Samuel Taylor Coleridge called Edward Irving “a minister of Christ, after the order of Paul.” Edward Irving was a great preacher, probably the best in Georgian Britain. He was also a profound theologian and a caring pastor. Yet, it is a strange fact of history that this Paul-like “minister of Christ” was eventually removed from the church he had made famous, unfairly expelled from his denomination for heresy, and at the end of his brief life, was demoted in the sect that emerged from his ministry.
Towards the end of Irving's life, charismatic gifts emerged in his church amidst great controversy. He had already developed a theological rationale for such gifting, and his extensive teaching on spiritual gifts is still widely consulted today.
Edward Irving was and is a controversial figure. It is time that his life, ministry, and teaching were reconsidered. Who was Edward Irving? How did he live? What made him outstanding? What made him so controversial? What is his legacy? These are the questions answered in Edward Irving Reconsidered. It is a compelling story, as sad as it is powerful.
