David Ceri Jones

Ceri Jones has written a great introduction to the growth of evangelicalism in the British Isles and north America in the eighteenth century. All of the key players are touched upon, including John Wesley, Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and members of the Clapham Sect. Ceri Jones manages to share the key turning points in evangelicalism's growth, while also managing to touch upon key developments which took place in the 'Celtic fringe' and their impact upon evangelicalism in England (a perfect example being the influence of Griffith Jones of Llanddowror, Carmarthenshire upon Robert Raikes' founding of Sunday schools in Gloucestershire. Jones' efforts had educated around 200,000 men, women, and children in how to read the Bible in Welsh, and led to Raikes' inspiring efforts in Gloucestershire, which was the catalyst for the spread of Sunday schools across the British Isles). Other little nuggets which would please any of the QI elves include the mention of recent acoustical research into Benjamin Franklin's experiments on George Whitefield and his ability to share the gospel with over 30,000 listeners, as well as fascinating insight in to the variable responses by evangelicals to slavery in the southern states of the American colonies. Ceri Jones manages to strike a discerning balance when discussing the reliability of accounts about revival, while never bordering into an unhealthy scepticism about God's ability to make real change in people's hearts on an impressive scale.… (more)