George Whitefield: An Anointed Ministry, An Impassioned Heart

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	• George Whitefield: The Life and Times of the Great Evangelist of the Eighteenth-Century Revival - Volume I Arnold A. Dallimore Banner of Truth, 1970 - 612 pages average customer review:based on 10 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Perhaps the Best biography of Whitefield ever written.

Dallimore's Whitefield is perhaps the best biography of that great man ever written. One is taken into his life and Age. After reading 'Whitefield' one knows the man before his conversion and after his personal awakening that not only quickened his spirit, but awakened many generations to the reality of a living God. The scholarship is complete and does not slow down the exciting narrative of the life of one of the most active men of the 18th century. The coverage of the friendship and debate between Whitefield and Wesley is both sensitive and accurate conveying both the heat and the goodwill that joined and separated the two friends. The book is a boon for our less than spiritual Age and will do much to transmit the living mystery Whitefield dedicated his life to proclaim.

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Among the very best

This two-volume work is truly exceptional. I find myself regularly discouraged at the condition of religion (I use the word advisedly) in America, and find the Whitefield biography a real refreshment to the soul, a reminder of what God has done in the past and a foretaste of good things to come. Extremely encouraging!

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George Whitefield: An Anointed Ministry, An Impassioned Heart

Well, I finally saved up the money and sprung for this two-volume full-length account of the life of George Whitefield. I had whetted my appetite on the abbreviated volume "George Whitefield: God's Anointed Servant in the Great Revival of the Eighteenth Century" by the same author. I can honestly say this is one of the best investments I've ever made. Reading the life of such a great saint--this Christ-loving, gospel-centered minister--has served to rekindle my passion for the gospel and rejuvenate the love of God in my soul more than once. I most highly recommend it.

This Volume: This is the FIRST volume of Dallimore's two-volume biography of George Whitefield. This is very important if you intend on buying one volume now and purchasing the other later. The information on the Banner of Truth (the publisher's) website is incorrect--the green volume is volume #1 (picture of Whitefield in a field surrounded by a crowd) and the red volume is #2 (picture of an older Whitefield in a church pulpit). I had to wait an extra few months to recieve the first volume before I could begin reading either. Each volume is about 600 pages in length and is chock full of stories, information and insightful commentary. Dallimore does not spare the details of the lives of those closest to Whitfield--including John Cennick, Howell Harris, Jonathan Edwards, and of course John and Charles Wesley. This first volume deals with the period of time from Whitefield's birth, through the advent of the open-air ministry and his first visit to North America and closes with his return to England in the wake of Wesley's controversial ministry.

The Subject Matter: Wow. Simply wow. I mean--who knew? I'd always heard that John Wesley was the sole founder of Methodism. In fact, the only thing I knew about George Whitefield was that he was attributed with a few neat quotes (ie. "Let the name of Whitefield perish, but Christ be glorified!", "I am weary in Thy work, but not weary of it", etc.) and that he once spoke at Jonathan Edwards' Northhampton church (at which time he left Edwards in tears). I fully expect that if it were not for this work of Dallimore, the name of Whitefield truly would be lost to persons such as myself. What I expected was another (Calvinistic) Wesley. What I found was a man whose zeal, love, holiness of life and passion for Christ seemed to equal even those I hold in highest regard (among whom are Martin Luther and Charles Spurgeon). Whitefield was a tireless worker for God and his zeal for the gospel was only matched by his selfless compassion for his fellow man. He was the first of the great open-air preachers and nudged both John and Charles Wesley into evangelistic ministry. Whitefield's life is a beautiful illustration of Christian ministry and evangelistic zeal. I cannot recommend this man highly enough.

The Author: Dallimore was a Baptist pastor and semi-prolific biographer. This two-volume biography of George Whitefield is truly Dallimore's magnum opus. He has delved deeper into the mind and heart of this great evangelist than any of his previous biographers. It is both informative and inspirational. No space feels wasted despite the length of the account and the multitudinous strands of the storyline are brought together in a masterful way.

The Reader: Who should read this book? I would recommend it most highly to pastors and other evangelical Christians whose zeal for God and spiritual wells have begun to run dry. Evangelical Calvinistic Christians will get the greatest benefit from this read. But it may also prove of great interest to those of the Methodist heritage. Also, all who are called to the ministry of evangelism (teaching and preaching) could not but benefit from this work. Whitefield's zeal is contagious and his meekness humbling. The mere historian might enjoy the factual aspects of the book, but it was written from a distinctively evangelical Christian perspective.

"Weary in Thy work, but not weary of it." -G. Whitefield

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A definitive biography of amazing preacher

This is the most definitive biography I have ever read. He quotes extensively from John and Charles Wesley, Mrs. Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards, Ben Franklin, Whitefield himself, and a multitude of others. At times, Dallimore reports almost on a day-by-day basis. This biography reports on his life, his loves, his work, his theology, his acheivements and failures. These books are a remarkable biography considering the author lived in the middle of nowhere, USA.

The author tried to present a balanced view of Whitefield, although from the text, one can infer how much Dallimore admires Whitefield and agrees Whitefield's theology. Dallimores realizes this and goes out of his way to point out what he perceives as Whitefield's weaknesses. Most of the weaknesses occur early in his ministry.

Dallimore writes well, but at times he seems stilted. I think Dallimore misses some of Whitefield's weaknesses, but the biography is so extensive that the reader can make his or her own judgments on the matter. Another slight weakness is that Dallimore quotes so extensively that it slows down the narrative at times. On the whole though, he does a very good job.

Whitefield was an amazing man. He gave himself wholeheartedly to his ministry. This biography did a great job of placing Whitefield in his historical context.

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Biography at its Best

Few recent books have so wide and so deep an impact as Arnold Dallimore's magisterial biography of George Whitefield. The first volume, stretching from Whitefield's birth in 1714 to his section visit to American in 1740 was published in 1970 and has since been reprinted six times. The second volume, which stretches from 1740 until Whitefield's death in 1770, was published ten years later in 1980. It has been reprinted three times. Together the volumes comprise some 1200 pages of detailed biography. Rarely have I had a biography recommended to me by so many and by men of such distinction. Rarely have I benefited more from reading about another man's life.

I have noticed a strange phenomenon with this biography. Where most books of this one's scope and impact have been widely and thoroughly reviewed, this one seems to be an exception. As I attempted to write a review I may have found out why this is: it is very difficult to adequately sum up so much content in just a few words. And, as with any biography, it is difficult to measure and summarize the impact of such a book. Instead I am left doing what others have done--writing thoughts on the book that somehow seem disconnected and inadequate. Even Gary Gilley, a reviewer who is rarely lost for words, can write no more than this: "It would be difficult to lavish too much praise on Dallimore's two volume biography of the famous eighteenth century evangelist George Whitefield. This is the definitive work of Whitefield's life and ministry, dispelling many misconceptions while showing the true character and impact of this most remarkable man. Along the way the reader also receives valuable insight into the lives of the Wesleys, Jonathan Edwards and the Moravians. This is one of the greatest biographies ever written."

The Foreword to the first volume is supplied by no one less than Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. The Doctor suggests that he waited decades to find a thorough and authoritative biography of Whitefield, a man he regarded as a historical hero. This book, he felt, which appeared on the bi-centenary of Whitefield's death, achieves the excellence Lloyd-Jones knew had long been missing. Reflecting on the life of the subject he writes "May the reading of this book produce in us the same spirit of utter submission, ready obedience, and unshakeable reliance upon the power of the Holy Spirit that characterized his life and ministry. Whitefield never drew attention to himself but always pointed people to his God and exalted his Lord and Savior. May he, though now dead for nearly 200 years, do the same for countless thousands through the reading of this book!" The intervening years, almost forty of them, have shown this to be the case.

This book's subtitle, The life and times of the great evangelist of the 18th century revival, is important in understanding the book. Whitefield found himself one of the sparks of the the Great Awakening and the revival of the 18th century. While other men played important roles, Whitefield was the pin at the center of the wheel. His tireless itinerancy took his preaching ministry to almost every corner of the United Kingdom and to almost the whole of the settled portion of the United States. But for illness he would also have extended his ministry to Canada. Perhaps one of this book's greatest contributions is in helping people separate the life and contributions of George Whitefield from those of John Wesley--a man who Whitefield always loved but who so often opposed him. This biographies shows conclusively that it was Whitefield's ministry that sparked the awakening.

I was grateful to see that Dallimore deals fairly with Whitefield's shortcomings in these volumes. This is no hagiography--worship of a saint that is free from difficult examinations of the subject's failings. Though Dallimore has to confess that he finds surprisingly little fault with the man, he deals frankly and forthrightly with those areas in which Whitefield showed immaturity, poor judgment or poor discernment. He questions Whitefield's decision to marry and the unusual circumstances surrounding his first rejected proposal of marriage. He does not shy from discussing Whitefield's role in justifying and even promoting slavery in the colonies. He does not allow the passing of the years or his deep respect for his subject to mislead him or to excuse sin. Experience shows that this quality is surprisingly rare in such biographies.

Eminently readable despite its length and depth, this biography only reinforces my belief that biographies can be among the greatest catalysts to spiritual growth. It is a classic and one that takes its place among my favorite biographies along with such great titles as Marsden's Jonathan Edwards and Dallimore's own Spurgeon. It will prove valuable to pastors or evangelists as they see the example of a man who labored tirelessly for the gospel; it will prove valuable to all Christians as they see the example of a man who labored tirelessly to grow even and ever closer to his Savior. Whitefield is a man who stands as an example to all of us. Dallimore has done us a great service in opening up to us the life of this great man of God.

Together these two volumes represent a financial investment that is not insignificant. Purchased together they are likely to cost at least sixty or seventy dollars. But I can testify, as can a long list of people of far greater wisdom and discernment than I, that they are well worth the investment.

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