Stewart J. Brown and Timothy Tackett, eds. Cambridge History of Christianity: Enlightenment, Reawakening and Revolution 1660-1815 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006), Pp. xiv + 678.
The Cambridge History of Christianity series seeks to offer a comprehensive chronological account of the development of Christianity in terms of its theological, intellectual, political, and social aspects. This volume is the seventh installment to this series, and it covers the tumultuous period of world history from 1660 to 1815. During this period, it is contended, three distinct movements combined to bring a fundamental cultural reorientation to Europe and North America, which later infiltrated the wider world. The three distinct movements are characterized within this volume as Enlightenment, reawakening, and revolution.
Indeed, the editors note that the Enlightenment virtually transformed views of nature and of the ability of humans to dominate nature (4). Moreover, due to the Enlightenment, some European thinkers capitulated to a newfound sense of cultural relativism. During this Enlightenment, the most important contribution was the rise of modern science. With the rise of science, it was promised that careful observation and logical calculation – in sum, the power of reason – would reveal the laws that governed the natural world. It was thought that science could make bountiful practical improvements to material life and social organization. Whereas many of the proponents of the Enlightenment remained somewhat orthodox in their profession of Christianity, they nonetheless were more inclined to the advocation of a natural religion versus a revealed religion.
Religious reawakenings during this period brought a revival of heart-felt, experiential Christianity. John Wesley was a leading figure in the revival of this heart-felt religion. But it was not merely the protestant churches that experienced this reawakening, as the Roman Catholic Church in France experienced a renewal of affections through what is referred to as Jansenism. Regarding revolution, the political and social upheavals of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries seriously challenged established ideas of divine-right monarchies and divinely ordained social hierarchies. As a result, said upheavals promoted democratic government, human rights, and religious toleration. A new religious climate emerged, in which people were more likely to look to personal feelings or experiences as the basis of one’s faith. During this same period, Christianity spread around the world and gained a foothold in every continent as a result of missions.
The volume is divided into four parts, with the first part being composed of four chapters addressing the problems of church, state, and society within this time period. These four essays offer broad overviews of the political and social contexts of the period. Part two is composed of eight essays that cover a variety of issues related to Christian life prior to the French Revolution, such as the role of education, religious architecture, and the issue of gender in religion. Part three includes six essays that relate to the sources of change within the Christian world. Particular emphasis within this part three is placed upon science and protestant evangelicalism. Within part four, one will find five essays concerning issues related to the advance of Christian settlers to five continents, and the resulting conflict that occurred with indigenous religions as a result of that expansion. Moreover, this part four includes discussion on the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the abolition of slavery.
My only critique of this notable volume is its seeming overemphasis on colonial developments to the exclusion of developments within areas outside colonial expansion. Nevertheless, this criticism aside, I heartily recommend this title for readers of Christian history, laity clergy, and academians alike.
Bradford McCall
Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA