The evangelical or Methodist revival had a major impact on Welsh religion, society and culture, leading to the unprecedented growth of Nonconformity by the nineteenth century, which established a very clear difference between Wales and England in religious terms. Since the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist movement did not split from the Church to form a separate denomination until 1811, it existed in its early years solely as a collection of local society meetings. By focusing on the early societies in south-west Wales, this study examines the grass roots of the eighteenth-century Methodist movement, identifying the features that led to its subsequent remarkable success. At the heart of the book lie the experiences of the men and women who were members of the societies, along with their social and economic background and the factors that attracted them to the Methodist cause.

It was the French novelist Anatole France who, when feeling tired, and discouraged, said, 'I never go into the country for a change of air and a holiday. I always go instead into the eighteenth century.' For an entirely different purpose, the great Welsh preacher, Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones, frequently borrowed France's words when speaking to his fellow Gospel preachers: 'Go to the eighteenth century! In other words read the stories of the great tides and movements of the Spirit experienced in that century. It is the most exhilarating experience, the finest tonic you will ever know. For a preacher it is absolutely invaluable ... There is nothing more important for preaching than the reading of Church history and biographies.' His own biographer, Iain Murray, says that for 'sheer stimulus and enjoyment there were no volumes which he prized more than Tadau Methodistaidd... the lives of the fathers of Welsh Calvinistic Methodism. They were constantly in his hands.' Book jacket.

The Elect Methodists is the first full-length academic study of Calvinistic Methodism, a movement that emerged in the eighteenth century as an alternative to the better known Wesleyan grouping. While the branch of Methodism led by John Wesley has received significant historical attention, Calvinistic Methodism, especially in England, has not. The book charts the sources of the eighteenth-century Methodist revival in the context of Protestant evangelicalism emerging in continental Europe and colonial North America, and then proceeds to follow the fortunes in both England and Wales of the Calvinistic branch, to the establishing of formal denominations in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1872. The publishing house Anatiposi publishes historical books as reprints. Due to their age, these books may have missing pages or inferior quality. Our aim is to preserve these books and make them available to the public so that they do not get lost.

This comprehensive and compelling study charts the influence of Howell Harris on the development of early Methodism and examines the period from his conversion in 1735 to his secession from the main body of Methodism following a struggle with Rowland.

This volume is an essential reference guide that draws together an impressive collection of academics and religious practitioners to map out for the first time the religious multiplicity and diversity of Wales. For the first 1,500 years or so of its existence, the Christian Church in Wales was a unified entity. The Welsh Church, initially Celtic, but then Roman Catholic, held a virtual monopoly over religious life and belief in the country. The 16th-century Reformation ended the notion of a monolithic Christendom; the proliferation of Protestant sects guaranteed that competition and variety would be the norm. By charting the gradual proliferation of religious communities in Wales, from the 17th to the 21st centuries, this volume seeks to dispel many of the myths of a monochrome Christian, Protestant, or even Nonconformist Wales. Each chapter also uniquely examines the persistence of faith, often in surprising places, in post-Christian Wales. The following religious institutions are discussed: The Church in Wales * Independents (Congregationalists) * Baptists * The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) * Roman Catholicism * Calvinistic Methodism * Wesleyan Methodism * The Moravian Church * Unitarianism * Salvation Army * Pentecostalism * United Reform Church * Seventh-Day Adventism * The Church of the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) * Jehovah's Witnesses * Evangelicalism * Judaism * Islam * Sikhism * Baha'i Faith * The Ecumenical Dimension. [Subject: History, Welsh Studies, Religious Studies]

The experimental or experiential aspect of the Christian life has been seriously neglected during the present century. Certain factors and tendencies have led to this unfortunate condition. Chief among these has been a superficial evangelism which has neglected real conviction of sin and repentance and encouraged an easy believism. Secondly, there has been a theory of sanctification, more psychological than spiritual and scriptural, which has discouraged self-examination and taught that we have only to 'leave it to the Lord.' Thirdly, and more recently, has been an unbalanced emphasis on intellectual understanding of Truth, the social application of Truth, and the manifestation of particular spiritual gifts. All this has greatly impoverished the spiritual life of both the individual Christian and the churches, and led to coldness, barrenness, and loss of power. The greatest need of the hour is a return to the emphases of the Evangelical Awakening. It is in the belief that this classic of the spiritual life and warfare can greatly stimulate and hasten that return that I encouraged my wife to translate it, and am now happy to commend it, and to advise all Christians to read it. I would particularly urge ministers and pastors to read it, not only because it will prove to be an invaluable help in what is now called counselling of individuals, but also because I would press upon them the importance of introducing such meetings into the life of their churches. Much untold blessing would follow. -From the introduction by Dr. D.M. Lloyd-Jones. Rev. William Williams, was a preacher and leader in the 18th century in Wales. A great hymn-writer and poet, he became the recognized leader and authority in organizing and conducting the experience meetings of the Methodist or Evangelical Awakening.

The Christian life is a life of growth. The gospel message is simple but not simplistic. Learning the gospel and its implications is a lifelong process, but modern evangelicals are often too focused on the moment of conversion while ignoring the ongoing work of sanctification. For John Wesley and George Whitefield, justification and sanctification were inseparable. In Born Again, Sean McGever maps Wesley's and Whitefield's theologies of conversion, reclaiming the connection between justification and sanctification. This study helps evangelicals reassess their thin understanding of conversion, leading to a rich and full picture of the ongoing work new Christians face.