The material in this book was originally produced for a doctorate in sociology at Lancaster University between 1998 and 2001. The author’s aim in carrying out this research project was “to challenge the widely held assumption that the forces of modernity inevitably erode the boundaries of religious community” and to “explore how the resources of the evangelical tradition are mobilised in negotiating the challenges presented by contemporary British society.” The focus of his study was one of the most prominent evangelical Anglican churches in the North-east of England, St Michael-le-Belfrey in York.

The prologue vividly and colourfully describes this sixteenth-century Anglican church from his first visit in January (1998?). After visiting that fairly standard charismatic evangelical service, he attended a “Visions” group meeting that same evening. “Visions” is a multimedia, highly visual, alternative style of worship that appeals to a small group of people with, according to their identity statement, “major interests in the visual arts, dance music, technology and Christian spirituality” (p. xxiv). Guest provided extensive details about these services in order to convey a clear impression of the range of spiritual expressions found in the two congregations of this local church.

His first chapter, “Evangelical Christianity in a Post-Christian World,” explains his methodology and utilises insights from the sociological models of, for example, Peter Berger, James Davidson Hunter, and Christian Smith. Guest is well-read in the social-science literature that covers congregational studies and the sociology of religion. He explains it clearly to readers who might not be as familiar with their insights.

His second chapter, “Growth and Change: The Evangelical Movement since the 1960s,” provides a helpful guide to some of the main people and initiatives that contributed to the development of this movement over a roughly forty-year period. Guest draws attention to some of the major changes in its emphases such as the importance of Alpha courses and the rise of organisations like CARE and Jubilee, together with the embrace of popular culture at events like the Greenbelt Festival and the emergence of alternative styles of worship designed to attract individuals unable or unwilling to associate with mainstream congregations.

After these helpful general chapters, the remainder of the book concentrates on a detailed study of the life of this particular congregation. Chapter three covers the history of this church since the arrival of David Watson and briefly analyses the type of evangelicals who attend St Michael’s. Guest uses structured interviews and detailed questionnaires to analyse the theological views of a representative number of the congregation. The chapter “Innovations at the Margins: The Post Evangelical Pathway” explores the work of “Visions” and its relationship with its parent congregation. The author also draws attention to the importance of small groups in building and maintaining the quality of community-life in this cause and then places developments at St Michael’s in the context of the influence of the wider evangelical community in which it operates.

Guest highlights that the different waves of charismatic renewal have provided challenges for the church’s unity. He provides evidence that the leadership of the congregation has had a clear strategy for handling diversity of theological opinions within their ranks, together with a surprising degree of cultural accommodation. He claims that they had deliberately emphasised unity in their public pronouncements, concentrating in sermons, for example, on uncontentious Christian themes while avoiding raising issues that might be a potential source of division. He contrasts the clearly post-evangelical “Visions” group with the more culturally and theologically conservative parent-congregation. However, he claims that the main congregation holds more liberal theological views and is open to a broader engagement and accommodation to the wider secular culture than might be deduced from the public statements of church leaders. It is a very detailed and thorough sociological study by a researcher who described himself as “a sympathetic agnostic” (pp. 153, 186).

Unfortunately, this work is frustrating at times. It appears that the author, although well-versed in evangelical historiography, has a rather rigid view of the nature of this movement, assuming that it is more uniformly conservative, traditionalist, and resistant to the wider culture. It is possible that a lack of familiarity with the changing patterns of Christian worship and the breadth of theological opinions in a typical evangelical congregation over this time period, which regular worshippers would assume, has influenced some of his judgements. Guest expresses his surprise at the presence of a “progressive worship group” and the extent of social activism in the congregation (p. xxv). Despite the fact that the congregation is composed of mainly highly educated people, he was also surprised at their “critical thinking” about a variety of issues, together with their openness to varied forms of Christian spirituality. He wrongly assumes that these developments are necessarily a capitulation to a more liberal form of Christianity. On occasions they may be evidence of a more effective engagement with the wider community and culture, but without necessarily departing from a conservative theological position.

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