Method in their Madness

In the 18th century, when vice, poverty and cruelty were running amok among the people of Britain, a religious revival broke out which radically altered the spiritual and moral tone of the country. The revival - which happened on both sides of the Atlantic - helped change what had become a callous, brutal society into one we might more easily recognise today in its burgeoning humanity. The men who led the revival were called 'Methodists' on account of what was perceived as their 'methodical' approach to religion, and they were dubbed 'Mad Methodists' by those who opposed their evangelical preaching and whole-hearted devotion to God. However, as this book will show, there was 'method in their madness' - enough to effect spiritual and social change on two continents. Included in this book are pen portraits of the leading revivalists of the 18th century and also some of the reformers who worked to effect social change in the wake of the revival.