A History of the Brethren Movement by F Roy Coad and published by Classics.
This book was the first definitive history of the Brethren Movement which began in the 1820’s in County Wicklow, Southern Ireland. It is the only such history that gives an account in its proper perspective of the Independent or Open, element that was the original genesis and became by far the largest part of the Brethren movement. Another important feature of this history that is too seldom realized is that a large part of the Brethren movement was not a product of the groups that originated in Dublin and the South-West of England, but stemmed directly from the Evangelical Awakening of 1859. This was particularly true of the independent churches of similar character that came into existence in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
After tracing the rapid growth of the movement in the British Isles and its worldwide expansion overseas, that author considers some of the outstanding characters thrown up by the movement, and also its significant contribution to the hymnody of the Church, particular hymns of devotion and communion. He concludes with an objective assessment of the movement in relation to the contemporary situation of the whole Church of God, and particularly in relation to modern trends within other areas of Christian life and witness.
