Part of the project of The Oxford Handbook of Nineteenth-Century Christian Thought is to offer an interdisciplinary and comprehensive rebuttal to the view that the nineteenth-century brought with it thoroughgoing secularization. ‘Whilst the Handbook cannot claim to be the first expression of a revisionist view of the religious character of that period, it represents the first comprehensive mapping out of a picture emerging from the twin recognition of Christianity’s abiding intellectual influence and its radical transformation and diversification under the influence of the forces of modernity’ (pp. 1, 2). The revisionist view espoused in the Handbook also aims to cover figures and topics that have been breezily dismissed in other English language histories of the nineteenth century; this is commendable, for this volume adroitly calls attentions to the variegated textures and shapes of Christian thought and its implication in the period under review.

The editors of the Handbook recognize that the analysis of ‘Christian Thought’ is very general, but this is in fact one of the strengths of the volume. One does not see a series of theological essays that are out of touch with various cultural, political or social issues, for instance, for this volume makes sure to examine the former in light of the latter, and vice versa. There is an attempt to deal with all of the cultural embeddedness of life in the nineteenth century so that the reader can make connections between the disparate strands of thought that coalesce around the Christianity of the period. One might want to think of the Handbook as a broad pathway for readers who eventually want to settle on a more narrow theme; for instance, if one is interested in nineteenth-century Anglicanism more specifically, one might look at the recently published The Oxford Handbook of the Oxford Movement to understand more fully one stream of the English Church, or The Oxford Handbook of Victorian Literary Culture to see the intersections of the Bible and literature, or religion and sexuality in literary works. Because the theme of this Handbook is so broad, there is a sense of eclecticism, though this wide net might very well prove to be all the more useful because of its ranging appeal.

All of this is not to say that the Handbook is disorderly, however. The arrangement of the material is clear and easy to follow. This tight organization is what makes the generalist treatment of the period to be one of the volume’s most notable strengths. Where else does one find such an expansive collection of themes covered with such care by experts in the field? While narrowly specialized volumes might have their place for the dedicated few, the Handbook will no doubt garner a broader audience without sacrificing any erudition.

The Handbook is divided into six broader sections that are then broken up into thematic essays. The first three sections of the text (Part I ‘Changing Paradigms’; Part II ‘Human Nature and the Nature of Religion’; and Part III ‘Culture and Society’) deal with broader intellectual transitions, philosophical issues and societal features before moving into the latter three sections (Part IV ‘Christianity and the Arts’; Part V ‘Christianity and Christianities’; and Part VI ‘Doctrinal Themes’) that have a distinctly Christian, though thoroughly ecumenical, focus.

Highlights of the section on Changing Paradigms include Joel D.S. Rasmussen’s westward moving philosophical tour of shifting metaphysics, which begins in Germany (Kant, Fichte, Schelling), and moves through England (Coleridge, Thomas Hill Green), before landing in America with Peirce. Rasmussen threads together these respective philosophical shifts, noting continuities and change, all in a way that lays the groundwork for further study. Related to philosophical changes were the emerging attitudes toward nature: Malcom Clemens Young eruditely traces various responses to the natural world, beginning with the Reformation, through to Kant and German Idealism. His section on the English-speaking world provides a helpful summary of the empirical observations by Paley, as well as the mystical yearnings toward nature expressed by Coleridge and the American Transcendentalists who followed in his steps; Young’s lucid section on Darwin is mercifully brief, situating him within a much larger body of thought toward the natural world instead of putting him at the centre. In another chapter, Andrew Tate’s rapid-fire assessment of various novels, detailing themes from conversation narrative to evangelical caricatures, is a reminder that – though still prevalent in popular thought – the nineteenth century did not see a steady decline of religiosity, nor do the swaths of fiction written at that time reflect this.

Save from Frances Knight’s tripartite exploration of Anglicanism via the institutional, theological, and global dimensions of the Church, one must dig a little deeper to find the more direct contributions the Handbook offers to the field of Anglican Studies. This is not to say many of the chapters are unhelpful for bringing to the fore more general knowledge of the nineteenth century and thus illuminating conversations about something such as the dispute over biblical authority in the Church of England, which William J. Abraham alludes to in his brief engagements with Jowett and Newman; still, for Abraham, both Jowett and Newman are situated in a much broader ‘English scene’ that more quickly slides to a discussion of B.B. Warfield, than lingering on Anglicanism in its own right. Looking for discussion on Anglicanism in other chapters might be more futile. For instance, one can be (pleasantly) sidetracked into German reflection on selfhood in Jaqueline Mariña’s chapter, ‘Selfhood and Rationality’, that is exclusively focused on continental thought, but one will not find much about the Church of England or the Anglican Communion.

It was noted from the outset that one great strength of the Handbook is the way it draws together so many disparate threads into its tapestry that represents nineteenth-century Christian thought. This much is true, and for the generalist, this is no doubt welcome. It may also be a challenge, however, for specialists. For one interested in Anglican theology, or even in theology more generally, Linzy Brady and Jolyon Mitchell’s joint effort on shifting Christian social attitudes toward theatre and morality, though interesting in its own right, will provide little theological substance.

In sum, there will be many gems for theologians to mine throughout the chapters of the Handbook, though specialists (especially those interested in Anglican Studies) must first become acquainted with the best ground on which to dig. The Handbook serves as both a treasure map and ground under which that treasure is buried; it will provide many opportunities for fruitful labour.