Christianity has, from its very beginnings and because of its beliefs and practices, had a paradoxical relationship to the world. This stimulating book, which contains articles by seven leading historians, argues that the relationship between the Nonconformist tradition in Britain and culture provides a particularly illuminating example of this paradox.

Nonconformists, set apart from the Established Church, developed their own particular cultural practices and in so doing made a distinctive contribution to the culture of Britain as a whole. At the same time, they were inevitably...