Acknowledgments
Writing this book would not have been possible without the support of numerous institutions, teachers, friends, and family. It is a joy to write this note of thanks and to remember the many gifts I have received along the way.
I am grateful for the generous support of many foundations and institutions. The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Huntington Library, and the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts at the University of Notre Dame provided funding that made the research for this project possible. Thanks to their generous support, I was able to spend extended periods of time at the Massachusetts Historical Society, the New York Historical Society, the American Philosophical Society, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Georgia Historical Society, and the Huntington Library. Newbigin House of Studies provided funding for research at Lambeth Palace Library toward the end of this project. Visits to these many archives afforded the time to read rare manuscripts as well as a place for stimulating conversations with colleagues that yielded directions for this study beyond what I could have imagined at the outset.
This project benefited from the many excellent contributions at “George Whitefield at 300: An International Tercentenary Conference at Pembroke College, Oxford University.” During this conference at the college where young Whitefield himself was a student, I met many of the leading lights who have illuminated my study of Whitefield’s life and early evangelicalism. It was a special delight to meet the organizers, Geordan Hammond and David Ceri Jones, and I thank them for including my chapter on Whitefield’s quest for Bethesda College in their edited volume George Whitefield: Life, Context, and Legacy (Oxford University Press, 2016). Their skillful feedback and probing questions strengthened my argument in chapter 6 of this book. I also want to thank Tommy Kidd for inviting me to present a paper on Whitefield and slavery at the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University, during another tercentennial conference. The opportunity to discuss Whitefield with thoughtful scholars like Kidd, David Bebbington, and Bruce Hindmarsh provided stimulating insights for this project, and many ideas from conversations over those few days in Waco still linger in my mind today.
Owing a debt of gratitude to so many institutions and persons is a humbling reminder that studying the past is an enormous undertaking that depends on the generosity of others. I have benefited immensely from many historians. During my years at Calvin Theological Seminary, Lyle Bierma, Richard Muller, and Henry Zwaanstra showed me the spiritual significance of studying church history. They imparted not only wisdom but also gnawing questions that would eventually drive me back to further graduate work in history. At an early stage of this journey, when the paucity of manuscripts from Whitefield’s later years could easily have led me to abandon course, David Ceri Jones shared a veritable treasure map pointing to hundreds of Whitefield documents in far-flung repositories. James Bradley, during a conversation in Pasadena, encouraged me to think more broadly about the Hanoverian context. On a wintry morning in Grand Rapids, George Marsden didn’t pull any punches in offering incisive questions that eventually sharpened my analysis of the relationship between Whitefield and Catholicism.
I am deeply thankful for members of the committee supervising my dissertation, from which this book originated. James Turner challenged me to expand my understanding of the British Atlantic world. Tom Kselman encouraged me to ask good social and cultural questions in the study of religious history. Patrick Griffin showed me that the historian’s craft is a painstaking art and that clear thinking is the essential labor of writing well.
Above all, Mark Noll provided wise counsel and ongoing encouragement from start to finish. He always modeled genuine and enthusiastic curiosity about the past, challenged me to let discordant voices speak for themselves, and taught me to venture interpretation with precision and charity. He listened to and read my words so carefully that he often knew what I was trying to say better than I did. Ever the patient teacher, he also knew when to give time and space when I needed to learn for myself. I am still rediscovering Post-it notes with profundities in barely legible script on books and articles he has shared with me over the years. I have learned so much from him; it is hard to imagine a mentoring experience more formative and inspiring.
Somewhere in the middle of this endeavor, Jul Medenblik and Ronald Feenstra took a chance on a doctoral candidate in the throes of dissertating and welcomed me back to Calvin Seminary, where, as a former student turned teacher, I had the blessing of working alongside many incredible people. I am indebted to the Reformed tradition I learned at Calvin for pointing the way to hermeneutical humility and patience.
I currently have the tremendous privilege of working at not one but two institutions that help my scholarly endeavors to integrate spiritual questions. My work at Newbigin House of Studies and City Church San Francisco challenges my study of history to include a concern for the common good and human flourishing. I owe a special debt of gratitude to Scot Sherman and Fred Harrell for their encouragement of my work and for providing leadership that courageously pushes boundaries.
It has been a great pleasure to work with a wonderful team at Eerdmans. David Bratt as editor guided the whole process with a deft hand. Jenny Hoffman gave painstaking attention to details with grace and professionalism. As a first-time author with little clear sense of what to expect, this process showed me once again the value of collaboration and exceeded my expectations at seemingly every turn.
Many friends and family gave support and encouragement throughout the writing of this book. Young Kim shared his contagious love of history. Rachel Lee and Andrew Kim helped me to see things I would not have seen on my own. Jordyn Cho, Abe Cho, Jason Wallace, and Kathy Wallace offered hospitality during what seemed like interminably peripatetic jaunts from archive to archive, coast to coast. Throughout this process, as always, my parents provided unconditional encouragement and the unmatched gift of their prayers. Elijah, Zachary, and Josiah not only put up with a dad who too often had the eighteenth century on his mind but even evidenced interest on occasion by asking, “Can you tell us more about that Whitefield guy?”
I have saved the best for last, for the end of this project is a fitting time to thank the person who means most in my life. It is a testament to her spirit that my affection for Minsun deepens with each passing day. Without her, not only this work but so much else would not have been possible. Her love and support mean more to me than words can express, but I look forward to many years of trying.