From small beginnings in the early 1970s, Alpha, a course in basic Christianity, has grown to become a global success. This thesis is the first comprehensive qualitative study of social science to evaluate the course. Adopting the method of participant observation the dissertation focuses upon six Alpha courses in various denominational contexts. The ethnographic material that ensues is augmented by interviews and analysis of the organisation's publications. The thesis begins with the official rhetoric of Alpha's progenitors, followed by the literature review and an outline in Chapter 4 of the author's sociological methodology. The first aim of the thesis is then evaluated in Chapter 5 which is to compare and contrast the actual experience of Alpha by participants with the official version. While the courses I researched showed a surprising level of conformity to the "Alpha recipe' , there were significant fall-outs in the small group discussion. Chapter 6 investigates the second aim of the thesis: to see in the light of the sociology of conversion, whether Alpha's primary aim of converting non-churchgoers was successful. With the majority of guests on the Alpha course having some religious background, conversion typically turned out to be an "intensification' of a faith acquired in childhood that had become dormant in adult life rather than the initiation of unbelievers into the church Chapter 7 complements the sociological investigation of Alpha by assessing its theological foundations. With insights and illustrations from the empirical data of earlier chapters and adopting the fiduciary framework of classic theology and orthodox Christian tradition the thesis concludes that there is a serious disjunction between Alpha's stated aims and its theological content. In conclusion I contend that Alpha falls between two stools of mission and spiritual formation and consequently ends up as deficient in both areas.

This doctoral dissertation critically examines the development of Radio Vaticana, the official broadcasting voice of the Vatican State and the Papacy, from its founding in 1931 through to the end of the Second World War in 1945. Exploring the relationship of Radio Vaticana to the Vatican itself, as well as defining the radio's broadcasting content, is essential for any understanding of this particular broadcaster's essential role as the international voice of the Papacy's foreign and domestic policy. Although it is outside the scope of this dissertation to include a parallel study of the official newspaper of the Vatican, L'Osservatore Romano, periodic reference is made to its articles as a comparative tool in illuminating the serious, if not traumatic, issues the Church faced during this challenging period. The study is set against the historical background of the Roman Catholic Church's loss of its long political and educational dominance of the Italian peninsula after the establishment of the Italian state in the 1870's under Count Cavour and King Victor Emanuel, all too soon to be followed by the Church's enforced relationship with Italy's post-world war Mussolini-led Fascist government. Charting the Church's re-establishment of its influence and accommodation with Fascism during such a critical period of Italian history is of paramount importance in understanding just how far Church's objectives were fulfilled in the following years. Such objectives, the main one being the continuity of the survival of the Church and the expansion of its influence worldwide, were implemented through the use of the Vatican media. However, the Vatican had more to worry about than its relationship with Mussolini, for the rise of Fascism across Europe threatened the Catholic faithful from Spain to Germany. 1920- 1943 was a formative period in the history of media development in Italy as well, as it witnessed the rise and fall of Fascism, the arrival of the Allied Forces, and the establishment of the new Italian state under the hegemony of the Christian Democratic Party (DC). Similarly, the years preceding and immediately following the Second World War epitomize a phase of great transition, danger, and change for the Catholic Church. After re-affirming its influence over the Italian masses with the help of Fascism, the Vatican played a careful balancing act between the Allies and the Axis forces in order to survive the world conflict and 'protect the faithful' around Europe.

Over the past fifty years, Charismatic Renewal has represented a significant development in English Christianity. While this has prompted a number of investigations, few have touched on the traditional Evangelical distinctives of the new birth and crucicentrism. By way of making a contribution in this area, this thesis undertook an explication and critique of the doctrine of Atonement in Roger Thomas Forster, an indisputably significant figure within the movement. The work identified Forster's theological framework, his understanding of the circumstances that called for Christ's work, his critique of the three main historic motfs, and the key elements in his own theory. Examination was also made of the relationship in which the Atonement stands to reconciliation, and the relationship of the Church to the Atonement. Finally, Forster was 'located' historically by identifying his sources and influences, and 'defined' theologically by comparing and contrasting his teachings with those of conservative Evangelicalism. The thesis concluded with an overview of what had been undertaken, and its significance.

The McCulloch Manuscripts are an important primary source of eighteenth-century historical documentation that to date have never been put into print in their original form.  This thesis is a critical edition and analysis of the 1,269-page, two-volume text originally entitled <i>Examinations of Persons Under Spiritual Concern at Cambuslang, during the Revival, in 17-41-42</i>, along with its accompanying documents and marginal annotations.  Compiled by the Reverend William McCulloch during the period of 1742-1749, and considered to be Scotland’s first oral history project, this collection of personal conversion narratives from subjects of the revival provides a unique perspective from which to understand the spiritually of both laity and clergy in eighteenth-century Scotland. Chapter One sets the Cambuslang Revival within its historical and local context, and chronicles the treatment given to the revival in prominent scholarly literature over the past two centuries. Chapter Two provides a description and analysis of the physical properties of the manuscripts, and of their distinctive nature and arrangement. Chapter Three details the editorial process utilized by William McCulloch in soliciting and interviewing narrative respondents, and in editing and compiling their narrative accounts in preparation for publication.  This chapter also proposes an interview framework utilized by McCulloch with the narrative respondents, and the distinctive role he played in framing and reporting the respondents’ experiences. Chapter Four definitively establishes the identity, role, and succession of each of the four clerical redactors who assisted McCulloch in preparing the Volume One for publication, analyzing their distinctive theological concerns - both individually and collectively - and their subsequent marginal annotations and revisions of the text.

This thesis addresses the problem of the fragmentation of conversion and discipleship in the theology and practice of evangelism within the Wesleyan tradition. Fragmentation is understood as the process of splintering or separating elements that were previously united. It is argued that this fragmentation results in large part from the lack of a unifying vision for conversion and discipleship, and that recovering the significance of Christian perfection can present a way forward. The work of Alisdair MacIntyre is used to interpret the doctrine of Christian perfection as providing a telos and vision for evangelism. The work of Ellen Charry is also drawn upon to show how the doctrine of Christian perfection is sapiential in nature, and shapes the practice of evangelism to that end. This thesis argues that the renewing of Christian perfection as a vision of evangelism can hold the elements of conversion and discipleship in tension, thus repairing the fragmentation. On the one hand, evangelism that aims at making disciples who press on to perfection will intentionally seek conversion as a necessary but incomplete goal. On the other hand, spiritual formation that aims at perfection must be rooted in the reality of conversion itself, and cannot proceed without effective evangelism. Drawing upon evidence from the theology of John Wesley and the early Methodist movement supports the argument, and the problem is further explored by a critical analysis of contemporary scholarship in the Wesleyan tradition. The implications of the thesis include the need for an evangelistic message that communicates the good news in terms of holy love, capturing both the need for personal conversion and the pursuit of Christian perfection. A second implication is the need for an approach to evangelism that restores the link between conversion and discipleship. A third implication is for a new or renewed set of evangelistic practices that guide persons through the experience of conversion, and on toward the telos of Christian perfection.

This thesis offers principles for Christian mission in the present Western milieu derived from a retrieval of the missiology in post-war Scotland of Tom Allan. Allan was a minister, evangelist and theologian of particular public prominence in Scotland and beyond in the period from 1946 to 1964. His missiology focused upon the ‘apostolate of the laity’ through the ‘contextualisation’ of Christianity and Church. It was drawn from diverse, rich sources in Scottish and European theology and tradition. Allan’s gift was to collate and apply such influences contextually to two working-class parishes in Glasgow, and to articulate them within his seminal work on lay evangelism, The Face of My Parish. From 1953 to 1955, Allan was the Field Director of the ‘Tell Scotland’ Movement, which sought to implement his missiology on a national scale. The decision, at Allan’s instigation, to invite Billy Graham to conduct the ‘All-Scotland Crusade’ of 1955 diverted attention from Allan’s lay missiological focus, fatally polarised the differences in emphasis within the Movement, and has since tainted the perception of mission in Scotland. Following consideration of the implementation of Allan’s model of mission, analysis is undertaken of his sources and inspirations, of the underlying causes of the triumphs and failures of his model, and of Allan’s place in mission theology. In particular, inherent tensions are considered between aspects of the model which together straddle the ‘modern’ and ‘postmodern’ to form a ‘tale of two paradigms’; such as the reliance on the institutional Church as both agent and object of mission or the utilisation of mass evangelism, in contrast with the overarching purpose of the lay formation of a New Testament koinonia by a ‘congregational group’. Consideration of Allan’s work is thereafter broadened by considering several contemporaneous streams which further enhanced ‘contextualisation’ of both mission and Church, to be exercised by and for ordinary people: the East Harlem Protestant Parish; the Gorbals Group Ministry; and Robert Mackie, Ian Fraser and Scottish Churches House. Then viewing the work of Allan and his contemporaries through the lens of present global missiology and sociological theory, general principles are derived for mission now. Such principles form the basis of a model within ‘late modernity’ of contextual mission which might move beyond the private/public constraint on religious expression. It is a model of ‘local’ mission in conversation with the ‘global’, by the empowerment of the laity to act within the ‘micro-cultures’ which they inhabit. It is a model which re-asserts the primacy of the ‘whole people of God’; seeking the organic growth of koinonia with or without reference to the institutional Church; through a ‘both/and’ missiology of word and deed; exercising ‘prophetic dialogue’ in ‘bold humility’; in cross-cultural translation as a two-way process towards a fuller ‘interculturation’.

The coming of charismatic renewal in the 1960s brought Pentecostal experience into the historic denominations of the church. From its beginning, there were those who perceived in the charismatic movement an ecumenical quality. Its ability to root across a wide spectrum of traditions, suggested that it might have a significant contribution to make towards the search for the visible unity of the Christian church. This thesis sets out to explore more precisely the ecumenical dimension of the charismatic movement. It largely focuses on the English Ecumenical scene, where there have been significant ecumenical developments in the last twenty years; but account is also taken of the broader canvas of the World Council of Churches and Koinonia ecclesiology. A special focus is made of the Roman Catholic Charismatic Renewal, to see how the movement impacted that church, and was critiqued by its own theologians in the early years of the 1970s. The study looks in some detail at baptism and episcopacy, to see how these traditional ecumenical sticking points could be resolved, when looked at through a charismatic lens. It then moves on to analyse a sample of leaders, who have both experienced charismatic renewal and engaged with it theologically, showing that the personal theological changes are quite significant. Finally the study takes account of where the Charismatic and Ecumenical Movements have reached in their contemporary trajectories; and suggests how the charismatic movement can still make a serious contribution to the search for visible Christian Unity. To do this, attention is still needed in the area of sacramental theology, but in particular to the nature of truth and its revelation through the Spirit. In that connection the thesis includes some samples of fresh biblical exegesis on familiar ecumenically relevant biblical passages. The study concludes that there is indeed an ecumenical dimension of charismatic renewal. However, before that dimension can forward the visible unity of the whole church, something of a largely lost earlier vision needs to be re-captured. When that has been done, there is hope that both the charismatic and ecumenical movements may discover their natural complimentarity and creative engagement.

In an age marked by declining trust, cultural divisiveness and secularism, Restorative Witness offers a theological stance to undergird evangelism by using the lens of reconciliation. Drawing on the work of Miroslav Volf, Restorative Witness offers a theological exploration of evangelism, including an examination of the current climate of Western culture regarding issues of trust, mistrust and distrust; a historical overview of factors leading to the present situation; and observations regarding current difficulties facing the church in the arena of evangelism and reasons for those difficulties. The exploration uses theological resources in the areas of evangelism, biblical studies and systematics to offer a new theological disposition from which to engage evangelistic efforts. Firmly grounded in the biblical events of creation, the incarnation, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the ascension, Pentecost, and new creation, this theological stance takes seriously understandings of ecclesiology and the kingdom of God with the goal of restoring strength, integrity and power to Christian witness in an age of mistrust and divisiveness.

Never before in the past century has there been such an active interest in evangelism, not only in the English speaking countries but on the Continent and in some sections of the Far East. Over ten of the leading graduate schools of theology in the United States are in the process of establishing or enlarging their departments of evangelism. One item conspicuous by its absence is the lack of material in the field of church history covering the subject of evangelism. These schools are handicapped at the very outset by a lack of research in this field. The following thesis is a study of the life and work of the one man who, above all others, led the way in establishing evangelism as a legitimate and necessary means of propagating the Gospel in Scotland. This work is neither an apology nor a vindication of this phase of church history. It is the product of research - diversified occurrences and facts - presented in narrative form. The delineation of the material requires more than a critical spirit; it is imperative that one possess a sympathetic understanding to see, in its proper perspective, the contribution of James Haldane to the improvement of the religious life of Scotland. The subject was marred by the defects caused by the taints of the times. He was dubbed narrow, purist, fanatic. We, however, would say after over a century has tried his works that he was a man of strong conviction, a Christian idealist, a man upon whom the spiritual destitution of the nation and the world lay heavy.

John Wilbur Chapman was one of the most prominent clergymen, church leaders and revivalists of the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. More than sixty million people attended his evangelistic campaigns worldwide. A study of his contributions shows that he dominated the evangelical landscape of America from 1906 to 1918. His campaigns in Canada and his subsequent world tours helped his fame spread internationally. The objective of the dissertation was to find out whether Chapman’s contributions to Evangelicalism were as strong as indicated by his reputation during his day and if he should be remembered only as a secondary figure in revivalism. Historians have treated Chapman mostly as one of Dwight L. Moody’s assistants and as a lesser colleague to some of Moody’s lieutenants. If Chapman was significant, why did his name disappear from historical research and why was he relegated to a lesser position than his accomplishments deserved? What were Chapman’s contributions and how far did he advance revivalism? The research conducted in this dissertation represents a decade of analysing archival materials, primary sources and secondary sources, including journals and newspaper articles. What was discovered was that J. Wilbur Chapman was more significant to the history of Evangelicalism than previously noted. An investigation of his work has reinforced an understanding of the concepts and techniques of later nineteenth-century evangelism and it has also revealed his contributions to the trajectory of revivalism. The study of Chapman's work also illuminates aspects of holiness, dispensationalism and social welfare during the Victorian and post-Victorian era.