I hate to say it, but am disappointed with this book. It could have stood another careful proofread, as there are a fair number of typos that should not be found in a final product. Some involve dates, such as "1940" instead of "1840" (329), to cite one example.

But the author mistakenly writes "Iowa," when it should be "Indiana," when citing Barton Stone's "Christian Messenger," almost every time (286ff). Stone abbreviated Indiana as "Ia.," which the author took to mean Iowa. The mistakes result in some incorrect conclusions (302) and may mislead some who are unaware of the errors.

The author also used numerous secondary sources far more than I would have thought, in making his case. James DeForest Murch's 1962 book, "Christians Only" is cited many times, as one example.

In spite of these concerns, I'm glad to have read the book, as it provides some details, especially on the New England "Christians" that I had not known.

The book contains a bibliography and a helpful index. It is now over 30 years old. I obtained my copy on the used book market. ( )