A new interpretation of English history and religion in the eighteenth century.
The eighteenth century has long divided critical opinion. Some contend that it witnessed the birth of the modern world, while others counter that England remained an
ancien regime confessional state. This book takes issue with both positions, arguing that the former overstate the newness of the age and largely misdiagnose the causes of change, while the latter rightly point to the persistence of more traditional modes of thought and behaviour, but downplay the era’s fundamental uncertainty and misplace the reasons for and the timeline of its passage. The overwhelming catalyst for change is here seen to be war, rather than long-term social and economic changes.
Archbishop Thomas Secker [1693-1768], the Cranmer or Laud of his age, and the hitherto neglected church reforms he spearheaded, form the particular focus of the book; this is the first full archivally-based study of a crucial but frequently ignored figure.
ROBERT G. INGRAM is Assistant Professor at the Department of History, Ohio University.
Table of Content
`Efforts at Amendment’
Becoming an Anglican
Becoming an Insider
The Church and the Enlightenment
The Church and the Parishoners
The Church and the State
The Church and America
The Church and Churches Abroad
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index
About the author
ROBERT G INGRAM is Professor of Humanities at the University of Florida.
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