Exporting the Rapture
John Nelson Darby and the Victorian Conquest of North-American Evangelicalism
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Published:25th Oct '18
Should be back in stock very soon
Apocalyptic millennialism is one of the most powerful strands in evangelical Christianity. It is not a single belief, but across many powerful evangelical groups there is general adhesion to faith in the physical return of Jesus in the Second Coming, the affirmation of a Rapture heavenward of "saved" believers, a millennium of peace under the rule of Jesus and his saints and, eventually, a final judgement and entry into deep eternity. In Discovering the End of Time (2016) Donald Harman Akenson traced the emergence of the primary packaging of modern apocalyptic millennialism back to southern Ireland in the 1820s and '30s. In Exporting the Rapture, he documents for the first time how the complex theological construction that has come to dominate modern evangelical thought was enhulled in an organizational system that made it exportable from the British Isles to North America-- and subsequently around the world. A key figure in this process was John Nelson Darby who was at first a formative influence on evangelical apocalypticism in Ireland; then the volatile central figure in Brethren apocalypticism throughout the British Isles; and also a crusty but ultimately very successful missionary to the United States and Canada. Akenson emphasizes that, as strong a personality as John Nelson Darby was, the real story is that he became a vector for the transmission of a terrifically complex and highly seductive ideological system from the old world to the new. So beguiling, adaptable, and compelling was the new Dispensational system that Darby injected into North-American evangelicalism that it continued to spread logarithmically after his death. By the 1920s, the system had become the doctrinal template of the fundamentalist branch of North-American evangelicalism and the distinguishing characteristic of the bestselling Scofield Bible.
Recommended. * CHOICE *
Akenson's engaging style and appreciation of human foibles make the story come alive. It helps that there is an interesting story to tell and a fascinating, if not always attractive, cast of characters. * Andrew R. Holmes, Queen's University, Belfast, American Historical Review *
Akenson's provocative portrayal of both John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren gives readers much to chew on concerning the sociological and cultic aspects of particular denominational histories and the power politics that drive those histories. Celebrity and power combine into a lethal combination that shape the life of organizations. Akenson reminds organizations to be aware of their possible need to curb their organizers. * Joseph T. Cochran, Presbyterion: Covenant Seminary Review *
This captivating study explores the takeover and mobilization of radical Protestants who embraced John Nelson Darby's dispensational reading of the Bible and a novel doctrine of a secret-Rapture. With vivid language and erudite analysis, Akenson succeeds in making the movement's ecclesiology as fascinating as its eschatology, disclosing the machinations that created a global network and transformed 19th-century evangelicalism. To grasp the mindset and tactics of today's evangelicals, read this book. * Phyllis D. Airhart, Professor of the History of Christianity, Emmanuel College, University of Toronto *
A brilliant, deeply original study of transatlantic religious history. Akenson reveals the complex dynamics and roots of North-American evangelicalism, and he does so in a manner that is both compelling and magnificently erudite. A major work on a major topic. * Richard English, Professor of Politics, Queen's University Belfast *
Focusing on the premillennial dispensationalism of John Nelson Darby, Akenson presents a radical reappraisal of American apocalyptical evangelicalism, from its origins in Ireland to its entry through Canada to the northern states of the USA. This is revisionist history in the best sense of the term. No one will ever see American fundamentalism in quite the same way again. * David A. Wilson, Professor of Celtic Studies and History, University of Toronto, and General Editor of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography *
ISBN: 9780190882709
Dimensions: 152mm x 239mm x 38mm
Weight: 839g
520 pages