Tom Schwanda and Ian Maddock, George Whitefield on the Christian Life: New Birth to Enjoy God (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2025), 207 pp.
One of the most pivotal figures of the 18th century was the British evangelist, George Whitefield. Born in 1714, this man faithfully preached the gospel and evangelized nations. He preached over 18,000 sermons during his short life and impacted countless people for the sake of the kingdom.
Whitefield on the Christian Life: New Birth to Enjoy God by Tom Schwanda and Ian Maddock is a riveting read. The authors introduce Whitefield in clear terms and engaging prose. Whitefield is portrayed as a man who valued both the head and the heart.
Schwann and Maddock do not leave any “stone unturned.” They not only focus on the noteworthy aspects of Whitefield’s life and ministry; they also wrestle with some of the more controversial themes, especially his perspective on slavery, which held a death grip on colonial America.
Whitefield is rightly portrayed as a man who refused to compromise the truth. He delivered the truth with power and passion. Another biographer, Arnold Dallimore, writes about the God-centered stature of George Whitefield: “And what manner of men will they be? Men mighty in the Scriptures, their lives dominated by a sense of the greatness, the majesty and holiness of God, and their minds and hearts aglow with the great truths of the doctrines of grace.” Oh, that Christians in this age would model the Whitefield approach. May their hearts be consumed with nothing but the greatness of God. May the sovereign Savior draw people from every tribe and nation.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.
Veritas et Lux 