Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    "Pedlar in Divinity": George Whitefield and the Transatlantic Revivals, 1737-1770
    "Pedlar in Divinity": George Whitefield and the Transatlantic Revivals, 1737-1770
    "Pedlar in Divinity": George Whitefield and the Transatlantic Revivals, 1737-1770
    Ebook237 pages6 hours

    "Pedlar in Divinity": George Whitefield and the Transatlantic Revivals, 1737-1770

    By Frank Lambert

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    A pioneer in the commercialization of religion, George Whitefield (1714-1770) is seen by many as the most powerful leader of the Great Awakening in America: through his passionate ministry he united local religious revivals into a national movement before there was a nation. An itinerant British preacher who spent much of his adult life in the American colonies, Whitefield was an immensely popular speaker. Crossing national boundaries and ignoring ecclesiastical controls, he preached outdoors or in public houses and guild halls. In London, crowds of more than thirty thousand gathered to hear him, and his audiences exceeded twenty thousand in Philadelphia and Boston. In this fresh interpretation of Whitefield and his age, Frank Lambert focuses not so much on the evangelist's oratorical skills as on the marketing techniques that he borrowed from his contemporaries in the commercial world. What emerges is a fascinating account of the birth of consumer culture in the eighteenth century, especially the new advertising methods available to those selling goods and services--or salvation.


    Whitefield faced a problem similar to that of the new Atlantic merchants: how to reach an ever-expanding audience of anonymous strangers, most of whom he would never see face-to-face. To contact this mass "congregation," Whitefield exploited popular print, especially newspapers. In addition, he turned to a technique later imitated by other evangelists such as Dwight L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham: the deployment of advance publicity teams to advertise his coming presentations. Immersed in commerce themselves, Whitefield's auditors appropriated him as a well-publicized English import. He preached against the excesses and luxuries of the spreading consumer society, but he drew heavily on the new commercialism to explain his mission to himself and to his transatlantic audience.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPrinceton University Press
    Release dateJun 5, 2018
    ISBN9780691187969
    "Pedlar in Divinity": George Whitefield and the Transatlantic Revivals, 1737-1770
    Author

    Frank Lambert

    Frank Lambert teaches history at Purdue University and is the author of The Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion in America, Inventing the “Great Awakening,” and Pedlar in Divinity: George Whitefield and the Transatlantic Revivals, 1737–1770.

    Read more from Frank Lambert

    Related to "Pedlar in Divinity"

    Related ebooks

    United States History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      In LGBT-Welcoming Britain, Church of England Tries to Find Its Path

      Dec 22, 2017

      Anglican membership in Britain has shrunk radically in recent decades, particularly among youth. One cause is Britons' embrace of LGBT issues, which has outpaced the church's. But the church's efforts to respond are causing internal tensions.

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Tackling Inequality: The Role of Business

      May 1, 2019

      Increasing economic inequality has emerged as one of the defining issues of our time. Describe how it is affecting people. Inequality polarizes populations and concentrates power, threatening social stability and democracy in both direct and subtle w

      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      In Plains, Ga., An Evangelical Politician Like No Other

      Jul 11, 2018

      Say the words “evangelical politician” and a specific image probably comes to mind. But in one small church, a Democratic former president remains a voice for a minority of the faithful who see the nation and their faith in different terms.

      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      When Capitalism and Christianity Collide in Fiction

      Jul 27, 2017

      According to a recent study, 38 percent of Christians say “capitalism is at odds with Christian values.” Those findings echo a stubborn tension between Christianity and capitalism in American life, an uneasiness that shows up repeatedly in American f

      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      How Donald Trump Changed Yale

      Feb 16, 2017

      How Donald Trump Changed Yale
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      On Praying For The President

      Jun 3, 2019

      On Praying For The President
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Saudi Arabia: The White House Loves It. Most Americans? Not So Much

      Mar 19, 2018

      As the Saudi crown prince travels across the United States, he will have one major hurdle: polls show more than half of Americans have unfavorable views of his country.

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Southern Baptist Seminary Confronts History Of Slaveholding And 'Deep Racism'

      Dec 13, 2018

      In a 71-page report, Southern Baptist leaders are documenting their dark history, as if by telling the story in wrenching detail, they may finally be freed of its taint.

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Trump’s God Machine

      Jun 4, 2016

      Trump’s God Machine
      9 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Work Of A Missionary

      Feb 9, 2024

      The work of a missionary is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with men, women, and children of all nations, languages, and cultures. Every Christian must share this same task, but not every Christian is called to be a working missionary, prepared t

      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Way We Serve Food Can Boost Cooperation

      Dec 21, 2018

      A new study asks: Could the way we serve and eat meals boost cooperation? The answer appears to be yes. When people in a business negotiation share not just a meal but also a plate, they collaborate better and reach deals faster, according to the new

      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      GIVING BIG A Pocket Guide

      May 1, 2020

      Andrew Carnegie, who funded 3,000 libraries, publishes an essay “The Gospel of Wealth.” In 1911 he establishes the Carnegie Corporation of New York with a mandate “to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.” John D. Ro

      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Pastors Need A Firm BIBLICAL FOUNDATION

      Dec 30, 2019

      The Gospel is the most powerful force on this earth. The transformative power of the Cross changes lives around the world daily. If the Gospel is not changing hearts, then it is not the full Gospel that is being preached. In Africa today we see a num

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Embracing Cultural Diversity

      May 20, 2023

      May 21, commemorated as the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, is a reminder of the richness and beauty of the world’s different cultures; and that we need to preserve, value, and embrace differences in human family and it

      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Uncharted Cultural Waters

      Mar 18, 2022

      Uncharted Cultural Waters
      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Committed To The Constitution

      Jul 10, 2018

      Committed To The Constitution
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Methodist Records

      Feb 7, 2023

      Methodist Records
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for "Pedlar in Divinity"

    4/5

    2 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      "Pedlar in Divinity" - Frank Lambert

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1