Theologically Indebted
In his own day, Whitefield was one of the best-known people throughout the transatlantic world. And yet today, compared to other founding fathers of the evangelical movement—people like Jonathan Edwards and John Wesley—it’s fair to say that he’s relatively less known.
As evangelicals, we are theologically indebted to the insights of the Protestant Reformation, and we are ecclesiologically indebted to many of the practices and patterns that emerged during the eighteenth century revivals—the First Great Awakening. Whitefield embodies these convictions and practices.
George Whitefield dedicated his life to teaching the Scriptures and calling people to know and love God. This biography explores the life of Whitefield as a prominent figure in the early evangelical revival in an honest, historical, and balanced way.
Theologically, we’ve inherited his emphasis on the importance of experiencing the new birth; and ecclesiologically, we’ve inherited his emphasis on transdenominational parachurch ministries—ministries that often revolve around celebrity personalities. In short, if we want to know better who we are today as evangelicals, it’s important that we we get to know Whitefield better.
Ian Maddock is coauthor with Tom Schwanda of Whitefield on the Christian Life: New Birth to Enjoy God.
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