Reformation, Dissent and Diversity

This splendid account is the Baedeker for anyone trying to find their way through the complexities of Scottish Church history since the Reformation. Muirhead balances the big picture with the local. He reminds us of the shakers and movers in the history of the Scottish church but also of the everyday supporters and their concerns. He recognises the role played by religion in individual lives but also the way that piety could be warped into peculiarity. This is the best kind of church history: clear narrative, cogent analysis and relevant anecdote. * Alastair Durie, University of Stirling, UK *

This is an excellent and incisive treatment of the history of Christianity in Scotland
over a four hundred year period since the Scottish Reformation.

* Kenneth Roxburgh, Samford University, USA *
Modestly, Muirhead says that this is a ‘non-academic outline of why Scotland has so many churches, Presbyterian and otherwise.’ In reality, however, it is a tour de force which will reward the reader with insights into the politics and the theology of every aspect of Scottish Church history from the Reformation to the Disruption and on into the 20th Century reunion of the Churches. The historical cameos bring the text to life and there are surprising revelations which put some of our present day controversies into perspective. I heartily commend this book to anyone who wants to understand the present day Church in Scotland * Right Reverend John P. Chalmers, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, UK *
This is the first research-based ecclesiastical history of post-Reformation Scotland in a generation. From John Knox to Billy Graham, Muirhead casts his gifted eye over the whole realm of religious change, bringing up to date our understanding of how the country moved in four centuries from a Presbyterian theocracy to a multi-faith democracy. This is an authoritative narrative of the Christian churches, using extensive archival quotation and learned assessment. The book has many claims to originality, not least the author’s command of Scotland’s often-neglected ecclesiastical law. Rich in insight and vivid description, the author provides a readable textbook for student and general reader alike. * Callum G. Brown, University of Glasgow, UK *