George Whitefield: Evangelist for God and Empire (Library of Religious Biography | LRB)
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Overview
George Whitefield (1714–1770) is remembered as a spirited revivalist, a catalyst for the Great Awakening, and a founder of the evangelical movement in America. But Whitefield was also a citizen of the British Empire who used his political savvy and theological creativity to champion the cause of imperial expansion. In this religious biography of “the Grand Itinerant,” Peter Choi recounts a fascinating human story and, in the process, reexamines the Great Awakening and its relationship to a fast-growing British Empire.
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Key Features
- Presents a broad picture of one of American's greatest preachers
- Introduces readers, not only to the evangelist, but also the entrepreneur, and British citizen
- Examines Whitefield's complex relationship with slavery and war
Contents
- Part 1: Encounters
- A British Explorer
- A British Emissary
- An American Icon
- Part 2: Entanglements
- Whitefield and Slavery
- Whitefield and War
- Whitefield and His colleges
Praise for the Print Edition
Peter Choi shows us a George Whitefield we never knew, not just the fiery revival preacher but the pragmatic entrepreneur, a canny citizen of the British Empire. The result is a skillful and complex moral portrait of Whitefield—and a telling parable of American evangelicalism in the making.
—Margaret Bendroth, Congregational Library & Archives, Boston
Rather than emphasizing, as most studies do, George Whitefield’s role in the dramatic events of New England’s ‘Great Awakening,’ Peter Choi concentrates on Whitefield’s own focus—his orphanage in Georgia. Pushing past the turmoil of the early 1740s, Choi studies the neglected second half of the Grand Itinerant’s public career, after the revival fires had cooled. This provocative book’s Whitefield is not merely a celebrity evangelist; he is an imperial strategist, a tactical theologian, and an empire builder who becomes an eager slaveholder and wartime propagandist. He embodies the central dynamics of the British Atlantic world in the eighteenth century.
—Christopher Grasso, College of William and Mary
Product Details
- Title: George Whitefield: Evangelist for God and Empire
- Author: Peter Y. Choi
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Publication Date: 2018
- Pages: 240
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Topic: Church History
Sample Pages from the Print Edition
Reviews
1 rating
Floyd Johnson
7/3/2018
Coming from a Methodist background, I have often found myself intrigued by the relationship between John Wesley and George Whitfield. Later in their friendship ... ================== Although George Whitefield disagreed with John Wesley on some theological matters, he was careful not to create problems in public that could be used to hinder the preaching of the gospel. When someone asked Whitefield if he thought he would see Wesley in heaven, Whitefield replied, “I fear not, for he will be so near the eternal throne and we at such a distance, we shall hardly get sight of him.” [Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching and Preachers, W. Wiersbe, Moody Press, 1984, p. 255. Quoted in Galaxie Software. (2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press] ================== Though this biography touches on the relationship between the Wesleys and George Whitfield, its major focus is on Whitfield’s work of spreading the gospel in England and America and his contribution toward bringing English culture to the New World. The work is scholarly and primarily aimed at that audience. The general reader will be less satisfied with the work, though some might be surprised. The book is readable and will be satisfying to many with an interest in English and American history or church history in general. The author does an excellent job of preparing the reader for what is coming — both in terms of the book and in terms the book’s chapters and smaller divisions. This makes much of what follows easy to appreciate and understand. ______________ This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.
