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John Wesley: A Brand from the Burning
 
 

John Wesley: A Brand from the Burning (Paperback)

by Roy Hattersley (Author) "The Victorians, emboldened by the confidence that comes with success, convinced posterity that modern England began in the nineteenth century ..." (more)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Abacus; New edition edition (4 Nov 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0349116571
  • ISBN-13: 978-0349116570
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.6 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 137,167 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #8 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Protestant > Methodist

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
A Brand from the Burning weaves together the personal, theological, political and spiritual elements in the life of John Wesley to reflect the spirit of his age and the impact he had upon it. Roy Hattersley approaches writing with the same verve and commitment that marked his political career. Always one for plain talking and a brisk sense of humour, he also has a sense of proportion both about himself and the wider world. Having authored Blood and Fire, the biography of William and Catherine Booth, the Christian social reformers who founded the Salvation Army, Hattersley turns an observant and affectionate eye on John Wesley. As a Labour politician, he is naturally interested in the impact of the Methodist movement on the social and political scene of Britain. He traces Wesley's fascinating life to show how an itinerant preacher became "one of the architects of the modern world".

John Wesley's beginning in the Anglican rectory and his enthusiasm for the Christian faith at Oxford led to his becoming a missionary to the nascent colony of Georgia. There he found God in a new way and came back to preach a revivalist message across Britain. Out of this fiery movement the Methodist Church was established and it has been claimed that because of Wesley's work Britain experienced a spiritual revival rather than a bloody revolution. Roy Hattersley writes clear, straightforward prose and tells the story of Wesley with a spark of the same zeal and charisma that Wesley himself must have had. --Dwight Longenecker --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
First-class' Independent on Sunday / 'An intellectually and theologically compelling portrait' Scotland on Sunday / 'Splendid' The Times / 'An astonishing life' Literary Review.

On 9 February 1709 Epworth Rectory in Lincolnshire, home of the Rector Samuel Wesley, his wife Susanna and their growing brood of children, was burned to the ground. It was only when they counted the children that Samuel and Susanna discovered one was missing: six-year-old John. By then the flames were so fierce it was impossible for anyone to go back into the house. It isn't clear how, eventually, John managed to escape on his own but it was typical of his later strength and determination that he did. Young as he was, John Wesley firmly believed that his survival was a miracle - that he was 'a brand plucked from the burning' because God had work for him to do. He was not handsome, and his personal relationships - especially with women - were disastrous, but he had charisma, and his unwavering conviction that he had been called to do God's work drew to him increasingly big crowds, whom he gave something to live for. He was amazingly tough, often riding from early morning until late at night, stopping off to preach three or four times a day to followers who became known as Methodists. Wesley had no desire to found a separate church. At heart he was always a Church of England man, like his father, but in the end the differences between his views of the relationship between clergy and people and those of the established church became too great. By his death at the age of 85 Methodism had grown into a worldwide organization that changed the shape of society and had an incalculable effect on the development of the Industrial Revolution and Britain's imperial role. Roy Hattersley's research into Wesley's complicated story is meticulous; his view of a man who could be irritating as well as laudable is dispassionate, but often admiring. This is a serious but eminently readable biography which throws new light on the British social and religious scene. (Kirkus UK)

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35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An unbeatable biography, 19 Nov 2002
By Tom Handley (Bristol, UK) - See all my reviews
“The facts and the fables are difficult to distinguish” Hattersley notes in the opening of the second chapter of his book. But he tells the story of John Wesley’s life without losing himself in conjecture. Instead we are treated to a palatable and enlightening read, making accessible the background of one of the most influential religious leaders of the eighteenth century. The fables add spice to an already remarkable life. Hattersley spares no details for those of us that would seek to idolise, or indeed idealise, this Christian figurehead. Wesley had a way with a large number of young and vulnerable women. Ostensibly he was providing them with spiritual guidance, but others (including his irate wife) saw the situations quite differently; the ‘sex scandals’ surrounding this churchman were almost enough to discredit the Methodist movement entirely.

From humble beginnings in a holy club at Oxford, John Wesley went on to spread his interpretation of the word across the country. Covering incredible distances in a short time, Wesley brought the gospel to the poorer urban classes who were perhaps most in need of spiritual salvation – a Church more tailored to their needs. His true inspiration came not from Oxford but from his mother, whose domestic prayer meetings, held when John was a boy, had elicited such large audiences that they became considered a threat to those in power. Roy Hattersley’s utterly absorbing characterisation of the strong-willed Susanna Wesley reminded me of his similar ability in “Blood and Fire”, the biography of William and Catherine Booth. Here Hattersley takes a perhaps more difficult subject, but excels beyond his previous achievement.He binds all his facts together with a direct and engrossing style, combined with careful (but unobtrusive) documentation of his sources.

Hattersley shows us a flawed man, who nevertheless commands great respect. Anyone wishing to thoroughly understand the rise of Methodism and the context within which it emerged is likely to find great pleasure in Hattersley’s account. In fact, any reader seeking an enjoyable foray into this period could do no better than to start with this excellent biography.

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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Errors and Misleading Generalisations, 28 Aug 2005
By J. Price (London, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Lord Hattersley is an able writer, but it is unfortunate that he did not correct errors and misleading generalisations for this paperback edition. Various eighteenth-century books and authors appear in guises that make one wonder if Hattersley ever looked at the title-page of the books he alludes to. Dates of publications are rarely given, authors' names are mis-spelled (Francis Hutcheson is referred to simply as "Hutchison," and his name does not appear in the text). David Hume did not write a book called Enquiry concerning Human Nature, so it could hardly be "one of the Enlightenment's standard texts." George Cheyne wrote a book entitled An Essay of Health and Long Life (1724); Wesley may indeed in a letter to his mother have referred to it as Book of Health and Long Life, but one would like to know that it is Wesley who is wrong and not Hattersley.
There are a number of generalisations that historians of ideas in the eighteenth century would find at least puzzling, e. g., "Hume and Joseph Priestley argued that religion and science went hand in hand." Or, mentioning the nickname of Varanese that Wesley gave to Sally Kirkham, Hattersley asserts, "Wesley's circle, in common with a habit much practised by the intellectual middle classes of the time, all called each other by names associated with the classics." Maybe so; but one would like to know how Hattersley arrived at this generalisation.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars John Wesley Had Reverence For All God's Creation !, 16 Jun 2006
By Brien Comerford (Glenview, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Mr. Hattersley's comprehensive biography adeptly covered many facets of John Wesley's life and works. I was especially intersted in learning that John Wesley was a vegetarian for moral reasons. He promoted conservation stewardship and accentuated that all life is interelated and humans have a responsibility to be caretakers of God's earth. Wesley abhorred cruelty to bears, dogs, horses and all helpless animals. He lamented the fall of man and man's ensuing despotic dominion over the earth. John Wesley was a seminal environmentalist and animal advocate. He wrote the mystical "General Ressurection" sermon which envisions all of creation ascending into an idyllic afterlife tantamount to the Garden of Eden. There is no doubt that John Wesley had problems with female companions and other vexations, but it is amazing how visionary and humane he was for an 18th Century Preacher. Most importantly, I need to mention that John Wesley detested slavery. John Wesley was rife with flaws but he was also replete with compassion and a great sense of social justice and respect for life !
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshingly balanced
This was an easy biographical read. Hattersley kept a good balance betweenthe mundane facts and the spark of excitement that keeps one reading. Read more
Published on 21 April 2004 by Dr Stuart Fair

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