It was never hard to see the influence of Methodism, born as a reaction to the complacency and privilege of 18th-century Anglicanism, on Mrs Thatcher. She believed in thrift and hard work, and liked the advice of John Wesley, Methodism\u2019s founder, to earn, save and only then give as much as possible. The acts of generosity listed in the New Testament, from the Good Samaritan\u2019s to that of the woman who anointed Christ\u2019s feet, were possible only because the donors had money, she noted.<\/p>\n
But in other ways, Mrs Thatcher moved away from Methodism, and it moved away from her. As she ascended firmly to the upper middle class, she began attending Anglican church. Conspicuous consumption and debt-fuelled growth, often seen as legacies of the Thatcher era, could hardly be further from Methodist values. And in her native east Midlands, Methodist communities and ministers were active in defending coalminers during the strike which she defeated. Methodism has influenced Britain\u2019s centre-left far more than its political right.<\/p>\n
In explaining her denominational switch, Mrs Thatcher said that Methodism was \u201ca marvellous evangelical faith\u201d\u009d with great music\u201d\u201dbut \u201cyou sometimes feel the need for a slightly more formal service\u201d\u009d as well as for more formal theology. In her religious origins, she was informed by a passion that was foreign to the English establishment. But as that puritan passion propelled her into high office, its sharp edges were blunted. The Ritz hotel is an unlikely place for a Methodist woman from the Midlands to end her days.<\/p>\n