George Whitefield (Whitfield)
December 16, 1714 – September 30, 1770
“He planted evangelism in America”
“America’s Spiritual Founding Father”
Parents: Thomas and Elisabeth Whitefield (seven children), George youngest, born in Bell Inn in Gloucester, England which parents owned. Dad died when he was two, and mother left step-father when George was six.
Crypt School. Early talent for acting and theater, and acting stories of the Bible
1732 Whitefield enrolls Pembroke College, Oxford University (Granter free tuition)
1735 joins “Holy Club” with Charles and John Wesley, and experienced spiritual “New Birth”, three years before the Wesley’s’ experience at Aldersgate.
1735 Takes over leadership of “Holy Club” after John and Charles Wesley leave for America.
1736 Ordained a deacon in the Church of England at Gloucester
1739 Ordained into priesthood at Oxford in January
1739 begins preaching outdoors to large crowds because Anglian Church (COE) would not allow him to preach.
Whitefield made seven trips to America, and five visits to Virginia.
December 15-16, 1739 Preached Bruton Parrish in Williamsburg, Virginia. Met with Governor.
October 14-18, 1745 Hanover County, VA. Samuel Morris, a Presbyterian brick layer, earlier converted after reading Whitefield sermons of 1739 published in the Gazette and sharing them. Morris starting holding home meetings and traveling, and built a meetinghouse. Great move of God.
January 1755 Richmond, VA area, one week revitalizing Presbyterian revival.
August 1763 Northern Neck area and Petersburg area. “Kept up spark of the revival there and in a few other places.”
May 20, 1765 Petersburg. Met with Patrick Henry speaking against Stamp Act.
Split from Wesley’s for a short time over doctrine
Married Nov 14, 1741 to widow Elizabeth James. She died of fever August 9, 1768. Son died at 4 months. She had 4 miscarriages.
Denounced slavery. Changed. In 1748-50 campaigned for slavery after seeing the need at the orphanage. Slavery legalized in Georgia in 1751.
Whitefield had charisma, loud voice, small statue, and cross-eyed appearance.
Whitefield used printed material, advance men for preaching visits, published sermons, and advance advertisement of revivals.
Became very famous and well known internationally on both sides of Atlantic Ocean.
Benjamin Franklin heard Whitefield in Philadelphia, PA. Franklin calculated Whitefield’s voice he could be heard by 30,000 people in open air. The two became life-long friends. They started orphanage for boys, Charity School, which became Academy of Philadelphia (1751), then in 1755 the College of Philadelphia. Both were predecessors of the University of Pennsylvania. Whitefield statue on campus.
Whitfield County Georgia named for him.
Whitefield is honored together with Francis Asbury with a feast day on liturgical calendar of Episcopal Church (USA) on November 15.
1753 Whitefield published hymnals.
Ministered 34 years, over 18,000 sermons, audiences to 10 million people in England and America. Published 78 sermons.
When died he left everything in Georgia to Countess Huntington, included 4000 acres of land and 50 slaves.
True founder of evangelicalism.
One of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement.
Remained an Anglican priest with the Church of England.
Made 15 journeys to Scotland, 2 to Ireland, 1 to Bermuda, Gibraltar, Netherlands, and Portugal.
“First internationally famous itinerant preacher and first modern transatlantic celebrity of any kind.”