A Victorian Dissenter

Book excerpt: This book introduces the reader to Robert Govett (1813–1901), dissenting clergyman and author, who wrote as a scholar of biblical prophecy, primarily on the subject of the “exclusion” of believers in the Millennial Kingdom, an idea of which he conceived. The purpose of the book is threefold: (1) to describe Govett, his life, and his printed work; (2) to analyze Govett’s eschatological beliefs, especially those he originated; and (3) to investigate why a respected theologian in England, who had published over 180 books and tracts, disappeared from dissenting print culture early in the twentieth century. Govett’s doctrine of exclusion was heavily intertwined with most of his writings. It was a topic that he developed throughout his career. Yet, as the center of dispensationalism shifted to America, Govett’s views of the Rapture began to be seen as extreme. The book explains why Govett was eclipsed as the center of the evangelical movement shifted and its theology ossified. Since his death, Govett has been occasionally remembered in scholarship, but with increasing inaccuracies and skepticism. This book seeks to remove the mystery.