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Champions of Choice and Change
Religious Dissent in Seventeenth-Century England and the Rise of Democratic Ideals in Western Society
Foreword by Robert Wilson
Imprint: Pickwick Publications
Champions of Choice and Change examines the role of seventeenth-century English dissenting religious groups and the rise of democratic ideals in western society. Many people assume that the French philosophers whose ideas and writings gave rise to the Revolution in France were the creators and initiators of the democratic theories which would shape, order, and give direction to modern Western society as it developed. This work argues otherwise, claiming that such advances--ideas related to equality, choice, political involvement, education, enabling and inclusion of women, religious liberty/toleration--occurred first, not in the secular context of late eighteenth-century Enlightenment France, but in the spiritual context of radical and/or dissenting religious groups in Stuart England over a century earlier, shaped by previous ideas of the European Reformers.
Dennis C. Bustin’s early academics focused on New Testament studies and backgrounds (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, MDiv; Harvard University, ThM), later shifting to Reformation and British/European history (Queen’s University in Kingston, ON, Canada, MA and PhD). His research concentrates on the Stuart era, particularly on dissenting religion. His book, Paradox and Perseverance (2006), examined the life and thought of Hanserd Knollys, a founder of the Particular Baptists in London. Dennis is currently associate professor of history (on leave) at Crandall University in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, where he resides with his wife Diane.
“In a day when religious freedom is at the forefront of current political concerns in Western culture, Dennis Bustin’s examination of the roots of Western democracy is indeed timely. He argues that various Christian dissenting communities played a major role in establishing a passion for liberty in the West. This provocative thesis belies a favored narrative of Western secularism—namely, that the Christian religion is intrinsically authoritarian. Read it and judge for yourself! Highly recommended.”
—Michael A. G. Haykin, Chair and Professor of Church History, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“Champions of Choice and Change is a thoughtful and engaging work very deeply indebted to Bustin’s comprehensive research and discerning mind. He clearly shows that many of the roots of democracy that modern secular nations highly value—liberty, equality for both men and women, and religious toleration—have religious roots in the ‘dissenting’ Christian groups of seventeenth-century England. From George Fox’s view that equality results from human beings made in the image of God to Katherine Sutton’s prophetic writings, Bustin provides compelling evidence for his thesis in this well-crafted, lucid study.”
—Stephen G. Dempster, Professor of Religious Studies, Crandall University
“Dissenters from the Church of England were pioneers of religious liberty. They championed principles and practices that advanced education, equality, and individualism, in many cases wanting to extend freedom to Jews and women. Here Dennis Bustin makes out the case that the roots of democratic values in the modern world are to be found before the eighteenth-century Enlightenment in the Nonconformity of the seventeenth century.”
—David Bebbington, Professor emeritus of History, University of Stirling
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