George MacDonald (1824-1905) was writing at a time of Evangelical unease.
MacDonald agreed: in his view, the church had become a vam.
In a society ravaged by Asiatic cholera, numbed by levels of infant mortality, and fearful of revolution and the toxicity of industry (to name but a few of the many challenges), the "gospel" proclaiming eternal damnation for unbelievers was hardly good news; rather, Christianity was increasingly viewed as the source of bad news and a tool of state oppression.
George MacDonald (1824-1905) was writing at a time of Evangelical unease