Almost Christian Discovered; or, the False Professor Tried and Cast.

As a Congregationalist minister in 17th century England, Mead could not teach or preach without censure or persecution. Eventually, the harsh religious climate of his homeland drove Mead to Holland, although he returned to England to minister to a congregation in Stepney in secret. The Almost Christian Discovered, a theological essay, tackles one of the most interesting in controversial problems in Christian teaching: the “almost” Christian, a person who is on the brink of receiving God’s grace, but falls short. Two issues present themselves: “The one is,” Mead writes, “how often a believer may miscarry, how low he may fall, and yet have true grace. The other is, how far a hypocrite may go in the way to heaven, how high, he may attain, and yet have no grace.” Mead seeks to answer these questions with this essay, continuing an ancient debate that has lasted into the present day.

Kathleen O’Bannon
CCEL Staff