VICTORIAN NONCONFORMITY
By David W. Bebbington
The Lutterworth Press. 70 pages. £15.00
ISBN 978 0 7188 9269 2
This book, a revised version of one published in 1992, is an over-all picture of Victorian Nonconformity. It will enlighten those who know nothing about it, and delight those who thought they did.
The Victorian Free Churches provided a vibrant and growing Christian counter-culture. The ‘Nonconformist Conscience’ was a force to be reckoned with in politics. Yet Nonconformity has had a bad press, affected by inaccurate stereotypes portrayed by Matthew Arnold and Charles Dickens. No one is better equipped to present an accurate picture than Professor Bebbington, who is the greatest living authority on the subject.
Nonconformists were those who dissociated themselves from the CofE recognised by the state. Earlier, they had been called ‘Dissenters’, and by the end of the 19th century were often called ‘Free Churches’. The author gives a helpful survey of the various types of Nonconformists (and their sub-divisions), traces their development from the 17th century and suggests reasons for their incipient decline by the end of the 19th century. Most, apart from the Unitarians, were strongly evangelical, judged by Professor Bebbington’s famous four-fold test — profession of conversion, activism in Christian service, a love for the Bible and an emphasis on the atoning work of Christ on the cross. This account is full of fascinating details and heart-warming illustrations. It is a pity that the price has to be as high as £15.00, as this seems likely to limit the numbers of purchasers.
