Men of One Book (eBook)

'...[A] cogent, lucid and eirenic book...' Martin Wellings, Wesley and Methodist Studies, Vol. 5, 2013. '...What is refreshing about this work is its utter objectivity. The ministries of Whitefield and Wesley are carefully compared, but without using the comparison to promote the one or the other's theological distinctives...[...] ...[Men of One Book] helps us to appreciate both the evangelists in a better way, to understand their differences of approach, but also to rejoice in their many glorious similarities. Both were men of one book and both taught total depravity, justification by faith and the necessity of the new birth...' Pastor Peter Simpson, British Church Newspaper, November 2012. '...Maddock produces a text that works on a scholarly level, as well as providing helpful insights as to how both characters engaged with Scripture...' Stephen Skuce, MET Connexion, 2013'a thorough and helpful investigation. [...] this is an eirenic and thoughtful study, drawing together a considerable body of material, and its author may be well satisfied with the result.'Martin Wellings, Ecclesiology: The Journal for Ministry, Mission and Unity, September 2013 'Men of One Book is a valuable contribution to both Wesley and Whitefieldian studies. The author strikes a fair balance in his evaluations, emphasizing points of similarity between his subjects, while also carefully demonstrating nuances and divergences in their respective theologies and practices. He is careful to avoid polarizing ideology and remains objective in his comparisons. This book will be of particular value to those interested in eighteenth-century church reform, homiletics, and doctrine.'Isaac N. Hopper, Reviews in Religion & Theology, Volume 20, Issue 4, September 2013'Ian Maddock here offers another analysis of their ministry as preachers, seeking to identify commonalities without obscuring the differences.'Andrew Atherstone, Journal of Theological Studies, Vol. 64, No 2, October 2013"A thorough and accessible work, with excellent use of sources [...] This is an important study in bringing a much-needed comparison of two of the most significant preachers in the history of the Church. It is rare that a writer treats both figures with equal measure, criticism and honour." Aaron Edwards, University of Aberdeen, in Theological Book Review (tbr), Vol. 25, No.1, 2013"...Maddock attempts to move beyond the 'polarized and partisan' (p. 2) nature of much of the historical writing on the more obvious personality and theological differences that set them apart... Through a discussion of their itinerant ministries, and an examination of their attidudes towards the Bible in their printed sermons, Maddock sees many commonalities..." David Ceri Jones, Proceedings of the Wesley Historical Society, Volume 59 Part 5"John Wesley and George Whitefield are often contrasted with each other as opponents. Ian Maddok argues in Men of One Book that the two had more in common than is usually thought, especially in their desire to live by scripture."Henry Wansbrough, Church Times 15 August 2014"...the breadth of resources consulted within this volume make it an excellent launching point for further investigation of both men and their respective legacies. This book serves as an excellent introduction to eighteenth-century Evangelical bibliology, and, as such, it is an ideal resource for historians, theologians, and preachers."Thomas Breimaier, The Expository Times, 126.12, September 2015