George Whitefield Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

George Whitefield - Essay Example He died in 1770 (Orentas). Whitefield was specifically popular among the poor and the illiterate lot for his wonderful power of oratory, so they gathered in large numbers to listen to him. Brief history of George Whitefield: In his childhood days, Whitefield would often skip school in order to prepare himself for the on-stage performances that made part of his school’s co-curricular activities. He was a big fan of plays, and had read hundreds of them. In the later years of his life, Whitefield retreated from acting and spared theatrical performances altogether, yet the practice he did in the early years of his life was sufficient to inculcate the qualities of a potential preacher in him. How Whitefield got into preaching: Whitefield joined Pembroke College, Oxford after his school was over. It was the very college where Whitefield joined a community of pious â€Å"Methodists†. Those Methodists introduced themselves to others as â€Å"the Holy Club†. Wesley brothe rs, namely Charles and John were the leaders of this group. Having joined the Holy Club, Whitefield felt a change inside himself and his concerns for the religion and its teachings grew manifolds. As a result of his increased association with the religion, Whitefield took the decision of serving as a missionary in the colony of new Georgia aside the Atlantic Ocean. â€Å"Fight the good fight of faith, and God will give you spiritual mercies† (Whitefield cited in â€Å"BrainyQuote†). The qualities of George Whitefield: 1. The oratory power: The most distinguishing quality of George Whitefield was that he was blessed with a magical oratory power by the nature. He did not know it from the start, but soon as he began to make speeches in front of the public, Whitefield realized that people in the crowd hung on every single word that he uttered. He had an unusual way of portraying the characteristic features of various characters in the Bible. There used to be a great realis m in his speech. While making the speech, Whitefield used to cry and dance. He spoke at the top of his voice. David Garrick, who used to be one of the most popular actors in UK in those days said, â€Å"I would give a hundred guineas if I could say 'Oh' like Mr. Whitefield† (â€Å"Christian History†). Once, it so happened that he was speaking about eternity. While making the speech, he suddenly paused, looked sideways and screamed, â€Å"Hark! Methinks I hear [the saints] chanting their everlasting hallelujahs, and spending an eternal day in echoing forth triumphant songs of joy. And do you not long, my brethren, to join this heavenly choir?† (â€Å"Christian History†). 2. Gathering of the mass: Whitefield knew the magic of gathering people in no time. Crowds that he used to address often exceeded the entire population of the cities in which he would make the speech. Whitefield made a tour to America in 1739 with an intention to preach. His first stop in America was Philadelphia which was the world’s most cosmopolitan city. To hear his speech, so many people gathered that even the most spacious churches in Philadelphia could not accommodate them. The crowd in Philadelphia had some 8000 people in it. In order to address them all at one time, Whitefield had taken them outdoors. Often, Whitefield himself became surprised to see the volume of listeners and would think how scattered crowds managed to gather so quickly