A new theology was starting to be preached in the English colonies in the early to mid- 1700s. The Reverend Jonathan Edwards began speaking about the New Birth. This theology was something new for Christians, but it would have a far-reaching effect upon Christianity as we know it today. While Edwards was instrumental in starting this idea, it would be the Englishman George Whitefield who spread this theology across the colonial landscape.
Whitefield arrived in the colonies in 1739; however, before his departure from England, Whitefield embraced a new business idea to enhance his status. Using clever marketing ideas, such as sending previously preached sermons to ministers in the colonies as well as to influential newspapers, he created this sense of celebrity status about himself which would lead many colonists to attend his sermons. However, Whitefield, an ordained minister in the Church of England (Anglican), often spoke out against the Church and as a result was often denied access to churches in the colonies. Faced with this dilemma Whitefield then began what became known as open-air revivals. Now that he spoke outdoors many more colonists could attend his sermons.
Having established this celebrity status led thousands upon thousands to attend his sermons in the open air. Whitefield believed it was his mission to convert the world, and there was no better place to start than in the colonies, which were mostly inhabited by so-called dissenters. These were the people who emigrated from England, as well as other European countries, to escape traditional religious denominations and practices, such as the Roman Catholic and Anglican church. While Whitefield preached his new theology in the colonies, he also believed he needed to impress upon the Anglican denomination of the importance of his belief. Whitefield stated, ..."if I want to convince Church of England Protestants, I must prove that the generality of their teachers do not preach the Truth as it is in Jesus."
Whitefield would become one of the greatest evangelists to ever preach the Word of God in the colonies. Following the new theological belief first proposed by Jonathan Edwards and others, such as Anne Hutchinson, Whitefield would go on to expand this theology of the new birth along with a personal relationship with Christ as the focal point of his theology. His strength of conviction certainly made Whitefield America's Christian reformer.
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