J. Wesley Bready

Originally published in 1930, the main focus of this book is the study of the man and the homes for children which he founded but against a backdrop of the unparalleled era of social reform, in which children were finally recognized as social assets of incalculable worth. Barnardo’s work is therefore not treated as an isolated phenomenon. It is analysed for its profound significance as a pioneer movement in child-welfare and its legacy is visible as much in the 21st century as in the 19th. Where Wilberforce liberated enslaved people, and Shaftesbury the industrial worker, so Barnardo immeasurably helped thousands of homeless children.

Originally published in 1926, this volume is much more than a biography of an outstanding politician, social reformer and philosopher. It provides an analysis of the history of social conditions in England during the nineteenth century, as well as a discussion of the development of social affairs and the inertia of political psychology. The role that faith and religion played in motivating Lord Shaftesbury’s desire for social reform is also discussed as is the ways in which he and John Wesley transformed the social and ethical ideas of England to enshrine in law many of the working conditions that we take for granted today such as defined hours of work and rest periods.

Originally published in 1930, the main focus of this book is the study of the man and the homes for children which he founded but against a backdrop of the unparalleled era of social reform, in which children were finally recognized as social assets of incalculable worth. Barnardo’s work is therefore not treated as an isolated phenomenon. It is analysed for its profound significance as a pioneer movement in child-welfare and its legacy is visible as much in the 21st century as in the 19th. Where Wilberforce liberated enslaved people, and Shaftesbury the industrial worker, so Barnardo immeasurably helped thousands of homeless children.

Originally published in 1926, this volume is much more than a biography of an outstanding politician, social reformer and philosopher. It provides an analysis of the history of social conditions in England during the nineteenth century, as well as a discussion of the development of social affairs and the inertia of political psychology. The role that faith and religion played in motivating Lord Shaftesbury’s desire for social reform is also discussed as is the ways in which he and John Wesley transformed the social and ethical ideas of England to enshrine in law many of the working conditions that we take for granted today such as defined hours of work and rest periods.

"John Wesley and Karl Marx, unmistakably, are the two most influential characters of all modern history." So argues J. Wesley Bready in this classic statement on the social significance of the original evangelical movement in Great Britain. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, at least, evangelical religion-as found in the life and teaching of John Wesley-had profound consequences that were anything but an opiate of the people (contra the teachings of Karl Marx). Instead, "vital religion" proved itself to be powerfully transformative, not only in the personal lives of its converts, but also in the deepest fibre of their social and political lives. J. Wesley Bready's careful documentation of the profound social and political influence of John Wesley's preaching and teaching will, for many readers today, prove to be a convincing demonstration of the transformative power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The power and scope of this evangelical Christian influence was extraordinary: from education to health care; from the needs of the poor and orphans, to prison reform and the founding of democratic institutions; from the promotion of good reading to an end to cruelty to animals (and founding of the RSPCA). All of these, and more, are the hallmarks and outward manifestations of a vital Christian faith. Nothing could illustrate more convincingly that "faith without works is dead" and, contrary to Marx, that the gospel of Jesus Christ more typically serves as a sharp awakening rather than an opiate of the people.Rev. Dr. J. Wesley Bready (1887-1953) was a Canadian-born scholar and author of numerous books, including Wesley and Democracy (1939), Lord Shaftesbury (1900), This Freedom-Whence? (1942), and Faith and Freedom: The Roots of Democracy (1946). He held degrees from Queen's University, University of Toronto, Columbia University, and University of London.