
Reluctant Revolutionary
The Life and Legacy of Pastor Andrew Eliot (1718-1778) of Boston
John S. Oakes(Author)
Wipf & Stock Publishers
Published on 8. April 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
186 pages
978-1-5326-1337-1 (ISBN)
Description
Andrew Eliot (1718–1778) was one of the most prominent Boston leaders in the second half of the eighteenth century. As minister of one of the city’s biggest churches, his was an important political as well as religious voice into the earliest years of the American War for Independence. But Eliot has often been neglected or misunderstood. In this first full biography, John S. Oakes draws on multiple sources to offer a fresh portrait of the Boston minister as:
• a moderate but orthodox Calvinist who maintained a consistent witness at a time of theological turmoil
• a prosperous family man who helped the lay the foundations for future generations of Eliots among the Boston "Brahmin"
• a "reluctant revolutionary" whose devotion to Protestant British ideals prevented him from embracing the patriot cause in the War for Independence until hostilities were already under way
• a dedicated pastor who was one of very few ministers to choose to endure the hardships of Boston under British occupation
A cautious and irenic leader, Eliot also provides an outstanding example of a leader who proved able to maintain his personal integrity and a wide network of diverse connections, despite ministering in a highly polarized intellectual and political climate.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Eugene
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
287 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5326-1337-1 (9781532613371)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

John S. Oakes
Reluctant Revolutionary
The Life and Legacy of Pastor Andrew Eliot (1718-1778) of Boston
E-Book
04/2025
Wipf and Stock Publishers
€27.49
Available for download
Persons
John S. Oakes is a research fellow of Wycliffe College, Toronto. He is author of Conservative Revolutionaries: Transformation and Tradition in the Religious and Political Thought of Charles Chauncy and Jonathan Mayhew (Pickwick, 2016).