thank-you for highlighting the great Whitefield. I personally am I Whitefieldien methodist, although there are not many of us left. I believe one of the greatest tragedies and injustices in Christian history has been the neglect of Whitefield. I have begun to wonder if many of the problems in the modern church have come over a long period of time because Wesley, not Whitefield has had more influence, due to the rewriting of history. It is my prayer that God would send us another Whitefield. Thanks again for the great work.

What kind of Christianity do we truly have these days? Where is the abhorrence of sin? Where is the humble repentance? Oh wait, that’s right, we’ve redefined sin and repentance to mean “mistakes” and “having a better attitude.”

God save us from lukewarm Christianity [and i don’t mean that we just “get fired up for Jesus”].

Reading those two volumes must have been a real shot in the arm. Just reading the above info. has made my day. Perhaps we all need to brush up on our christian history lest we be overcome by the present culture.

I had to come back to say that this is an excellent example why Christians need to be reading. It floors me when I hear a Christian say he doesn’t read anything but his bible.

“John Wesley, who plays a prominent role in the life of Whitefield (and who rarely says anything worth remembering),…”

Seems a bit harsh and disparaging toward John Wesley; I believe that besides having admiration of George Whitefield for his unswerving commitment and preaching we should also look to him and John Wesley on how to handle disagreements within the Body of Christ. They passionately disagreed over “Free Grace” yet they always spoke highly of each other. Wesley preached Whitefield funeral. I cannot find the quote I once read, so I will paraphrase. When Wesley was asked if he thought that he would see George Whitefield in heaven, he said he doubted that he would be able to see him as George Whitefield’s place in heaven would be so much closer to the Thrown of God than his. Since without a source the above paraphrase/story amounts to urban legend here is a quote from Mr. Whitefield pertaining to Mr. Wesley:

“The good Mr. John Wesley has done in America is inexpressible. His name is very precious among the people; and he has laid a foundation that I hope neither men nor devils will ever be able to shake.”

I’m afriad that Wesley is not quite the great Christian leader he is portrayed as today. No doubt he was a mighty man of God, and we will all sit at his feet in glory, metaphorically speaking, but he had many considerable faults, none less than the way he treated Whitefield, and certianly the way he abused Augustus Toplady. The quote you attribute to Wesley was in fact spoken by Whitefield about Wesley. If you know anything of the history, unfortunately Wesley’s treatment of Whitefield ocassionally bordered on the scandalous. I’m not going to argue the point; except to say that history has been re-written by many Wesleyans to Whitefields discredit. Who was the first to be converted? Who was the first to begin open air preaching? Who was the instrument used of God to begin the great revival? Who coined the term methodist and was the known in their lifetime as its leader? Who was superior as a preacher and theologian? Who was the one who showed great conduct when mistreated by the other? Whitefield everytime.
The only reason I think this is important is because we need to a return in the church today to the faith and practice of Whitefield, instead of Wesley. Whitefield has suffered a great deal to his reputation because Wesley is often credited with the things Whitefield in fact accomplished.

Careful there. You appear to be much enamored with Whitefield over Wesley. They are mere men after all. Don’t forget that it was Whitefield who instigated the fued between the two men when he published a confidential conversation between the two men. Some have called it “arrogant” and he humiliated Wesley publicly. Yes, he did his best to reach out to Wesley and make amends to him, but this just goes to show that we must be careful of our words and actions, as they can do irrevocable harm to others. Both men were called of God and served God with all of their heart — they just didn’t agree on doctrinal issues. I’m sure we all have some straightening out to be done in our beliefs when we get to heaven. But they also found the common ground of faith in Christ to fellowship on — and they always showed respect for one another’s person and ministry, despite any personal differences. It is encouraging to see that people that are so fully dedicated to God and passionate about His gospel, are also still working out their human faults before a merciful God. It helps us see that when we see two ministers today in conflict or competition, that nothing much has changed — we’re all human after all. And we are all subject to the same temptations of the flesh and elevating ourselves that man has been from the beginning. Help us Lord! It is Jesus who is perfect and who strengthens us to be the best we can be in Him. What a legacy these two men have left the church — not only in their generation, but for many to come, passing the torch of faith. I thank God for them.