short history of global evangelicalism, A

By Mark Hutchinson

Book Description

Mark Hutchinson traces the remarkable journey of evangelicalism from its eighteenth-century European and North American origins to its current status as a vibrant global movement spanning Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania. This comprehensive historical survey begins by positioning evangelicalism within the broader Protestant tradition before exploring how early North Atlantic revivals sparked a movement that would eventually transform religious landscapes worldwide.

The narrative follows evangelicalism through its Victorian expansion, examining how the movement navigated the challenges of modernity and global warfare in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Rather than simply chronicling Western missionary efforts, Hutchinson demonstrates how evangelicalism underwent profound indigenization, developing into a multicentered movement that flourishes in non-Western contexts while maintaining connections to its historical foundations.

Through careful analysis of theological developments and cultural adaptations, the book reveals how evangelical communities have continuously reshaped themselves in response to changing historical and geographical circumstances. The author illustrates this adaptability through vivid examples, including the story of Thomas Haweis, whose controversial Oxford ministry in 1757 exemplified the movement's capacity to provoke both passionate devotion and fierce opposition.

Contemporary readers seeking to understand how spiritual movements evolve and spread across cultures will find valuable insights into evangelicalism's current global trajectory and its ongoing ability to reinvent itself while preserving core theological commitments.