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The Decline of Methodism D. S. Turner -VII , Department of Social

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The Decline of Methodism D. S. Turner -VII , Department of Social The Decline of Methodism an analysis of religious commitment and organisation A thesis presented in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy. by uni 4ý D. S. Turner -VII , Department of Social Studies University of Leeds. 1970 This thesis is dedicated to nr wife. 4 rs r; t. Table of Contents er Preface Part 1: ReliPious Commitment 1. Contemporary Problems in Sociology of Religion - reasons for the research. Pages 1. - 13. 2. A Definition of Religion and Religious Commitment. Pages 14.. - 42. 3. Methodology of the Research. Tables 3: 1 - 3: 16 Pages 43. - 82. 4. Religious Belief. Tables 431 - 4: 9 Pages 83. - 112. 5. Religious Practice - from Virtuoso to Mass Religion. Tables 5: 1 - 5: 8 Pages 113. - 143. 6. Religious Experience. Tables 6: 1. - 6: 8. Pages 144. - 177. Part 21 Religious Organization 7. Theories of Religious Organizations. Pages 178. - 205. 8. Recruitment - Socialization and Conversion. Tables 8: 1 - 8: 16. Pages 206. - 239 9. Ecumenism - Discord in Modern Methodism Pages 240. - 261. 10. Size of Church and Religious Commitment. Tables 10: 1 - 10: 12 Pages 262. - 197" Part 3: Comparison and Conclusion 11. The Herberg Thesis in Cross-cultural Perspective. 8 Tables 110 1 -'11: Pages 298. - 326. 12. The Decline of Methodism - Conclusion. Pages 327. - 347. Appendix 1. Questionnaire and Follow-up Letters. Pages 348. - 378. Appendix 2. Bibliography. Pages 379. - 391. i Preface Samuel Johnson once said of literature "It is amazing how little there is in the world". Like any aphorism worth of recall, Johnson's complaint contains both a great measure of truth and of falsity. The truth of Johnson's amazement must be a very common experience of the sociological researcher and it has certainly been a problem to plague the research I have carried out over the last four years. One is continually working with assumptions and hypotheses for whic3g there are insufficient data: questions remain unanswered, theories, unproven. Historical, sociological, contemporary evidence is frequently narrow, suspect or partially relevant to the problems at hand. The aphorism, when applied to the field of the sociology of religion, is also largely false. A deceptively simple question about the strength of the Methodist Church in England leads to questions of ever increasing complexity about the historical development of Methodism, about British society, about religion in the social structure, about the nature of man and his place in the universe. A simple question leads to a broad horizon of problems and uncertainties. The contrast between the researcher's limited, specialized knowledge and his faulty skills and the vastness of the subject matter creates, at best, humility, at worst, a crippling doubt. ii As a result of this disquieting complexity and richness, the sociologist who probably started research with clear-cut definitions of his role finds himself not only "fallen among secular theologians" - as David Martin has observed - but fallen among historians, economists, philoso- phers, methodologists and logicians. The interaction of these specialisms is 'both exciting and threatening. The subject matter of sociology becomes blurred and the sociologist's self-conception indistinct. He finds himself relying on the knowledge and data of other specialists in other disciplines. The danger is that his performance in these other domains may be less than amateurish. It is to be'expected, therefore, that the theologian will complain that my account of Wesleyan theology has condensed a multitude of dogmatic subtelties; the historian, that my treatment of ecclesiastical and social history is cavalier. My defence must be that I have at least listened attentively to their com- plaints; that I am neither theologian nor historian and that my intentions have lain elsewhere. - The implicit subject of the thesis is the problem of religion in a modern, industrial society. Given the nature of my data, the explicit subject is the decline of the Wesleyan ethos and the decline of the' Methodist Church. In addition, I have attempted to compare Methodism in England and America. The analysis of the decline of Methodism is conducted at two iii theoretical levels. In part one of the thesis, the first theoretical level is that of the`. social actor and is concerned with the nature of religious belief, practice and experience. In this case, religious decline is conceived as a departure from the early standards of Method- ism. In part two ofthe thesis, the second theoretical level-is that, of social organization. - At this level attention'switches to the. ` organisational problems of recruitment and ecumenicalism. One aspect of organizational decline is the failure to recruit new members and the inability to integrate splinter groups, which emerge. "either'in op- position to or-in. support of ecumenicalism. The final part of the- thesis Methodism in America compares contemporary , and-Britain and provides concluding discussion of"the decline of Methodism., Fortunately, the lone sociologist in`the domain of-research problems and uncertainties is a myth. He has both mentors and fellow travellors. In my research, I am heavily indebted to my supervisors, Dr. A. P. M. Coxon and Mr. R. Towler for their guidance, interest and encouragement. Chapters 2,5 and 9 have benefitted from enjoyable collaboration with Mr. M. Hill. I am grateful to Mr. B. Foster, Mr. R. Stark, Dr. J. Kent and Dr. T. Ling for their comments on and criticism of early drafts of the thesis. For their permission to study Methodism in Leeds and their full support of the research, I am indebted to Revs. W. Walker Lee, John Banks and J. M. Turner. My colleagues and students at Aberdeen have made an unwitting, but significant contribution iv kiýý to. the-last stages of-the thesis. My deepest appreciation is for my. wife's-patience and sanity. sr Finally, important"sections of the thesis have lappe'ared in B. Turner "Institutional`Fersistence and Ecumenicalism. in Northern Methodism" in D, 'Martin"(ed. ) A Sociological Yearbook'öf Religion in Britain, 2,1969; M. Hill and B. Turner "The Laity and Church Unity", New Christian, °93,1969; B. Turner, "Belief, Ritual:: and-,, Experience: the case of Methodism", Social Compass, 26,1969. Other aspects of the research are to appear in B. Turner "Diacord in Modern Methodism", Proceedings of the Wesley Historical Society, 38,1970; M. Hill and B. Turner "John Wesley and the Origins and Decline of Ascetic Devotionalism" in M. Hill (ed. ) A Sociological Yearbook'of Religion in Britain (forthcoming). 'a - ýý. ,. i ý. 'ýý y v .w e . _ .. r. tý ' ... ý, ý ;- Errata f" ý1 s - r°r Preface .., ýýr. ý;ýý p. " i. "worth"" worthy p. ii,. "subtelties" °-'" subtleties", " P. vii. "denominätlonanal" denominational p. vii. "ineficiency" inefficiency Chapter 1. (Am. p. 1 "chequered" - checkered sp. in Glock) X p. 3 "unproblematic" - unproblematic :r1 p. 6 "familialism" - "familialism" p. 7 "(auasociologist)" - (qua sociologist) p. 9 "if" - is Chapter 2. p. 9 "soziologei" - soziologie p. 14 "though",. - thought p. 17 "!ulitmatereality" ultimate reality p. as - ., P. 1ä "proceeding". - preceding, P. 18 "As" - as p. 21 "permissable" - permissible p. 21 "faiclited" - facilitated p. 21 "ex aple" - example gi ý. p. 22 "twoards" - towards' p. 22 "experiences" experience p; 22 "Belief" belief' p. 26 "compreshensive" comprehensive p: 30 "unchangin" = unchanging p: 30 "Buddihms"' = Buddhism Po 38 "werecollected". = were collected "wolliness" p. - 40 - woolliness "boudarics"' p. 42 - boundaries Chapter 3. P. 44' "ofr" for P. 47 "haveing" = having P. 47 "sixe"` = size. " Pe 52 "difinitions" = definitions P" 53 "n'ture" nature p. 55 "divices" devices P. 57 "to" '- too p. 60 "survey" = surveys' '62 p. "compormise" compromise Charter--4. p. 84 insert="emphasize" 84 p. "reaced" reacted p. 85"romoved" removed 7 86" "In" r; ' . in p. 92 "Wedley'. s" Wesley's P. 93 "workd" - works P. 93 "though" thought p. 95 "other-worldy'! -° - other-wordly 95 "meanint" p. fi - meaning p. 96 'competative" competitive '! p. 101 "Thomson" Thompson } Chapter 5. p. 113 delete "and" 113 p. "eithical"° - ethical. - p. 114 "alter", - altar p. 116 "sines". - sine 5., P!. 117 "apirit" spirit "on"- p. 126 Aº only 128 "indicater" - indicator P. 128 "followship".. fellowship 132 P. "strengtened" - strengthened 133 "arguement" P. - argument P. 134 "fabour" - favour vnapZer o. $'n .,.. , P. 144 "Whitfield" Whitefield p. 144 ?'Whit" V5hitefield 145 P. "especially" - especially 7' 146 divergence p. delete"The of theology". -.r;.;.. P., 146 "freedome"- freedom 147 "onaa." P.. on. a , p. 147 "exhuberant" - exuberant p. 150 "connextion" - connection p. 152 "expertions" - exertions p; 153'- "weare - we are p. 154 "examine' - examining "extravagent" p. ° 156 extravagant p., 157 "Lord' "- Lord's P"° 157 "see" sea, p. 159 "artillery" - artillery p; 161' "compex-'r' - complex P.. 163 "disappeardd" - disappeared p. 165. "exhuberant" - exuberant p. 167 "more" - mere: p. 167 "could" - soul p. 169 "Ecupmenicalism". - Ecumenicalism Chapter 7. p. 179 "Chamerlayne" - Chamberlayne p. 181 "would supported" - would have supported p. 188 "symetrical" - symmetrical p. 190 "basic" - basic X p. 191 "anon way" - a one-way ý(" p 192 "are" - as p. 192 "speical" - special P. 193 "donomination" - denomination p. 197 'after "Methodists" insert "saw the merger of Primitive, United and Wesleyan Methodists" Pý 199 between conflict centralization" insert "over" p. 202 "they" the' Chapter 8. p. 210 delete "first" p. 213 "is" - in 214 "Churc" X p. - Church p. 216 "borken" - broken "aesurnace" p. 219 - assurance "Toughton" p. 220 - Stoughton p. 220 "Hagrer" - Harper Chapter 9. p. 244 "alters" - altars p. 245 after first sentence of first paragraph insert "Since the Fellowship favoured unity with Anglicanism, it had little to protest against and the Fellowship supported other groups working for unity. In fact the Fellowship saw unity as a far broader objective than re-union with the Church of England". p. 249 "strenghtened" - strengthened p. 253 "Nn" NLC p.
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