Pulling the Devil's Kingdom Down The Salvation Army in Victorian Britain

Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 2001. First Edition; First Printing. Hardcover. 0520225910 . Only slight wear ; A bright, solid book, dustjacket in Mylar, unclipped.; 9.3 X 6.3 X 1.2 inches; 337 pages; "Those people in uniforms who ring bells and raise money for the poor during the holiday season belong to a religious movement that in 1865 combined early feminism, street preaching, holiness theology, and intentionally outrageous singing into what soon became the Salvation Army. In Pulling the Devil's Kingdom Down, Pamela Walker emphasizes how thoroughly the Army entered into nineteenth-century urban life. She follows the movement from its Methodist roots and East London origins through its struggles with the established denominations of England, problems with the law and the media, and public manifestations that included street brawls with working-class toughs. The Salvation Army was a neighborhood religion, with a "battle plan" especially suited to urban working-class geography and cultural life. The ability to use popular leisure activities as inspiration was a major factor in the Army's success, since pubs, music halls, sports, and betting were regarded as its principal rivals. Salvationist women claimed the "right to preach" and enjoyed spiritual authority and public visibility more extensively than in virtually any other religious or secular organization." .