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Book SynopsisA comprehensive account of the life of the missionary, bishop and ecumenist, Stephen Neill, amid the changes in global Christianity during the twentieth century.
Trade ReviewProfessor Dyron Daughrity portrays Stephen Neill, the well-known historian of World Christianity, within the fast-changing colonial, intellectual and religious contexts of his time, especially in Ireland, Britain, India, Germany, Switzerland and Kenya. By resurrecting Neill anew, Daughrity presents him so vividly that readers meet him as a multi-faceted human being with all dignities and frailties; now Neill's thoughts and accomplishments emerge more alive and meaningful than ever before. The Reverend Canon Daniel Jeyaraj, Professor of World Christianity, Liverpool Hope University Bishop Stephen Neill was at once a devoted pastor, an ecumenical pioneer, a missionary statesman, a brilliant professor, a prolific author and a compelling evangelist. As this book makes clear, however, Neill was also a tormented soul and a tormenter of others. The author does not flinch at revealing the destructive side of Stephen Neill, even while recounting his many achievements. Yet he leaves it to the reader to reconcile these contradictions. At a time when abuse in the church has come to light as seldom before, this book is destined to become a major case study. Joel A. Carpenter, Senior Research Fellow, Nagel Institute, Calvin University This life of Bishop Stephen Neill offers valuable and surprising insights on so many topics - on the Anglican church and its missions, on the growth of Christianity in India, and on the origins of the ecumenical movement. However, its greatest appeal lies in Neill himself, a brilliant and many-sided figure. Dyron Daughrity has created an excellent piece of scholarship that is fascinating on many levels. Philip Jenkins, Baylor University Daughrity has written a warts-and-all biography, drawing on a very wide range of sources. He has left no potential source unexamined, it seems. A professor of religion at Pepperdine University, he has been researching Neill's career for many years, and has produced what will surely be the definitive life for many years to come. An expert in world Christianity, Daughrity is well placed to appreciate the polyvalent character of Neill's literary output...All the same, this is an authoritative treatment of a very complicated human being. Revd Dr Jeremy Morris, Church Times, 8 April 2022
