ABSTRACT
Samuel Taylor Coleridge shared with most evangelicals a theory of the nature and purpose of religion. On its own, the degree of self-avowed affinity between Coleridge and the Anglican Evangelicals at the level both of doctrinal commitment, including doctrines definitive of Anglican Evangelicals, and even theological method begins moving one from noting the occasional happy coincidence to seeking out channels of active conversation and causation. The other work to be considered in relation to Coleridge’s potential Evangelicalism is Confessions of an Inquiring Spirit, in which Coleridge presented his understanding of the nature and role of Scripture in the believer’s life. More than simply retaining the distinctive contours of general evangelical approaches to the Bible, Coleridge’s proposal looks specifically like the understanding of Scripture proposed by the Anglican Evangelical Charles Simeon. Coleridge’s engagement with Leighton reveals a connection to Anglican Evangelicalism that exceeds any shared appreciation for the Archbishop’s thought.
