Hempton, David 1952–

PERSONAL:

Born February 19, 1952, in Belfast, Northern Ireland; son of Thomas William (a salesman) and Winnie (a homemaker) Hempton; married Louanne McCrory (a social worker), July 7, 1979; children: Stephen Neil, Jonathan Andrew. Education: Queen's University, B.A. (with honors), 1974; University of St. Andrews, Ph.D., 1977.

ADDRESSES:

Home—MA. Office—Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138.

CAREER:

College of Ripon and York St. John (University of Leeds), York, England, lecturer in history, 1977-79; Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, lecturer in history, 1979-98; Boston University, Boston, MA, professor of the history of Christianity, 1998-2007; Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, Divinity School, professor of church history, Alonzo L. McDonald Family Professor of evangelical theological studies, 2007—.

MEMBER:

Royal Historical Society, American Historical Association.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Whitfield Prize from Royal Historical Society, 1984, for Methodism and Politics in British Society, 1750-1850.

WRITINGS:

Methodism and Politics in British Society, 1750-1850, Stanford University Press (Stanford, CA), 1984.

(Contributor) Tom Dunne, editor, The Writer as Witness: Literature as Historical Evidence, Cork University Press (Cork, Ireland), 1987.

(Contributor) Terry Thomas, editor, The British: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, Routledge & Kegan Paul (London, England), 1988.

(Contributor) Patrick Loughridge, editor, The People of Ireland, Appletree Press (Belfast, Ireland), 1988.

(With Hyrtle Hill) Evangelical Protestantism in Ulster Society 1740-1890, Unwin Hyman (London, England), 1991.

Religion and Political Culture in Britain and Ireland: From the Glorious Revolution to the Decline of Empire, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 1996.

Religion and Identity: Religious and Political Cultures in Britain and Ireland since 1700, University Press (New York, NY), 1996.

The Religion of the People: Methodism and Popular Religion c. 1750-1900, Routledge (New York, NY), 1996.

Methodism: Empire of the Spirit, Yale University Press (New Haven, CT), 2005.

Contributor to history and theology journals, including Albion, Arena, Eighteenth-Century Studies, Fortnight, History, History of Education, History Today, Irish Historical Studies, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Journal of Irish Christian Study Centre, Linen Hall Review, Northern History, Saothar, Scottish Historical Review, Themelios, and Third Way.

SIDELIGHTS:

David Hempton was born February 19, 1952, in Northern Ireland. He earned his undergraduate degree with honors from Queen's University, then continued on to earn his doctorate from the University of St. Andrews. A writer, educator, and historian, Hempton has served on the faculties at a number of universities, including the University of Leeds, Queen's University in Belfast, Boston University, and ultimately Harvard University's Divinity School, where he holds the posts of Alonzo L. McDonald Family Professor of evangelical theological studies and professor of church history. His primary areas of research and academic interest include religion and political culture, conflicts related to identity and ethnicity, the varied forms of secularization in both Europe and North America, and evangelical Protestantism from both a historical and theological point of view. In addition to his academic efforts, he has written a number of books on religion, history, and political culture.

The Religion of the People: Methodism and Popular Religion c. 1750-1900 looks at Methodism from a broad range of perspectives, analyzing its history and looking at how it particularly affected various groups, such as women and children, who greatly benefited from the religious denomination's increased popularity over time. Methodism, depending on the part of the world, is credited for a number of political and social changes, including ending the confessional state in England and assisting in the assimilation of the church as an accepted part of the popular culture, both in England and in North America. Hymns and repetition of various parts of the service helped to include parishioners in the process of worshiping, allowing them to become a part of the service instead of merely witnesses. In addition, Methodism encouraged a positive outlook that promised a good life, without the fire and brimstone threats of other denominations. John H.Y. Briggs, writing for the English Historical Review, noted that "for Methodists, of all religious groups, experience rather than theology or ecclesiology has to be the controlling word." Ian Machin, in a review for the Journal of Ecclesiastical History, dubbed Hempton's effort "an up-to-date, many-sided, penetrating and readable exposition of the roots and expansion of popular religion, especially through Methodism in various forms."

In Methodism: Empire of the Spirit, Hempton takes a look at the Methodist religion not merely as a spiritual entity but as a global enterprise with power and influence sufficiently great that it has been compared to major political parties. The book is comprised of a series of eight essays, each of which aims to address the question of the power of the Methodists, but also delves more deeply to determine what beyond simple faith holds this particular denomination together and allows it to function at such a high level on the international playing field. Hempton addresses the roots of Methodism, tracing its history as an offshoot of the Church of England during the eighteenth century and watching it develop into one of the world's primary forms of Christianity. He also addresses the duality of Methodism, which combines the rationality particularly espoused during the period of Enlightenment with a certain enthusiasm that has evangelical leanings. He looks at the geographic spread of Methodism, and how in addition it managed to engage a wide cross-section of social classes, making it a truly diverse branch of Christianity. In particular, he points out how both women and various minorities were drawn to Methodism over the years. Finally, he considers the role of religion in the twentieth century, and how Methodism's popularity appears to have waned in recent years. Grant Wacker, in a review for the Christian Century, declared that "if the book has a jewel in its crown, it is the seventh chapter, ‘Mapping and Mission.’ The first of its many virtues is that it exists at all. We know a lot about European and North American missionary endeavors but surprisingly little about Methodists' contribution. For Hempton, the study of Methodist missions represents more than just filling holes in the literature. Rather it serves as a key for unlocking the whole enterprise."

Hempton once told CA: "The main themes of my writing, as is understandable for someone who grew up in Northern Ireland in the 1960s, are the complex relationships between popular religion and politics in Britain and Ireland in the modern period. More recently I have been concerned with understanding the nature of religious belief and practice (within a proper cultural context) in the British Isles. In so doing I have tried to use the widest possible range of sources and methods, including quantitative, literary, comparative, and interdisciplinary approaches. There is much yet to be done."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Christian Century, November 1, 2005, Grant Wacker, "The Methodist Story: Music, Missions and Middle-class Life," p. 26.

English Historical Review, February 1, 1999, John H.Y. Briggs, review of The Religion of the People: Methodism and Popular Religion c. 1750-1900, p. 214.

Journal of Ecclesiastical History, July 1, 1997, Ian Machin, review of The Religion of the People, p. 591.