George Whitefield
George Whitefield was born on December 27, 1714. See ranking, bio blurb, and everyone else born that day.
About George Whitefield
George Whitefield (; 27 December [O.S. 16 December] 1714 – 30 September 1770), was an English Anglican priest and Itinerant preacher who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement. Born in Gloucester, he matriculated at Pembroke College, Oxford in 1732. There, he joined the "Holy Club" and was introduced to John and Charles Wesley, with whom he would work closely in his later ministry. Unlike the Wesleys, he embraced Calvinism, and spearheaded the Calvinistic Methodist movement. Whitefield was ordained after receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree. He immediately began preaching, but he did not settle as the minister of any Church of England parish; rather, he became an itinerant preacher and evangelist. In 1738, Whitefield traveled to British North America where he preached a series of Christian revivals that became part of the Great Awakening. His methods were sometimes controversial among various established clergy, and subsequently he engaged in numerous debates and disputes with other clergymen. He arrived in Philadelphia in 1739 where he met Benjamin Franklin who admired Whitefield's talent to inspire people and became a close friend and would later print Whitefield's sermons. Whitefield received widespread recognition during his ministry; he preached at least 18,000 times to perhaps ten million listeners in the British Empire. Whitefield could enthrall large audiences through a potent combination of drama, religious eloquence, and patriotism. Though Whitefield owned slaves, he was outspoken about the abuses of various plantation owners towards slaves. To this end he wrote, "A letter to the inhabitants...Concerning their Negros", which he had published by Benjamin Franklin, resulting in a great controversy between pro and anti slavery colonists. He also instituted a school to teach children of slaves how to read and write by means of introducing them to the Bible, while he also provided for the orphans of slaves in his orphanage.