The Lord’s Watchman

"For a time, Edward Irving enjoyed something like rock-star status in early Victorian London. Handsome, articulate, and an accomplished preacher, he dazzled London's fashionable society with his rhetorical flourishes and set in motion one of the most interesting and influential denominations of the entire nineteenth century. Yet Irving has always remained something of a mystery to admirers and biographers alike. Tim Grass has provided a unique book that is part biography and part thematic study of Irving's thought, broadly considered. Articulate, clear, and comprehensive, it moves us closer then ever before to comprehending one of the most unique personalities of a celebrated period of English religious life."

Grayson Carter, Fuller Theological Seminary, California



"Here is an account of this enigmatic and perhaps infuriating figure that is both engaging and rigorous, that avoids both uncritical praise and dismissive rejection, that is both sympathetic and judicious, historically thorough and theologically perceptive, building on the work of others but constantly returning to primary sources, familiar with received assessment but prepared to question such and to propose fresh evaluation. For the contemporary church this excellent account offers the possibility of listening intently to the past and thereby, perhaps, avoiding the repetition of its follies."

John E. Colwell, formerly at Spurgeon's College, London



"Grass has provided us with a meticulously researched, highly readable volume that highlights aspects that are central to understanding Irving but have often been overlooked, such as the content of his preaching and his intense pastoral focus. Irving's strengths and weaknesses are shown fairly. Edward Irving has long deserved a new and definitive biography. Tim Grass has now supplied this need, and Irving studies will no doubt flourish further as a result."

Peter Elliott, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia