William Romaine: An Iron Pillar [HC]

William Romaine is a much-neglected figure of eighteenth-century Evangelicalism. This book is the first modern biography of a complex and often bittersweet character. Drawing from original and often little-known sources, Tim Shenton provides a clear, consistent, and remarkably fair portrait of Romaine and the times in which he lived. From Romaine’s early years as a student of Oxford University, to his appointment as a rector in the Church of England, to his profoundly influential ministry in London, to his numerous inspiring relationships (with such figures as John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, Lady Huntingdon and Henry Venn), to his final post at Blackfriars, the author guides the reader to a deeper understanding of the eighteenth-century evangelical scene. But this biography is more than a bare record of events. It is the story of a Christian who, though plagued by his own imperfections, was able to persevere as a shining light in a dark and confusing world.