The Accidental Revolutionary: George Whitefield and the Creation of America

Foreword

ix 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 The Accidental Revolutionary x 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 xi Foreword 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...