George Whitefield and Evangelism

Foreword to republication of George Whitefield' 18 Sermons with editorial comments and Foreword by Whitefield scholar, Dr. E.A. Johnston

The Great British evangelist George Whitefield

This study examines God's sovereign providence throughout church history, emphasizing the Protestant Reformation, the Great Awakening, and the struggle for religious liberty in colonial America. Beginning with Acts 17, the lesson establishes that God governs nations, appoints their boundaries, and directs history according to His purposes. The Protestant Reformation restored Scripture's authority over church doctrine, challenging both Roman Catholic traditions and political interference in religious affairs. The Great Awakening of the eighteenth century, through preachers such as George Whitefield, John Wesley, and Gilbert Tennent, emphasized genuine conversion through the preaching of God's Word rather than mere church membership or baptism. This movement helped establish Baptist influence throughout the American colonies. Baptists faced persecution for rejecting governmental authority over the church. Their conviction that Jesus Christ alone is the church's head became foundational to their defense of religious liberty and opposition to state-controlled religion. The lesson also examines Georgia's founding under James Oglethorpe in 1732, correcting the misconception that its earliest settlers were transported prisoners. Georgia was established primarily for economic, military, and political purposes, while also reflecting the influence of the Church of England. Ultimately, this historical study reminds believers that Christ governs His church through Scripture, not political institutions. God's providence has preserved His people across generations, demonstrating His faithfulness in advancing the gospel despite persecution, human opposition, and changing governments.

In this episode, we venture into the heart of the 18th-century transatlantic awakenings to examine the fierce theological battles surrounding the revivals at Cambuslang and Kilsyth, as captured in William McCulloch's personal Examinations and James Robe's landmark Narrative. We trace how these extraordinary Scottish outpourings sparked intense opposition from the Associate Presbytery (the Seceders), who challenged the legitimacy of physical bodily distress and questioned George Whitefield's itinerant ministry and published Journals. Moving across the Atlantic, we explore how Jonathan Edwards joined hands with his Scottish brothers to craft a robust, biblical defense of genuine awakening—grounding his arguments in the enduring, moral fruits of the Holy Spirit rather than human decorum or rigid ecclesiastical boundaries. Finally, we weigh Edwards's long-range postmillennial vision in An Humble Attempt, unravelling the historical misconceptions around his prophetic timeline to reveal a deeply collaborative, transatlantic call to global prayer that would ultimately lay the foundation for modern world missions.

1. His origin 2. His conversion 3. His inclusion

In this episode, we step into the high-stakes theological and historical battlegrounds of 19th-century American Presbyterianism to confront a quiet piece of historical revisionism. Writing in the shadow of the 1837 Old School–New School split, Princeton's Charles Hodge sought to defend church order in his Constitutional History by painting the First Great Awakening—and particularly the raw, energetic ministry of a young George Whitefield—as a primary engine of fanatical pride and ecclesiastical disorder. But when we look past Hodge's Old School apologetic to the primary record, Whitefield's own humbled, edited 1756 journals, and the eyewitness conversion narratives gathered by contemporaries like William McCulloch, a vastly different picture emerges. Join us as we reassess Hodge's critique, uncover the pastoral wisdom of Archibald Alexander and Jonathan Edwards, and defend the honor and enduring legacy of one of history's most gifted young heralds of the Gospel.

Behind the iconic narrative of Jonathan Edwards' legendary sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" lies a far more intense, forgotten historical reality: the day Edwards lost control of his pulpit. Delving into rarely cited eyewitness accounts, diary entries, and the overnight prayers that preceded the famous July 8, 1741 assembly at Enfield, this deep dive peels back centuries of embellishment to reveal an unfinished sermon drowned out by cries of distress, an all-night intercessory vigil that laid the groundwork for the revival, and Edwards' own cautious distrust of the very emotional hysteria he unleashed. Discover how a team of visiting pastors stepped into the chaos of the meetinghouse floor, and why the real spark of America's Great Awakening was less about one man's literary rhetoric and far more about hidden intercession, collaborative crisis counseling, and the complex reality of human conversion.

2026 Five Solas Reformation Conference - A Life Pleasing To God Main speaker: Jeremy Walker Session 6: Joel Hietanen - A Biographical Sketch Of George Whitefield