The revival at Moonta in South Australia in 1875 is a case-study in the relationship between the traditional and the innovative. The copper mining area was largely dominated by Methodists from Cornwall. The revival, which was preceded by a strike and by well publicised deaths, was suffused by the spirit of Methodism. The initial phase in the settlements near the mines was fading before a second phase began in the adjacent Moonta Township. There a different style prevailed - interdenominational, with businessmen in the lead and much more organised - much closer to the practice of the...

The revival at Moonta in South Australia in 1875 is a case-study in the relationship between the traditional and the innovative. The copper mining area was largely dominated by Methodists from Cornwall. The revival, which was preceded by a strike and by well publicised deaths, was suffused by the spirit of Methodism. The initial phase in the settlements near the mines was fading before a second phase began in the adjacent Moonta Township. There a different style prevailed - interdenominational, with businessmen in the lead and much more organised - much closer to the practice of the contemporary revivalists Moody and Sankey. The fresh mode was centred among the Baptists, where there was a fresh emphasis on immediate faith and where women and children enjoyed greater prominence.