Allen Roth's Reviews > George Whitefield: America's Spiritual Founding Father

Thomas Kidd is on a mission. He believes we will be wiser, more knowledgeable, and understanding of our national history if we get to know George Whitefield. After reading this superb biography I agree. As Dr. Kidd tells us Whitefield was the leading British/American celebrity in the decades preceding the American Revolution. His celebrity came from being an extraordinary preacher of the Gospel. The first itinerant preacher who spread the word of Christ to hundreds of thousands during the 18th century. Whitefield was tireless in his pursuit of spreading the Word and attracting people to Jesus. He preached in the American colonies, England, Wales, and Scotland. But in America is where he had the most lasting influence. Wherever he went, he would not allow denominational differences to stand in the way of bringing Christians together. Though a critic of the Catholic Church he learned from Catholic medieval Churchmen. While he could be obstinate, Dr. Kidd shows how he refused to allow personal differences to stand in the way of reconciliation, especially in the relationship with the founders of Methodism the Wesley brothers.

This book will be enjoyed and cherished by scholars and interested laymen. Whitefield played a central role, with Jonathan Edwards, in the Great Wakening that swept through the American colonies. Kidd does not hide criticism of Whitefield. For example his promotion and owning of slaves and his less than stellar treatment of his wife. But Kidd judges him in the context of Whitefield's milieu.

I especially enjoyed learning about his unlikely relationship with Benjamin Franklin. This long collaboration proved beneficial to both men and was one of mutual respect.

I hope people who are interested in Evangelical Christianity, the birth of our nation, and learning about a historical figure who merits our attention will read this superb biography.