Foreword
Foreword
Many people have heard of George Whitefield, and some might even know that he was a preacher from the colonial American period involved in the Great Awakening. But few can say more. Many history books don’t mention him, and those that do often only give him a paragraph. Yet I believe that Whitefield held as much influence on Americans as any other figure in history when placed in the proper perspective.
A leading American media personality recently made the statement, “No Whitefield, no revolution!”1 This was a bold statement that deserves a closer look. If indeed this priest from the Church of England was instrumental in “awakening” Americans from the religious doldrums; and if he influenced the way an entire generation understood itself; and if he steered these people toward a certain flavor of religion that embraced the idea of being independent from an overbearing official state church; and if he consistently—over a thirty-year period—told Americans how they ought to respond to political issues; and if a majority of Americans were indeed “religious” at the time of the Declaration of Independence, then connecting Whitefield to the Revolution is a very reasonable idea.
While George Whitefield may indeed be a forgotten founder, we can still wonder if it even matters. If America was not “religious” in the decade leading up to the war for independence, and if the war for independence was, as one historian claims, a “thoroughly secular event,” then why should we even care if a certain priest was a political activist? It matters because modern Americans are in the midst of a culture war in 2010 where each side argues about what the “founders” believed. There were about thirty leaders we now recognize as founders. Currently historians are divided, with some arguing for a secular, enlightened, deistic America, while others argue for a highly religious America. Although our founders were certainly educated and enlightened, only a few wore the label “deist.” New research is showing that a majority of them were highly religious, and that some of the well-known deists converted back to mainline religion prior to their deaths.2 The issues are deeper than simply correcting a footnote in the history books. It matters because the Supreme Court of the United States routinely cites the intentions of the founding fathers when making landmark decisions that affect all Americans. So it is essential to have accurate ideas of what kind of people these were. The intriguing life of George Whitefield can shed some light.
The following story takes on great significance as we seek to understand what Americans thought they were fighting about in two wars, from 1756 to 1763 and from 1775 to 1789. Historians agree that Whitefield had a unique gift in oratory. They also agree that he was a central figure in the Great Awakening (1739–1742). And they agree that he became the first international celebrity. But the debate begins when considering the impact of any religious figure of the colonial period on wider American society. Some historians are hesitant to include Whitefield as a founder or admit that religion played a central role in motivating Americans to make war with France and then declare independence from England.
A modern idea, which we have to discard, is the idea that there was a separation of church and state in the American colonies. There was a good reason that the American founders included this clause in the Bill of Rights—church and state were not separate! Each year, Americans see court cases and legislative efforts to further limit the ways in which government-funded organizations are restricted from “endorsing” a particular religion, such as an elementary school nativity play. But if we travel into the past decades, we can visualize that government and religion were increasingly blended as we move back in time. And if we imagine a colonial America where this concept of separation has not been introduced yet, we will see a society where church membership was required for public office and presidents called for national days of fasting, prayer, and thanksgiving. In fact, colonial leaders like Charles Chauncy called New England a “Church-State.” The first amendment to the Constitution, which merely sought to stop federal government funding of “preferred” churches, was not even ratified until the Revolutionary War was over. From 1740 through 1776 there was a marriage between the two institutions that continued at the state level well into the 1800s.
I want to tell Whitefield’s story in this book with special attention to British and American politics and Whitefield’s involvement in the public sphere. We will look at the message he preached to the degree to which he held political influence. (I plan to publish another book that fully explores his preaching style and the content of his evangelistic messages.) The claim this book makes is this: Whitefield had a great deal of influence upon a large number of American colonists, and he prescribed political beliefs for those who listened to him, beliefs that were essential for people to recognize British oppression when they saw it and conclude that independence was their best option.
Ultimately, Whitefield helped to unite the colonies in spirit—literally. He prepared the minds of people for whom declaring independence from England seemed like a sensible thing and the right thing to do. Without George Whitefield, this author argues, American independence would have come much later, if at all.
Let’s keep in mind that a person can do or say something without realizing where it could lead. Ultimately, I believe that Whitefield did not realize his messages would lead America to a separation from England. He simply sought to oppose corruption, highlight the abuse of power, and preserve the right of colonists to worship at the church of their choice. Whitefield was a reformer, not necessarily a revolutionary. But of all the colonial leaders and their ideas, if you remove Whitefield and his contribution, no one else had the message, popularity, and influence to shape American colonists into people who could declare independence. Indeed, I believe Whitefield converted the colonists not just to Christianity. In a larger sense, his ideas converted the colonies into a unified America from the diverse ethnic and religious-based communities all over the eastern seaboard.
The concept for this work came to me as I realized that the ideas in my prior book, Preaching Politics (Baylor University Press, 2007), were written in a more scholarly tone. So I wanted to tell the story in a way that everyone could enjoy. Along the way, I have learned more about Whitefield and American history, and I also received some wonderful suggestions from colleagues and friends. I have included these missing puzzle pieces in the story. I have incorporated many lengthy quotes to help readers gain a feel for the thinking of the period, leaving in the italics, faulty spelling, and other peculiar (to us today) features of that era’s writing. In the interest of simplicity, I have left out references for quotes from people who lived in the colonial period but have used them where I am quoting modern historians. I meticulously footnoted and argued out the nuances of Whitefield’s story in my prior book Preaching Politics, which I recommend for any scholar of Whitefield who wishes to reference the citations.3
I am deeply indebted to several people for this work: Carey Newman, the director of Baylor University Press, who liked the original idea and encouraged me to move forward with this project; Lainey Mahaffey, my wife, who believes in me and edited the manuscript, pointing out confusing sentences; and Diane Shriver, a colleague, who edited the manuscript for grammatical consistency and helped me to add color and imagery to the story.
For those who wish to mine new information about George Whitefield’s life, I suggest scanning the newspapers of the period in America, England, and Scotland or digging through the letters and memoirs of Whitefield’s friends and acquaintances. Since other able authors have written fine biographies about Whitefield’s early life and religious ministry, I will focus this account on his persuasive abilities and political activism. For those who want to learn more about Whitefield’s life, I heartily recommend the books of Harry Stout and Stephen Mansfield. Scholarly works that have influenced me are by authors Frank Lambert, Mark Noll, and Thomas Kidd. Enjoy the story, knowing that the history of America and the intentions of our founding fathers—and the implications this knowledge holds for modern Americans—hangs in the balance.