Search results
George Whitefield (/ ˈ hw ɪ t f iː l d /; 27 December [O.S. 16 December] 1714 – 30 September 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican minister and preacher who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement.
George Whitefield, Church of England evangelist who by his popular preaching stimulated the 18th-century Protestant revival throughout Britain and in the British American colonies. He played a leading part in the Great Awakening and in the early Methodist movement.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Childhood Theatrical Talent
- New Birth Mission
- Marvel of The Age
- Discordant View on Slavery
- A Helpmate
- A Quiet Legacy
- Sources
Whitefield grew up in Gloucester, England, where he worked as a boy in his parents’ inn and tavern. His father was also a wine merchant who died when George was only 2 years old. In childhood, George discovered an unquenchable passion and extraordinary gift for the performing arts. He read theatrical works endlessly and even skipped classes to prac...
Whitefield’s conversion experience set him on a mission—the Great Commission—to preach the gospel message of salvation in Jesus Christto people everywhere. After his ordination in the Anglican Church of England, Whitefield began preaching. His first sermon was delivered at age 21. Because he often confronted the religious establishment, church door...
With his flair for dramatic expression, Whitefield’s sermons were exceptional, bringing the characters of the Bibleto life like never before. Not only were his audiences unprecedented in size, but his listeners found themselves spellbound. Mobs of enthusiastic people practically trampled one another to hear the celebrated preacher. Later, these sam...
While far from an abolitionist, Whitefield was deeply disturbed to witness the brutal treatment of slaves. With increasing frequency, he sought to preach the good news to them. He also rebuked slaveowners who mistreated their slaves and deprived them access to hearing the gospel. Whitefield’s messages were so well received by slaves that some histo...
Whitefield sought a wife who would be a helpmate to him in his tireless missionary journeys and orphanage work. In 1741, he married Elizabeth James, a 36-year-old widow from Wales and a recent convert to Christianity. Elizabeth gave birth to their only child in 1743, but the baby boy died only four months later. Whitefield’s wife ministered by his ...
Whitefield’s preaching ministry spanned 33 years during which he traveled seven times to America, 15 times to Scotland, and exhaustively throughout England and Wales. His most significant impact was felt in America and Scotland, where the winds of revival had already begun to blow through the ministry of local pastors and evangelists. Along with th...
“George Whitefield.” 131 Christians Everyone Should Know.“Whitefield, George (1714–70).” New Dictionary of Theology: Historical and Systematic.“ Heavenly Comet.” Christian History Magazine-Issue 38: George Whitefield: 18th C. Preacher & Revivalist.“Whitefield, George.” Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals.Largely forgotten today, George Whitefield was probably the most famous religious figure of the eighteenth century. Newspapers called him the "marvel of the age."
George Whitefield was indisputably the most popular preacher of the Evangelical Revival in Great Britain and the Great Awakening in America. His unrivaled preaching ability, evangelistic fervor, and irregular methods paved the way for the Protestant multidenominational system that developed in America as well as the American Revolution itself.
- whitefieldcenter@gmail.com
Feb 3, 2009 · The facts about George Whitefield’s preaching as an eighteenth-century itinerant evangelist are almost unbelievable. Can they really be true? Judging by multiple attestations of his contemporaries — and by the agreement of sympathetic and unsympathetic biographers — they seem to be so.
People also ask
Who was George Whitefield?
Should George Whitefield be considered a 'great'?
How old was Thomas Whitefield when he was born?
Who was Whitefield in the Great Awakening?
May 13, 2015 · George Whitefield was born on 16 December 1714 (27 December 1714 on our current calendar) 6 in the city of Gloucester at the Bell Inn, Southgate Street, near the central crossroads. He was the youngest of seven children of Thomas and Elizabeth Whitefield.
