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Studies in English Dissent

The rich heritage of Non-conformity

STUDIES IN ENGLISH DISSENT
By Dr. Geoffrey F. Nuttall
Quinta Press. 362 pages. £30.00
ISBN 1 897856 14 8

Dr. Geoffrey Nuttall (now in his 90s) is the doyen of Non-conformist historians. This collection of 16 essays, originally published in journals or as pamphlets, makes available material not easily accessible outside academic libraries.

He ranges over the Non-conformity of the 16th and 17th centuries; examines Puritan and Quaker mysticism; probes the origins of Hyper-Calvinism, or, as he would prefer to say, High Calvinism. Institutions, creeds and Christian experience all come in for a penetrating examination. Dr. Nuttall has been a meticulous researcher and shows great skill in travelling along the networks which link men and institutions. The last lecture, on the Library of New College, London, may at first seem to be little more than a catalogue, but it yields important information about the books which have influenced students and their teachers over the last 300 years. If that address appears dry, his Christocentric essay 'The Heart of The Pilgrim's Progress' certainly is not.

Geoffrey Nuttall is a Congregationalist, later serving the United Reformed Church. He is, however, at home with the history of Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists and Quakers. One could wish for a greater doctrinal robustness. The author knows the difference between Calvinism and Arminianism, but is wary of creeds. While he shows sympathy for evangelicals and men of the revivals, he stands back from them and endorses an ecumenism that sits lightly to the demands of subscription to firm doctrinal statements.

There are places where his conclusions have been questioned and he readily admits that further knowledge has led to the questioning of some conclusions. That said, this book is an important resource for anyone interested in the history of Dissent. There are many places where he opens up the way for further enquiry. Dr. Nuttall has raised issues important not only for historians but also for all who are concerned to understand and to build on the rich heritage that Non-conformity has brought to the religious life of this country.

Robert W. Oliver,
co-pastor of the Old Baptist Chapel, Bradford on Avon, and Lecturer in Church History, London Theological Seminary