the book establishes the cultural conditions under which the genre proliferated.

About the Author :
D. Bruce Hindmarsh is James M. Houston Associate Professor of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, Vancouver.

Review :
"[A] remarkable study which gives us a vivid portrait of the devotion, intellect, and personalities that accompanied the rise of evangelicalism. In important ways, they are like current evangelicals today I highly recommend this book for the way it illuminates the spiritual lives of many early evangelicals, both well-known and long-forgotten. Non-academic readers will enjoy Hindmarsh's accessible writing style. And evangelicals of all stripes will find encouragement in the ways early evangelicals struggled to remain faithful to Christ in the midst of an increasingly secular world. After all, that struggle is not unlike ours today."-- Robert W. Caldwell III, Christianity Today "The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism weaves together an amazing breadth of scholarship with depth of knowledge in detail. Its analysis is subtle and suggestive, as well as comprehensive in synthesis This is a lucid and beautifully written book, and an important one."--Martin Wellings, Wesley and Methodist Studies "This magnificent study will become the standard source for scholars and students alike to examine the nature and dynamics of early evangelical piety While this learned study treats early evangelical piety more deeply than any previous research, Hindmarsh's style is both readable and accessible. There is a beauty to this writing that delights the reader and occasionally prompts one to pause and admire the author's prose I strongly endorse this book and look forward to how it will shape future conversations regarding the nature and development of early evangelical spirituality."--Tom Schwanda, Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care "This assessment is spot on, and highly recommended."--Douglas Sweeney, Jonathan Edwards Center at TEDS "A landmark study, not only of evangelical conversion narratives, but also of evangelical conversions themselves. It is the best book ever published by a North American on eighteenth-century evangelical religion." --Journal of the American Academy of Religion "One of the great virtues of this perceptive and wide ranging study is that Hindmarsh's reading of the text is both analytically sophisticated and extraordinarily sympathetic. This study is definitive in many respects, most notably in its breadth of vision, its analytical precision, and its evident compassion. Both secular and religious scholars are lucky to have this magisterial study of conversion narratives as a guide to further reflection and research." -- American Historical Review "This new study offers fresh approaches and an array of intriguing insights based on a mountain of scholarship... On the whole, it is an outstanding monograph." --Anglican and Episcopal History "The Evangelical Conversion Narrative fills an inexplicably hitherto vacant niche in our understanding of religious first-person narratives in the eighteenth-century English-speaking world." --Journal of Religion "An absolutely excellent book that will be required reading for the period." --Theology "With this brilliant work, impeccably researched and compellingly written, Hindmarsh has established himself as a leading historian of 18th-century evangelicalism." --Reviews in Religion and Theology "Hindmarsh's mastery of the disciplines of theology, history, and literary theory, together with his rigour and sound judgement, will command respect among secular scholars." --Church Times "...[A]n impressive study."-- Journal of Theological Studies "...[C]ompelling combination of literary, cultural, historical and theological analysis." --Christian Century "In this finely researched and compellingly written account of the hitherto relatively underexplored phenomenon of religious conversions in early modern England... Hindmarsh argues convincingly that... a more nuanced reading of this key historical period of evangelicalism is needed... Evangelical Conversion Narrative will be a first port-of-call for any serious inquiry into this eponymous cultural and religious phenomenon which swept through the Atlantic world in the mid- to late eighteenth century." --Religious Studies Review "This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking work - informed but not overwhelmed by literary theory and alive to wider debates about understandings of the self and society in the eighteenth century." --International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church "[A] clear, reliable and sophisticated account of a central feature of the Evangelical tradition." --Baptist Quarterly "This is an outstanding book... Hindmarsh is properly critical, is deeply aware of the context, and is also splendidly readable. This is one of the finest books that I have read on the eighteenth-century evangelical revival." --Evangelical Quarterly "He achieves the pacing and language of a great storyteller." --Studies in Religion "This excellent book is a sensitive combination of historical investigation, literary criticism, social analysis, psychological awareness, and religious evaluation . . . it should be read by every serious student of eighteenth-century Christianity." --Church History "Hindmarsh's great strength is that he combines the interests and methods of a theologian, a religious historian, a literary critic, and a book historian, and he has made a substantial contribution to debates about the formation of modern identity, taking issue with those who see the religious narratives of this period as throwbacks." --Modern Language Review "Exhaustively researched and leavened with dry wit, The Evangelical Conversion Narrative offers a focused and sometimes moving insight into the lives of all sorts and conditions of people, from barely literate laborers to self-consciously literary preachers and poets." --Christianity and Literature "This book is hugely readable throughout . . . I certainly recommend this new work on the Evangelical Revival. Its immediate concern with spiritual autobiography makes the book interesting but not obscure." -- Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology "Hindmarsh has provided historians of religion, scholars of life-writing and many others with an invaluable reference tool and a thorough survey of a neglected field." --Review of English Studies "This is likely to be the standard work on the subject for a considerable time to come." --Journal of Ecclesiastical History "Hindmarsh has landed upon an important yet surprisingly understudied theme, researched it thoroughly, and explored it in a wide-ranging and insightful manner. The Evangelical Conversion Narrative deserves to be read, discussed, and cited for many years to come." --English Historical Review "In writing the 'biography of a genre' Hindmarsh takes on a challenging task. With historical sensitivity, deep research, and engaging writing he brings to life not just the conversion narrative genre but the thousands of people who turned to it to recount their experiences." --University of Toronto Quarterly " . . . succeeds admirably, providing a nuanced and insightful history of the evangelical conversion narrative, and its meanings for the men and women who chose to tell of their experiences." --Melbourne Historical Journal "Increased attention to spiritual autobiography . . . a significant revival . . . It was D. Bruce Hindmarsh's The Evangelical Conversion Narrative: Spiritual Autobiography in Early Modern England that opened this renovated trend . . . erudite, and very pleasantly written." --StatusQuaestionis "The most comprehensive, and authoritative, account of spiritual autobiography in 18th-century Methodism." --Literature Compass "These are complex and testing areas, yet Hindmarsh's handling of his subject matter is superb, revealing depth of knowledge and an engaging style... The differences and similarities between conversions in different parts of the evangelical movement are explored and analysed with finesse... It is a landmark study deserving of the highest praise for its scholarly integrity and breadth of vision." --Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies