# Reverend Thomas Bradshaw — The Revolution in Tanner’s Lane character guide

> Reverend Thomas Bradshaw in The Revolution in Tanner’s Lane by Mark Rutherford.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Jephthah, the Reverend Thomas Bradshaw

**First appearance:** 0008-vii-jephthah

## Snapshot

Nicknamed Jephthah, this fiery preacher can stir a man-about-town to tears and send him home to reread the Bible.

## Who they are

Bradshaw is the orator whose sermon so moves the Major that he resolves to read Scripture again, though Zachariah wishes the text had been from the New Testament. He is a born speaker, the kind whose eloquence divides a congregation between admiration and unease. His pulpit presence sets the terms for the novel's running argument about revival, rhetoric, and the plain gospel of Christ.

## Relationships

### [Mr. Bradshaw](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolution_in_tanner_s_lane_se/characters/mr_bradshaw)

_family_

Mr. Bradshaw is the father of Reverend Thomas Bradshaw, and their relationship is formal and respectful.

### [Mr. Bradshaw](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolution_in_tanner_s_lane_se/characters/mr_bradshaw)

_family_

Mr. Bradshaw is the father of Reverend Thomas Bradshaw, and their relationship is formal and respectful.

## In the story

### [Outside Pike Street](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolution_in_tanner_s_lane_se/chapters/ii-outside-pike-street)

Preaches a sermon on the Gospel Covenant at Pike Street Meetinghouse, which Zachariah attends.

### [VII: Jephthah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolution_in_tanner_s_lane_se/chapters/vii-jephthah)

Preaches a dramatic sermon on Jephthah, emphasizing election to suffering and sacrifice; a commanding figure with a republican bent.

### [XXIV: “I Came Not to Send Peace, but a Sword”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolution_in_tanner_s_lane_se/chapters/xxiv-i-came-not-to-send-peace-but-a-sword)

Preaches a sermon that deeply affects George, and is shown to have a clear political stance against taxing the poor for the rich.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolution_in_tanner_s_lane_se/characters/reverend_thomas_bradshaw
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolution_in_tanner_s_lane_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_revolution_in_tanner_s_lane_se/characters