Clift argued that there was no permanence about the preaching; he would be happy if, as a result of the work, the parish churches revived. Accordingly, the bishop was invited to examine the moral revolution already under way in the villages. Of course, such arguments were misleading. Territorial churches

doi:10.4324/9780203166505-71

Chapter

Clift argued that there was no permanence about the preaching; he would be happy if, as a result of the work, the parish churches revived. Accordingly, the bishop was invited to examine the moral revolution already under way in the villages. Of course, such arguments were misleading. Territorial churches

Chapter

ABSTRACT

Although the apologists were at pains throughout the most sensitive period of activity to emphasize the benign character of the village preachers and their readiness to support those clergy that faithfully performed their duties, there is a sense in which their opponents had always been correct. The rise of lay preaching, by virtue of its intrusion into the territory and prerogatives of the clergy could be regarded, albeit within the religious sphere, as a manifestation of the contemporary spirit of anticlericalism.