George Whitefield Resources

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George whitefield post header Resources 2Martyn Lloyd-Jones said that George Whitefield was "the most neglected man in the whole of church history. The ignorance concerning him is appalling" (pg 105 here). He's one of the great dead guys that I am spending some time studying. This page exists to bring together various Whitefield Resources: journals, sermons, letters, biographies, websites, etc. My hope is to create a resource page of every known good Whitefield resource for my readers. Thank you for sharing it through social media, linking to it on your website or blog, etc. If you find resources I'm missing, please email them to me so I can add them.

UPDATE 9.12.12 | Not sure for how long, but The Sermons of George Whitefield (2 Vols, 976 pages, ed. Lee Gattis, footnoted, modern grammar) is $9.99 for Kindle.

START HERE

SERMONS

In Print...

NEVER REPRINTED: Sermons of George Whitefield (via Quinta Press)

JOURNALS

LETTERS

Whitefield/Wesley Exchange...

PUBLISHED BIOGRAPHIES

FREE ONLINE BIOGRAPHIES

VARIOUS MEDIA | on WHITEFIELD

BOOKS | ON WHITEFIELD

BOOKS | THE GREAT AWAKENING

Not my recommendations, but a listing of the books I have had recommended (to some degree) to me. Please let me know other books worth listing here.

PICTURES, PLACES, THINGS

Tons of photos, sketches, artwork, locations, etc., from Quinta Press...

The Story Volume 2 | FREE from Soma

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One of the great discoveries from my time just prior to and during Soma School was the Story of God, or Story-Formed Way, that Soma teaches. It was, for me, life-changing. It's something we are working through at Doxa starting in a few weeks.

Set to themes and teachings in the Story-Formed Way, Soma has offered for some time now The Story Volume 1 at "name your price" rates, meaning donation or free. I'm excited to share with my readers that The Story Volume 2 is now out, and is also for donation or free! I've just started listening to it and I'm already loving this album and the way it triggers in me a love for God's Story.

I embedded it below so you can listen to it here and click to download and/or share it. Would love to see many others embed this on their blogs so this gospel-saturated Story can be in the hands of many others.

Music Monday 9.10.12 | Streaming FREE

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New music

A whole bunch of good albums are streaming free at the moment. May I suggest you try out The Dandelion War. I'm quite interested in that one. You should know that I consider Grizzly, Avett, XX to be must-listens. But try out some of the new names you see. I've listened in part or in whole to all of these and they are worth checking out...

Who Cares About Creationists? They Don't Know Anything

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Another attempt at mass internet evangelism toward atheism via CNN & Richard Dawkins. We need to be aware...it's game on with this stuff. We need to beware not to react as mere culture warriors, but have answers for the hope that's within us. If you missed the Bill Nye video, it's worth checking out too.

Emotions That Correspond With the Weight of Reality

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John Piper on George Whitefield again, on the acting of preaching as "real acting" (bold is mine)...

If a woman has a role in a movie, say, the mother of child in a burning house, and as the cameras are focused on her, she is screaming to the firemen and pointing to the window in the second floor, we all say she is acting. But if a house is on fire in your neighborhood, and you see a mother screaming to the firemen and pointing to the window in the second floor, nobody says she’s acting. Why not? They look exactly the same.

It’s because there really is a child up there in the fire. This woman really is the child’s mother. There is real danger that the child could die. Everything is real. And that’s the way it was for Whitefield. The new birth had opened his eyes to what was real, and to the magnitude of what was real: God, creation, humanity, sin, Satan, divine justice and wrath, heaven, hell, incarnation, the perfections of Christ, his death, atonement, redemption, propitiation, resurrection, the Holy Spirit, saving grace, forgiveness, justification, reconciliation with God, peace, sanctification, love, the second coming of Christ, the new heavens and the new earth, everlasting joy. These were real. Overwhelmingly real to him. He had been born again. He had eyes to see.

When he warned of wrath, and pleaded for people to escape, and lifted up Christ, he wasn’t play-acting. He was calling down the kind of emotions and actions that correspond with such realities. That’s what preaching does. It seeks to exalt Christ, and describe sin, and offer salvation, and persuade sinners with emotions and words and actions that correspond to the weight of these realities.

If you see these realities with the eyes of your heart, and if you feel the weight of them, you will know that such preaching is not play-acting. The house is burning. There are people trapped on the second floor. We love them. And there is a way of escape.

Read or listen to the rest of Piper's powerful talk on Whitefield. A great example and explanation of what preaching should be like. I don't think we do this well, not nearly well enough. Maybe this kind of preaching would change the face of Christianity in America and the western world today. Maybe it's not just the *how* of preaching but the *where* that would enact this change.

What do you think?

Whitefield Wouldn't Let The Devil Alone

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From J.C. Ryle's "George Whitefield & His Ministry" as a brief bio in the front of Select Sermons of George Whitefield (also found here), we get a picture of his open-air preaching and the church culture that pushed him toward it (bold in the text is mine)...

Two months after this Whitefield began the practice of open-air preaching in London, on April 27, 1739. The circumstances under which this happened were curious. He had gone to Islington to preach for the vicar, his friend Mr. Stonehouse. In the midst of the prayer the churchwardens came to him and demanded his licence for preaching in the diocese of London. Whitefield, of course, had not got this licence any more than any clergyman not regularly officiating in the diocese has at this day. The upshot of the matter was, that being forbidden by the churchwardens to preach in the pulpit, he went outside after the communion-service, and preached in the churchyard. ‘And,’ says he, ‘God was pleased to assist me in preaching, and so wonderfully to affect the hearers, that I believe we could have gone singing hymns to prison. Let not the adversaries say, I have thrust myself out of their synagogues. No; they have thrust me out.’

From that day forward he became a constant field-preacher, whenever weather and the season of the year made it possible. Two days afterwards on Sunday, April 29th, he records: ‘I preached in Moorfields to an exceeding great multitude. Being weakened by my morning’s preaching, I refreshed myself in the afternoon by a little sleep, and at five went and preached at Kennington Common, about two miles from London, when no less that thirty thousand people were supposed to be present.’ Henceforth, wherever there were large open spaces round London, wherever there were large bands of idle, godless, Sabbath-breaking people gathered together, in Hackney Fields, Mary-le-bonne Fields, May Fair, Smithfield, Blackheath, Moorfields, and Kennington Common, there went Whitefield and lifted up his voice for Christ.

FOOTNOTE: The reader will remember that all this happened when London was comparatively a small place. Most of the open places where Whitefield preached are now covered with buildings. Kennington Oval and Blackheath alone remain open at this day.

The gospel so proclaimed was listened to and greedily received by hundreds who never dreamed of going to a place of worship. The cause of pure religion was advanced, and souls were plucked from the hand of Satan, like brands from the burning. But it was going much too fast for the Church of those days. The clergy, with a few honourable exceptions, refused entirely to countenance this strange preacher. In the true spirit of the dog in the manger, they neither liked to go after the semi-heathen masses of population themselves, nor liked any one else to do the work for them. The consequence was, that the ministrations of Whitefield in the pulpits of the Church of England from this time almost entirely ceased. He loved the Church in which he had been ordained; he gloried in her Articles; he used her Prayer-book with pleasure. But the Church did not love him, and so lost the use of his services. The plain truth is, that the Church of England of that day was not ready for a man like Whitefield. The Church was too much asleep to understand him, and was vexed at a man who would not keep still and let the devil alone.

Release the APE Website Is Running

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Release the ape CROP

Check out the new website of Beau Crosseto that includes other authors like JR Woodward (he posted on it today), James Choung, and others. What is Release the APE? I'm glad you asked...

Release the APE is all about activating the Apostolic, Prophetic, and Evangelistic vocations into the world. We are committed to telling real time APE stories, sharing thoughts that shape the APE, and encouraging believers to live into APE vocations so that all the potential for God movements can be unleashed everywhere.

You may know A.P.E.S.T. from Alan Hirsch's books & teaching. That's where the APE comes from. Who should read the blog? Here's their list

  • If you have a deep passion for ministry but you never saw yourself as a traditional pastor and don’t desire to be one.
  • If you are a pastor and love it, but want to engage further material about releasing catalytic leaders in and out of your church.
  • If you love challenging the status quo in Jesus name.
  • If you love starting things for God
  • If you have a deep sense for justice (hello prophetic leaders)
  • if you love seeing people come to faith (we will have lots of conversion stories)
  • if you feel alone in your mission and need inspiration and community
  • if you love the missional church movement
  • if you believe that the mission of God should and can be carried out by every day ordinary people.
  • if you are crazy about seeing that happen too :)
  • If you want mentors and friends who will push you to risk, try, and do things in Jesus name you thought you never could do!

I align with several camps: I'm baptist. I'm reformed. I'm missional. Etc. This looks like a good site for the missional camp to engage, so I'll be reading. Would love to know what you think about their site as the first couple of posts have gone up: "Release the Apostolic, Prophetic, Evangelistic" Part 1 & Part 2. Also check them out on Twitter, Facebook.

New Music Tuesday 9.4.12

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Tuesday is when new albums come out, and here are some worth checking out this week...

Animal Collective: Centipede Hz | Their 2009 album, Merriweather Post Pavilion ($5 right now!), earned the #2 album of 2009 spot for me. It's getting good reviews.

Two Gallants: The Bloom & The Blight | Forgot about this one too! Loved it while it was streaming. Now buying it. It's like Jack White & Nirvana & The Black Keys created a band.  

Deerhoof: Breakup Song | Some of the quirkiest music out there. It won't be your favorite album for reading a book, but these guys are clever and interesting and cool. You are getting an experience with this album. And the reviews are good too.

Stars: The North | Hip indie band. Catchy and fun!

Cat Power: Sun | Her 2006 album, The Greatest ($5), is an enduring favorite of mine and it was my #7 album of 2006. Solid reviews and a new edge to her music. 

Lecrae: Gravity | If you haven't found Lecrae yet, you should. Christian rap & hip-hop, the way it should be done. Stream it free here if you need an introduction.

Derek Webb: Ctrl | Oops! Forgot one. Check it.

Tim Keller | Center Church Releases Tomorrow!

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I'm very excited to have Center Church by Dr. Timothy Keller in my library. It's nearly 400 pages and is packed full of good stuff. It's hard to describe how "packed full" it is until you see it. You can see pieces of it here...

Check out some of the praise it's receiving...

I'm not exaggerating when I say that Center Church is my favorite book Tim Keller has written thus far.
- Scotty Smith, Christ Community Church

This is not simply curriculum content; it is exactly the kind of life-giving, generative gospel theology our churches need.
- Stephen Um, CityLife Presbyterian Church, Boston

This book will help you if you are serious about seeing your city transformed by the gospel of grace.
- Darrin Patrick, Vice President of the Acts 29 Network

In Center Church, one of the great missionary statesmen of our times lays out a vision of the church vigorous enough to transform entire cities through its agency of the gospel.
- Alan Hirsch, Founding Director of Forge Mission Training Network

Watch this video. Note that Keller says, "Things that work in cities often we find work outside of cities as well." This is more than a book for city-center church planting, and as I have said several times, the best books on the church (regardless of where you are located) are urban church books. 

Buy Center Church at 35% off (or 34% off at Amazon, if you prefer).

Music Monday 9.3.12

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STREAMING FREE

CHEAP

BURNING UP MY iPOD

$5 Albums | September 2012

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As a blogger who faithfully tweets out great deals every month when Amazon lists their $5 albums, I'm afraid I have to say this month's crop is not good. Sorry, but Pink, and Katy Perry, and Asia just aren't doing it for me. I had to work hard to find the gems, and there are a few diamonds in the rough. Here's my short list of albums worth checking out, but I'd love for you to check out all 100 and let me know what I'm missing. Maybe I'm wrong! :)

Best of the Best

Worth Checking Out

Deny Evolution If You Like, But Don't Make Your Kids Do It

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Bill Nye evangelizes the US population toward evolution with this video that's received over 3 million views in just over a week. I've provided a couple of quotes from it below the video. 

"Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology. It's very much analogous to trying to do geology without believing in tectonic plates. You are just not going to get the right answer. ... Your whole world is just going to be a mystery instead of an exciting place. As my old professor Carl Sagan said, 'When you're in love you want to tell the world.'"

"I say to the grown ups: If you want to deny evolution and live in your world that's completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that's fine. But don't make your kids do it because we need them. We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future. We need engineers that can build stuff and solve problems. It's just really a hard thing. It's really a hard thing. In another couple centuries that worldview, I'm sure, just won't exist. There's no evidence for it." 

You think this might be shown in a few schools? Share your thoughts on the video, pro or con.

Tim Keller: "Losing My Religion" Open Forum

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If you want to listen to what Tim Keller does when he holds Open Forums for non-Christians, skeptics, seekers, etc...listen to "Losing My Religion: Why Christians Should Drop Their Religion." Redeemer has audio from 44 Open Forums, though I haven't checked if audio for others is offered free like this one. MP3s are typically $2.50, but this one is free.

I listened today. Instructive for us as missionaries and preachers, evangelists and apologists, disciples and strugglers with religiosity. He confronts religion, truths, psychology, philosophy, and truth-claims respectfully, yet still directly. 

How can we as pastors and ministers speak to our city, our culture, with intellect, wisdom, courage, and charity? Keller's example helps me, and I hope it will help you too.