God's Empire
Religion and Colonialism in the British World, c.1801–1908

This wide-ranging study explores major debates in the history of the colonial missionary movement during the second British empire.

Hilary M. Carey (Author)

9780521194105, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 6 January 2011

446 pages, 1 b/w illus. 6 maps 26 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 2.5 cm, 0.76 kg

'Hilary Carey has fashioned a pathbreaking narrative of the complex history of British Christianity in the settler colonies. Notable for its breadth, God's Empire provides an accomplished comparative and statistical analysis of the work of every major British denomination along with a valuable account of the colonial work of the English Benedictines. It will be of special interest to historians of religion and colonial history alike.' Jeffrey L. Cox, Professor of History, University of Iowa

In God's Empire, Hilary M. Carey charts Britain's nineteenth-century transformation from Protestant nation to free Christian empire through the history of the colonial missionary movement. This wide-ranging reassessment of the religious character of the second British empire provides a clear account of the promotional strategies of the major churches and church parties which worked to plant settler Christianity in British domains. Based on extensive use of original archival and rare published sources, the author explores major debates such as the relationship between religion and colonization, church-state relations, Irish Catholics in the empire, the impact of the Scottish Disruption on colonial Presbyterianism, competition between Evangelicals and other Anglicans in the colonies, and between British and American strands of Methodism in British North America.

Part I. God's Empire: 1. Colonialism, colonization and Greater Britain
2. Protestant nation to Christian Empire, 1801–1908
Part II. Colonial Missions: Introduction: colonial mission
3. Anglicans
4. Catholics
5. Evangelical Anglicans
6. Nonconformists
7. Presbyterians
Part III. Colonial Clergy: 8. Clergy
9. St Augustine's College, Canterbury
10. Missionary College of All Hallows, Drumcondra (Dublin)
Part IV. Promised Lands: Introduction: emigrants and colonists
11. Christian colonization and its critics
12. Colonies
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: History of religion [HRAX], Colonialism & imperialism [HBTQ], Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900 [HBLL], British & Irish history [HBJD1]