Some readers may be acquainted with the Disruption that led to the founding of the Free Church of Scotland in 1843, and the men who were part of this history; others may wonder whether these events have any great significance to believers in twenty-first century Wales. No-one who reads the book intelligently will miss the valuable lessons for the faithful church in every era. The author, whose devoted acquaintance with his subject stands out on every page, introduces us to ten key men of these times, each called and gifted for a specific work that the times demanded. If some of the writings of these individuals may seem impenetrably academic to today’s readers, Finlayson’s portraits present colours and contrasts that all should find engaging and indeed fascinating. Each mini-biography can be read in an hour or less. What stands out is the passionate involvement of these men in church life in nineteenth-century Scotland – church life that was indeed rich and exciting – and their deep desire for full and thorough reformation. Let no-one imagine that what we have here is a procession of ‘dry-as-dust’ theologians. Reading the lives and works of these men will make us all wiser, healthier, more daring and, in the best sense of the word, broader Christians; and in the poor, fragmented church in Britain today, this is what is most urgently needed.

Paul Yeulett