This original and persuasive book examines the moral and religious revival led by the Church of England before and after the Glorious Revolution, and shows how that revival laid the groundwork for a burgeoning civil society in Britain. After outlining the Church of England's key role in the increase of voluntary, charitable, and religious societies, Brent Sirota examines how these groups drove the modernization of Britain through such activities as settling immigrants throughout the empire, founding charity schools, distributing devotional literature, and evangelizing and educating merchants, seamen, and slaves throughout the British empire—all leading to what has been termed the “age of benevolence.”

"“A lively text and it offers a new way to understand the evolution of religious expression – belief and practice – at the dawn of ‘modernity.’”—The Living Church" - The Living Church

"“This razor-sharp debut merits wide and close attention. Its interventions should lead scholars to reconsider the role of religion in the tumults and transformations of Augustan Britain and rethink the great questions of modernization and secularization that continue to animate interest in the period—all with the Church of England at the center of their attention.”—The Journal of British Studies" - The Journal of British Studies

"“If I were to recommend one academic book to specialists, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates about the formation of Anglicanism and the role that the church played in the development of British civil society in the eighteenth century, it would be this book.”—Gregory Dodds, History: Reviews of New Books" - History: Reviews of New Books

"Winner of the 2015 John Ben Snow Prize awarded by the North American Conference on British Studies." - North American Conference on British Studies