The eighteenth century is often mischaracterized as a time of widespread religious apathy. Modern scholarship has also challenged as simplistic—though not without foundation—the concept of an ‘Age of Enlightenment’ when reason supplanted faith. It was an age of deep political division between Whigs and Tories, underpinned by differences over religion and the royal succession. While the Whigs gradually became dominant, Wesley remained instinctively Tory. Britain was overwhelmingly Protestant, with established churches in England, Scotland and Wales. There was considerable hostility to Catholics, but Protestant Dissenters were tolerated. The presbyterian Church of Scotland was prey to secession; in Wales the weak Established Church was enlivened by an evangelical movement. It was an age of moral and social improvement, seen in a plethora of charitable foundations, and organized efforts to encourage agricultural and industrial advances. The end of censorship led to a vibrant popular print culture. Economic developments included an expanding consumer economy served by improved transport systems, including the turnpike roads which facilitated the travels of Wesley and his preachers. While many enjoyed higher living standards there was also social dislocation, including internal migration, but the Church of England and—within it—Methodism sought to meet spiritual and social needs.
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Gibson, William
Department of History, Philosophy and Culture
Year of publication: 2023Date of RADAR deposit: 2022-03-23
This is the accepted manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in The Routledge Companion to John Wesley [ISBN: 9780367471675] / edited by Clive Murray Norris, Joseph W. Cunningham (Routledge, 2023) on 1 Aug. 2023, available online: https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-John-Wesley/Norris-Cunningham/p/book/9780367471675.