Crisis of Doubt: Honest Faith in Nineteenth-Century EnglandThe Victorian crisis of faith has dominated discussions of religion and the Victorians. Stories are frequently told of prominent Victorians such as George Eliot losing their faith. This crisis is presented as demonstrating the intellectual weakness of Christianity as it was assaulted by new lines of thought such as Darwinism and biblical criticism. This study serves as a corrective to that narrative. It focuses on freethinking and Secularist leaders who came to faith. As sceptics, they had imbibed all the latest ideas that seemed to undermine faith; nevertheless, they went on to experience a crisis of doubt, and then to defend in their writings and lectures the intellectual cogency of Christianity. The Victorian crisis of doubt was surprisingly large. Telling this story serves to restore its true proportion and to reveal the intellectual strength of faith in the nineteenth century. |
Contents
1 Crisis of Faith | 1 |
2 William Hone | 18 |
3 Frederic Rowland Young | 50 |
4 Thomas Cooper | 72 |
5 John Henry Gordon | 109 |
6 Joseph Barker | 136 |
7 John Bagnall Bebbington | 173 |
Other editions - View all
Crisis of Doubt: Honest Faith in Nineteenth-Century England Timothy Larsen No preview available - 2006 |
Crisis of Doubt: Honest Faith in Nineteenth-century England Timothy Larsen No preview available - 2008 |
Common terms and phrases
appeared argument atheist attack Barker Bebbington became become believe Bible Bradlaugh called cause century Charles Christ Christian church claimed conversion Cooper crisis criticism debate discussion divine doctrine doubt England evangelical evidence example existence fact faith figures freethinking freethought gave George give given Gordon Gospel hand Henry Holyoake Hone Hone’s human Ibid intellectual issue Jesus John Joseph Barker journal kind later leaders leading learned lectures letter living London meeting mind minister moral move movement nature never offered once Origin orthodox period person political popular position present Press published radical Reasoner reconvert referred regarding religion religious Review Robert sceptical Science Secular Secularist Sexton social Society Spiritualism statement story telling Testament theme things thinking Thomas Cooper thought true truth Unitarian University Victorian views whole writings wrote Young