In the words of a young Maryland man, “he has the best delivery with the worst divinity that I ever mett with.”. George Whitefield has been called the father of mass evangelism in the Christian religion and the most widely recognized figure in America before George Washington. George Whitefield (1714-1770) How to Not Foul Up the Discipline of Your Children - by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon; Meditations For Household Piety - by Lewis Bayly (1575-1631) Motives for Family Worship - by Dr. J. Merle D'Aubigne (1794-1872) On the Family and Grace - by Jonathan Edwards Even as Bishop Gibson found in Whitefield's own writings his best evidence for the evangelist's excesses, so critics of revivalism in America rifled through his published journals for the ammunition so amply supplied there. Gaustad, Edwin "Whitefield, George At the age of 22, Whitefield was ordained a deacon in the Church of England. He was a man with a conviction, and in some way not easily analyzed, as he stood before an audience of thousands, he seemed the living evidence of the gospel he preached. Whitefield spent the winter in Georgia, but he composed press releases to insure that he was not forgotten in the other colonies. John Winthrop's Christian Experience Lambert, Frank. In contemporary accounts, he, not John Wesley, is spoken of as the supreme figure and even as the founder of Methodism. An ordained … Welcomed by ministers and officials of colonies and towns, he found shops closed and business suspended during his stays, thousands of people at his heels, and many following him to the next town. 04. Eventually he became notorious for his abusiveness, and critics accused him of simply engaging in self-promotion. Upon returning to England and being ordained as a priest, Whitefield discovered that their congregations were unwelcoming of his preaching style. ." He was a mediocre student but excelled in drama. ." Enter George Whitefield. "George Whitefield Colonial America Reference Library. World Encyclopedia. 21 Dec. 2020 . He was appointed minister of Savannah, in the newly founded colony of Georgia, and in 1739 established an orphanage called Bethesda some ten miles from the city. WHITEFIELD, GEORGE. Encyclopedia of World Biography. http://www.txdirect.net/_tgarner/webdoc5.htm Available July 13, 1999. Whitefield died while on a preaching tour in America in a parsonage belonging to the Old South Presbyterian Church in Newburypot, Massachusetts in September, 1770. American Eras. 21 Dec. 2020 . At 22 he was ordained at Gloucester Cathedral and received his bachelor of arts degree from Oxford. ." Apologies. favorable reports on his miraculous conversion of masses of people. "George Whitefield." WHITEFIELD, GEORGE (1714–1770), English evangelist and itinerant revivalist in America. . He was known as the "Great Itinerant" because he traveled and preached all around North … Refer to each style’s convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. When he reached Savannah he brought over 2,500 pounds (a sum of British money) that he had collected on preaching tours in the British Isles. Still, by the thousands the people came to hear and to believe, in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England as well as throughout the American colonies. Two years later the couple had their only child, a son, who died a few months after birth. Encyclopedia of the American Revolution: Library of Military History. At 21 he professed personal religious conversion, and thereafter to the last day of his life his all-consuming desire was to tell of the "new birth" he had experienced. He continued to be greeted enthusiastically by huge crowds. Extremist Imitators. Encyclopedia.com. His heart had been in the right place, he maintained; it was just that his dramatic flair had gotten out of hand. Whitefield had the cooperation of many Congregationalist, Presbyterian, and Reformed clergymen, but was usually turned away by his Anglican colleagues. (December 21, 2020). "George Whitefield Whitefield, on the other hand, was a widely admired, steadfast champion of Georgia. He used the increased ease of travel and the communications network of the eighteenth century to spread his message through a series of transatlantic revivals that became the Great Awakening in America. Encyclopedia of Religion. Encyclopedia.com. Colonial America Reference Library. Retrieved December 21, 2020 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/whitefield-george-0. Encyclopedia of Religion. It was wonderful to see the change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants, from being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk through the streets in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street. The Oxford Companion to British History. In public he set aside his sweet and gentle personality to become a riveting, even intimidating speaker. 21 Dec. 2020 . 21 Dec. 2020 . During his childhood Whitefield had the measles, which left him with crossed eyes and a squint. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1991. Whitefield had found his calling, and news of his remarkable speaking abilities reached churches in other cities. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. (December 21, 2020). l. tyerman, The Life of the Rev. Parents: Thomas and Elizabeth Whitefield. American Eras. At the peak of his first popularity Whitefield surprised all by announcing his intention of going to Georgia as a missionary. | About Us | How to Cite | Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Advertising Info. At Oxford, Whitefield met John Wesley and Charles Wesley, brothers who had founded a society called the Oxford methodists in 1729. He broke down walls that separated people: class, race, and religion. Following his ordination in 1736, he preached his first sermon and was amazed at the result, reporting that “I drove 15 mad.” He had found his calling, and news of Whitefield’s ability spread by word of mouth. 21 Dec. 2020 . (December 21, 2020). What Edwards inaugurated, Whitefield reinforced. ." He opposed the prohibition against the institution in Georgia on the basis that it … George Whitefield was born in the Bell Tavern, Gloucester. In 1765 he became chaplain to Selina, Countess of Huntingdon, whose followers shared his theological views. Many other preachers now gave sermons out of doors, mobs materialized and drowned out even his powerful voice, and former supporters either condemned his extremism or took it further. His later confessions of early wickedness were probably exaggerated, but they can be understood as belonging to this setting. In his school and college days Whitefield experienced a strong religious awakening that he called a “new birth.”. More than any other preacher of his day, he made the Great Awakening a vital, far-reaching force, religiously, socially, and politically, in America. In England Whitefield was closely associated with Howell Harris, and in 1743 he was chosen to be moderator for life of the Calvinistic Welsh Methodists. Traveled to Savannah, Georgia supported Bethesda, contributing large amounts of his life he financially supported,... `` Let the dead bury their dead. forgotten in the inn george whitefield religion the night he composed releases. 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