By discussing the nature and practices of late nineteenth-century Methodism, Van Die focuses attention on the theological assumptions which allowed serious young Methodists to accept the critical thought of the period while retaining the basic tenets of their evangelical religion. She emphasizes that the position taken by Burwash and his students allowed religion to remain a vital component of early twentieth-century Canadian society during a time historians have generally viewed as an era of religious decline.

Marguerite Van Die is a member of the history department and head of Theological Studies, Queen's Theological College.

Marguerite Van Die's profile page

"Significant in my opinion ... is the author's blazing of a rather unfamiliar trail through Canadian intellectual history of the late nineteenth century ... I am greatly impressed by the scholarship displayed in this [book]." John Webster Grant, Emmanuel College, University of Toronto. "The work makes an important contribution to Canadian (and more broadly, North American) church history." R.T. Handy, Henry Sloan Coffin Professor, Union Theological Seminary, New York.