THE EXPANSION OF EVANGELICALISM: THE AGE OF WILBERFORCE, MORE, CHALMERS AND FINNEY, by John Wolffe

A “Bonus” Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance 

 

Overview

This is the second volume in A History of Evangelicalism: People, Movements and Ideas in the English-Speaking World, edited by David Bebbington and Mark Noll. It covers evangelical expansion from the 1790s through the 1840s (or around 1850) across Britain, North America, and other English-speaking regions such as Canada, Australia, the West Indies, and South Africa. Wolffe situates the story amid key historical upheavals: the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, industrialization, the Second Great Awakening in the United States, the rise of Protestant missions, and mounting social struggles—particularly regarding slavery. 

The book’s eight chapters move from foundational landscapes and figures through revivalism (“new measures”), worship and spirituality, roles of men, women, and family life, social transformation (slavery, temperance, working conditions), politics, and the tension between evangelical unity and diversity. 

Notable figures include these: 

• William Wilberforce – abolitionist leader and evangelical lay figure
• Hannah More – influential evangelical writer and educator
• Thomas Chalmers – Scottish preacher and social reformer
• Charles Finney – American revivalist and innovator of “new measures” Kerux 

 

Chapter-by-Chapter Summary

1. Landscapes and Personalities 

Introduces the geographical and social milieus—Britain, America, Canada, Australia, the West Indies, and more—where evangelicalism flourished between 1790 and 1840. Highlights key figures, including William Wilberforce, Hannah More, Thomas Chalmers, and Charles Finney, who serve as narrative anchors throughout the book. 

2. Revivals and Revivalism, 1790–1820 

Explores the wave of revivalism during the early part of the period—including camp meetings and frontier awakenings across both sides of the Atlantic. Wolffe examines the diversity of these revival expressions and acknowledges regional variations in religious excitement. 

3. “New Measures” Revivals, 1820–50 

Focuses on Finney and the development of “new measures”—planned revival strategies such as mass advertising, protracted meetings, speaking by women, and the “anxious bench.” Finney’s methods, emphasizing human agency, significantly shaped the mechanics of evangelical revival. . . .

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