GEORGE WHITEFIELD:
Life, Context and Legacy
Editors Geordan Hammond & David Ceri Jones
Oxford University Press. 329 pages. £65.00
ISBN 978 0 198 747 079
Strictly this is not a biography of George Whitefield, although it does include a brief, but somewhat negative, sketch of his life.
It is the product of a group of academic historians who aim to present a multi-dimensional picture of a significant 18th- century figure. Putting him into his historical context, they explore the breadth of his interests and influence. The publisher advertises this as ‘a reassessment of Whitefield’s life’. Certainly his theological development is helpfully traced, as is his relationship with the CofE in whose ministry he served throughout his life. There are essays on Whitefield and the Enlightenment, the Empire and significant contemporaries. Although he was an Anglican minister, his influence was felt beyond England in Celtic and Gaelic regions and North America. Also considered is his legacy in the following two centuries. There are studies of his voice as well as the impact of the Atlantic Ocean on him. It is therefore a veritable encyclopaedia of Whitefield and his environment, supplying information more for the student of 18th-century church history rather than the person who wants to read himself into the remarkable work of God of which Whitefield was a part. The 17 contributors write with varying perspectives. It is at this point that a problem arises.
Why he was a problem
George Whitefield was not an establishment figure. Although he was a minister of the Church of England to which he repeatedly asserted his loyalty, his relationship was strained. He loved its liturgy, but was not bound by it. His adherence to the Thirtynine Articles cannot be questioned nor his spiritually affinity with so many of its ministers of the first generation.
However, even in his lifetime he was increasingly appreciated by Dissenters while he proved to be a growing irritant to the bishops. Even his roving ministry can be paralleled with that of preachers like Hugh Latimer and John Bradford, but by the mid-18th century the Anglican Church had experienced the changes of Archbishop Laud and then the influences of the Latitudinarians. To the bishops and their officials who were uphold-ers of the Establishment, Whitefield was a problem. Perhaps it is not surprising that his inspiration can elude some modern researchers. There is much useful information in these essays, but generally they do not seem likely to drive their readers to their knees.
