Divine Healing - by James Robinson (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

In the present volume James Robinson completes his trilogy, which deals with the history of divine healing in the period 1906-1930. The first volume is a study of the years 1830-1890, and was hailed as ""a standard reference for years to come."" The second book covers the years 1890-1906, and was acclaimed as ""a monumental achievement"" that combines ""careful historical scholarship and a high degree of accessibility."" This volume completes the study up to the early 1930s and, like the other two works, has a transatlantic frame of reference. Though the book gives prominence to the theology and practice of divine healing in early Pentecostalism, it also discusses two other models of healing, the therapeutic and sacramental, promoted within sections of British and American Anglicanism. Some otherwise rigorous Fundamentalists were also prepared to practice divine healing. The text contributes more widely to medical and sociocultural histories, exemplified in the rise of psychotherapy and the cultural shift referred to as the Jazz Age of the 1920s. The book concludes by discussing the major role that divine healing plays in the present rapid growth of global Christianity.

Review Quotes

""Robinson's work is intriguing and insightful. . . . Tracing connections between historical figures and those they influenced in such a way that historical roots shed light on current ideas and practices."" --Craig Keener, Professor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary, Kentucky ""A good read crammed with larger than life characters brought vividly to life, Robinson's account . . . is masterly."" --Andrew Walker, Emeritus Professor of Theology, Culture, and Education, King's College, UK ""Scholars of Christianity will welcome this final installment in James Robinson's comprehensive history of the transatlantic divine healing movement. By elucidating the integral connections between divine healing and the emerging pentecostal movement from 1906 -1930, Robinson sheds light on the theologies and practices that contributed to the remarkable growth of spirit-filled forms of faith around the globe over the course of the twentieth century. This book is a valuable contribution to an increasingly important subject."" --Heather D. Curtis, Associate Professor Department of Religion, Core Faculty American Studies and International Relations, Tufts University, Massachusetts ""Lively, scholarly and genuinely interesting. This fine book fills gaps in our knowledge of healing movements on both sides of the Atlantic. The accounts of George Jeffreys and Smith Wigglesworth are absorbing and enriched by fresh material."" --William K Kay, Professor of Pentecostal Studies, University of Chester, UK

About the Author

James Robinson was awarded his doctorate from the Queen's University Belfast. He is the author of Pentecostal Origins: Early Pentecostalism in Ireland in the Context of the British Isles (2005), and the present trilogy on divine healing.