George Whitefield: The First Transatlantic Revivalist

Written by
George Whitefeild
A review of this book was compiled by:
Shaun Brauteseth

A summary of this book:

George Whitefield was an absolute phenomenon, preaching to thousands upon thousands of people in the eighteenth century. For a time he was the most famous man in all of America, and his preaching caused revivals on different continents. This book is the description of his life and ministry.

What did you like about the book?

It’s very thorough and detailed. Scotland is clearly an excellent historical scholar.

What did you not like about this book?

In all honestly, as technically detailed as the book is, I was looking for something with a bit of personality - for Scotland to insert some of his own thoughts about Whitefield. It’s essentially a heavily-footnoted, straight-faced report; it’s good, but lacking something dynamic. With that said, the back end of the book, where Scotland begins to give details about some of Whitefield’s theological stances and ideas, is great.

Who would benefit most from reading this book?

Probably someone trying to learn about famous preachers - someone simply interested in the facts.

Do you recommend this book?

Yes, but there are some things you should know...

If someone reads this book, they should be aware of the following...

It’s worth reading purely to be humbled by Whitefield’s life, but isn’t the most engaging read.

About the book review author:

Shaun and Sam fell in love while leading the youth together, and were married in 2012, which was the same year they joined the team as an eldership couple. In 2018 they began to lead the Walmer PM congregation.