Reluctant Revolutionary

""Through his religiously informed erudition, thorough research, keen eye for detail, thoughtful weighing of evidence, and historiographical knowledge, Dr. Oakes has revealed an Andrew Eliot, hitherto seen as an enigma, grounded steadfastly in moderate Calvinism. Equally important, this fine intellectual biography extends beyond Eliot to enrich our understanding of Boston's late-colonial ministerial culture."" --Alan Tully, Eugene C. Barker Professor of History, University of Texas at Austin ""Andrew Eliot was a prominent Boston clergyman at the time of the American Revolution, but unlike several of his fellow ministers who became ardent patriots, or a very few who remained loyal to Britain, Eliot was too cautious in his politics and too moderate in his theology to draw historians' interest--until this well-researched and carefully argued book by John Oakes. Through an exhaustive examination of primary sources, Oakes has shown why the career of someone who remained in the middle--between ardent revivalists and fashionable rationalists, between eager patriots and hesitating loyalists--also deserves patient consideration. The result is a book rich in detail about revolutionary Boston and full of insight about the virtue of faithful pastoral service through tumultuous times."" --Mark Noll, author of In the Beginning Was the Word: The Bible in American Public Life, 1492-1783