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 PrintableVersion The lady church planterSelina, Countess of HuntingdonPassionate and seriousTHE LADY CHURCH PLANTER This biography looks not just at the life and ministry of one of the major 18th-century revival leaders, but also at the influence of the Countess on the Church of England, the Free Churches and English society as a whole. Harding pays particular attention to the Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion group of churches, which still exists today. He published a monograph on this in 2003. This well-written, concise book is half the size of Faith Cook’s biography written in 2001. Unlike many biographies, Harding sets Selina’s life and work in historical context, with brief chapters on the English church in the 18th century and on the evangelical revival. This is very helpful, and I would advocate other biographers similarly putting their subject in context. Harding sums up Selina prior to her conversion as ‘a passionate individual’ with ‘a serious and religious side of her character’. In 1739, ‘her conversion came as the climax of a period of reflection and preparation’. Selina was widowed in 1746. Harding speaks briefly of her relationships with her children, whom she outlived. After her conversion, Selina worshipped with the Moravians, and was attracted to the later mystical writings of William Law. She then became a supporter of John and Charles Wesley, initially rejecting Whitefield’s arguments for predestination. Harding regrets the premature death of Philip Doddridge in 1751, which deprived Selina of someone who would have been able to give her wise counsel concerning the future. Selina invited many of her aristocratic friends to hear the gospel preached by Whitefield and other evangelicals. It seems, according to Harding, that Selina’s religious zeal and her ‘eccentricities’ were counter-productive in her witnessing, despite her invitees’ appreciation of Whitefield’s oratory. Selina not only became a moderate Calvinist, but, from 1748 onwards, she began to be distrustful of John Wesley, after their earlier closeness. They did work together until 1770 when, with the publication of the Methodist Conference minutes, Calvinists and Arminians split into rival camps. John Wesley thought Selina was ‘dictatorial’. Both, in fact, ran their church connections autocratically till their deaths in 1791. However, Selina was friendly with Charles Wesley and his wife. Harding’s book is particularly helpful in his evaluation of the Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion, which was a tenth of the size of Wesleyan Methodism, but had 60 churches in 1791, mainly in areas where there was no other evangelical ministry. He also has useful comments on Selina’s college for training preachers at Trevecca, and then at Cheshunt. Harding deduces valuable lessons for today on church planting, itinerant and pastoral ministry, organising preachers and church finances, and on ministerial training, which are both academic and practical. Though he is an Anglican clergyman, Harding understands how Free Churches operate. The author may be too critical of Selina’s character in places, but what he says is plausible, and would challenge us about our old natures. Faith Cook gives us more information about the Countess herself. I recommend Harding’s book for all Christian readers. David Hilton,
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