Forgotten Founding Father
Many of the colonists considered George Whitfield the father of their revolution. Forgotten Founding Father captures the early struggles and international successes of this amazing leader. The result is a portrait of a gifted but flawed human who yielded himself as a tool in the hands of a sovereign God.
Also portrayed is how important Whitefield was to the American cause and how much Americans today owe to him — a story that will inspire a new generation with a past vividly and truthfully retold.
For many of those who are even familiar with his name, George Whitefield is thought of as a preacher, a man connected with the Great Awakening in the 1700s. While this is true, it is only part of the story.
As a student at Oxford University, he experienced a spiritual awakening under the influence of John Wesley’s Methodists and immediately began tending to prisoners, caring for the poor, and preaching the Christian gospel. He met with astounding success, in time speaking to larger crowds than had ever gathered in the history of England.
Whitefield became the most famous man of his age. His impact upon the American colonies, however, may have been his most lasting gift. In seven tours of the colonies, Whitefield preached from Georgia to Maine, calling the colonists to spiritual conversion and challenging them in their sense of national destiny.
- About the author: Stephen Mansfield is a New York Times bestselling author and a popular speaker who also leads a media training firm based in Washington, DC.