What lay behind the dramatic collapse into modernism of the main Nonconformist denominations of England in the space of less than seventy years? This unique book presents the remarkable life of E. J. Poole-Connor, a major preacher whose ministry spanned this most turbulent period in British church life, from the time of Spurgeon to the 1960s, and who brilliantly recorded its events. Interwoven with biography, David Fountain provides in these pages a fast-moving overview of what happened and why, supplying lessons for today that will be eagerly received by Christians zealous for the defence of the Gospel.

LRBS assigned reading for February 2026.