Torn between two identities: Edward Irving’s Scottish presbyterianism and British nationalism

Abstract

The career of the Scottish theologian Edward Irving (1792–1834) was one of remarkable highs and lows. One of the most celebrated preachers of his day and an important forerunner of the modern charismatic movement, he died broken and rejected, aged just 42. Byung Sun Lee provides us with a fascinating historical account of his ministry bringing into focus the complexity of his Scottish and British identities, coupled with the tension between his presbyterianism and pre-millennialism.