"Pedlar in Divinity": George Whitefield and the Transatlantic Revivals, 1737-1770 by Frank Lambert (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 291 real allegiance among Catholics of differing social degrees and the manner in which Catholic loyalties shifted through the century. There follows a thoughtful consideration of the impact of the Relief Act and other measures oftoleration in 1 778 and 1780, and the popular opposition to toleration expressed, not only in the Gordon Riots in London, but all over the country, emphasizing the continuing importance and centrality ofreligious issues in both central and local politics. Dr. Haydon offers insights from a wide range offorms ofhistorical inquiry— social, political, religious, ecclesiastical, literary, and local history. He draws together people and events which have hitherto been studied as discrete entities—from John Locke to Walter Wyatt, a farmer of Brailes, from bonfires in Brecon to the policies of Lord Rockingham and Edmund Bruce—with the result that we approach more closely to the complex elements of social and political change. The text is well produced and has the luxury of footnotes as opposed to endnotes. The illustrations are an important part of the argument, but their impact is reduced by being placed all together in the center pages, and having poor definition. This is a coherent, readable and thoroughly researched work. Fresh material, especially that relating to local affairs, makes an important contribution to our understanding of the period. It will be regrettable if it is marginalized by being deemed to relate only to a small minority of the population. Dr. Haydon more than justifies his claim that anti-Catholicism was an integral part of the whole culture of eighteenth-century England. Marie B. Rowlands University of Wolverhampton, Dudley Campus "Pedlar in Divinity": George Whitefleld and the Transatlantic Revivals, 1737—1770. By Frank Lambert. (Princeton: Princeton University Press. 1994. Pp. xii, 238.) This is a masterful study of the evangelist George Whitefleld, one of the most popular and influential religious figures ofthe eighteenth century. Preaching to thousands ofconverts in his native land of England as well as in Scotland and America, Whitefleld became one of the best known religious celebrities of his era. According to Lambert, his meteoric rise to fame was the result of his success at "peddling" his beliefs from the pulpit and press. Ironically, Whitefleld condemned the excesses of consumer society, but he also embraced the strategies of mass marketing in order to communicate his beliefs to a transatlantic audience. 292 BOOK REVIEWS Lambert argues that Whitefield was profoundly shaped by eighteenthcentury consumer culture. He often used commercial language and imagery in his sermons, portraying salvation as a "bargain" or "investment" that sinners could not afford to ignore (p. 48). Taking advantage of advances in print technology, he also used newspapers and magazines to publicize his beliefs to as large an audience as possible. In one of the most important insights of this book, Lambert stresses the role of the press in creating an intercolonial evangelical identity. Scholars have tended to focus on Whitefield's power as an orator, but Lambert points out that he used the printed page as well as the spoken word to foster a "Great Awakening" that linked diverse men and women together in a common culture. Through the press, Whitefield advertised his meetings and transformed his life into a "commodity" for sale. Lambert carefully charts Whitefield's use of commercial strategies, but he is careful to stress his religious rather than secular motivations. Because Whitefield gave away most of the money he earned to charities and educational institutions, he never became wealthy through his success at "selling" God. Even though he used the "language of goods" to appeal to his audience, he never stopped identifying the luxury and wealth of an expanding economy as one of the greatest dangers to Christianity. In a fascinating epilogue, Lambert argues that Whitefield—rather than Charles Finney—deserves recognition as the father of modern mass evangelism . Men such as Finney and Dwight Moody were Whitefield's heirs; just as Whitefield had exploited the press, they manipulated nineteenth-century technological advances in order to popularize the doctrines of evangelical Christianity. In its central line of interpretation, this book echoes Harry Stout's recent study, The Divine Dramatist: George Whitefield and the Rise of Modern Evangelicalism (Grand Rapids...