First published 2025
Jennifer Clement examines how English preachers between 1600 and 1642 wielded emotion as a tool of religious persuasion. She analyzes sermons from the reigns of James I and Charles I to reveal how ministers crafted their rhetoric to move congregations toward spiritual transformation. The study traces how preachers balanced theological instruction with emotional appeal, using specific techniques to provoke fear, hope, joy, and repentance in their listeners. Clement shows how these religious orators adapted classical rhetorical principles to Protestant theology, creating a distinctly English homiletic tradition. The book demonstrates how political tensions and religious controversies of the early Stuart period shaped preaching styles and emotional strategies. Through close reading of surviving sermon texts, Clement reveals the sophisticated psychological understanding these ministers brought to their craft, showing how they viewed the stirring of emotions not as manipulation but as essential to genuine religious experience.
Genres: history, religion, non-fiction, christianity, academic
Vibes: academic, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic-study, rhetorical-analysis
Setting: England
Period: 1600-1642
203 pages · Hardcover · Brepols Publishers