Evangelicalism and secularization in Britain and America from the eighteenth century to the present

Abstract

Evangelicalism, the most salient form of religion in Britain and America by the mid-nineteenth century, formed the core of what was undermined by secularization over subsequent years. Did the characteristics of evangelicalism on the two sides of the Atlantic contribute to the different degrees of disenchantment with religion in the two countries? It is argued that the evangelical movements in the United States and Britain were still much the same during the period to around the opening of the twentieth century. But from that point onwards divergence set in, so that evangelicalism in America became more successful in capturing the allegiance of the public. The British version of evangelicalism that was undermined by secularization was a much feebler force during the twentieth century. Hence, it is not surprising that the secular made much greater strides in Britain than in America.