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| George Whitefield |
Often credited as one of the Methodist movement’s founders as well as among the first American evangelicals, Whitefield mixed historical information with fiction to persuade his audience to “walk with God.” However, if we mix fact with fiction, what lesson have we learned? What does it mean to walk with God? For the idea of a “flaming preacher” is for raw, flaming, emotion to leave logic and tradition equally in its wake. Doing so, Whitefield set the stage for the 21st Century’s emotion-driven evangelical speaking. The reader might ask, is that good, or bad? Or some of both? As Whitefield’s emotional outburst, which evoked strong feelings while he stretched biblical devotion past any reasonable limit, offers the reader little functional guidance.
In his sermon “Walking with God,” Whitefield highlighted the obscure biblical character Enoch, a “flaming preacher.” Maybe, however, it was Whitefield himself who was the flaming preacher! Whitefield spun a moral narrative around a stunningly imaginative depiction of Enoch. Forsaking a scholarly exposition, Whitefield’s sermon resembled a modern infotainment program, in which he randomly intermixed documentable points with wild speculation, while making little effort to distinguish one from the other. Just as modern media often intermix fact with fiction, so Whitefield created a make-believe version of Enoch to make a point. Accordingly, the listener learns to “walk with God,” but never learns just what that means in their own lives.
Whitefield, a major figure of the Great Awakening in England and North America, preached heartfelt, energetic sermons to enormous, often outdoor crowds.
In “Walking with God,” Whitefield's theme was, ‘And Enoch walked with God’ (Genesis 5:24 KJV). By creating a metaphorical image that believers should “walk with God,” Whitefield personalized what could otherwise have become a dry, well, shall we say, “preachy” kind of sermon. Since the Bible says little about Enoch, Whitefield felt free to expand poetically to show how a fictionalized Enoch could symbolize the believer’s righteous path.
Conclusion
So, Whitefield personalized his theological narrative by spinning out a semi-fictionalized version of an obscure person from the Hebrew scriptures. In Whitefield’s sermon, Enoch became a character in a moral drama. Interesting. Controversial. Emotional. Probably quite convincing. Strongly suggestive of preaching techniques that sometimes crop up in the present day. As we listen, today, to the preaching of Franklin Graham or Paula White, or the prosperity preachers, we still experience the Great Awakening’s rhetorical techniques.
John Wesley’s Sermon against Bigotry
Jonathan Edwards "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God:" Proof-Texting as a Rhetorical Tactic
Historical Note: Although Whitefield never left the Church of England, he often counts as one of the founders of the modern-day Methodist Church, and, later in his career, the American divisions of the Presbyterian Church. It might be more accurate to suggest that Whitefield rarely tied himself to any one religious authority. Indeed, “Walking with God” also presages the Dispensationalist perspective that would come to influence evangelical theology in the next century. In colonial America, Whitefield was known for operating an orphanage. Good for him. Although he insisted that slaves should not be treated harshly, Whitefield enslaved Africans on his American properties. How cruel. Moral complexities are nothing new, are they?
Biblical Note: Jude 1:14-16 KJV in the Bible says only this about Enoch, never mentioning a “flaming preacher:”
In his sermon “Walking with God,” Whitefield highlighted the obscure biblical character Enoch, a “flaming preacher.” Maybe, however, it was Whitefield himself who was the flaming preacher! Whitefield spun a moral narrative around a stunningly imaginative depiction of Enoch. Forsaking a scholarly exposition, Whitefield’s sermon resembled a modern infotainment program, in which he randomly intermixed documentable points with wild speculation, while making little effort to distinguish one from the other. Just as modern media often intermix fact with fiction, so Whitefield created a make-believe version of Enoch to make a point. Accordingly, the listener learns to “walk with God,” but never learns just what that means in their own lives.
Whitefield, a major figure of the Great Awakening in England and North America, preached heartfelt, energetic sermons to enormous, often outdoor crowds.
In “Walking with God,” Whitefield's theme was, ‘And Enoch walked with God’ (Genesis 5:24 KJV). By creating a metaphorical image that believers should “walk with God,” Whitefield personalized what could otherwise have become a dry, well, shall we say, “preachy” kind of sermon. Since the Bible says little about Enoch, Whitefield felt free to expand poetically to show how a fictionalized Enoch could symbolize the believer’s righteous path.
Tyler Perry at the 2019 BET Awards: "Helping Someone Cross" as a Metaphor for Reaching Out to Help
Enoch’s Imaginative Path
Right from the outset, Whitefield expounded on Enoch’s obscurity, while simultaneously creating a biography for him:
Indeed, to make his point clear, to assuage those listeners who were anxious to live a Christian life, Whitefield showed how Enoch demonstrated, in his own life (about which the Bible says almost nothing), how piously walking with God is the way to heaven:
Personalizing the Doctrines
As his exposition reached its end, Whitefield continued to personalize Enoch, developing from Enoch’s character a lesson of Christian devotion:
Yet, Whitefield was not preaching as a scholar. His method was to preach to, and from, the heart. He wanted his listeners to “walk with God.” From two simple biblical points, that Enoch walked with God and then went to heaven, Whitefield created a narrative frame, a character study, if you will, to inspire his listeners. Whitefield’s fictionalized Enoch seemingly helped listeners grasp his moral, religious perspective, with accuracy being, at best, a minor inconvenience.
In particular, it is astonishing for Whitefield to say, that Enoch “followed Jesus Christ,” when there is no scriptural support whatsoever for that claim. Indeed, I suspect that many rabbis would rightly find that connection to be obscure, if not offensive. In his conclusion, however, Whitefield was more concerned to inspire his audience, and less committed to informing them.
Enoch’s Imaginative Path
Right from the outset, Whitefield expounded on Enoch’s obscurity, while simultaneously creating a biography for him:
“Who this Enoch was, does not appear so plainly. To me, he seems to have been a person of public character; I suppose, like Noah, a preacher of righteousness. And, if we may credit the apostle Jude, he was a flaming preacher.” [italics added]“I suppose?” “I suppose?” So, Enoch became, in Whitefield’s powerful imagination, a symbol of how believers can “walk with God.” Lacking evidence, Whitefield created Enoch as a dramatic character. Nothing prevented Whitefield from admitting the obvious, which is that almost nothing is known about Enoch. That, however, would be stunningly unimaginative. Whitefield chose a different, far more creative rhetorical path! For, instead of analyzing what the Bible says, Whitefield preached on what he supposed. Oddly, that tactic seemed to work.
Indeed, to make his point clear, to assuage those listeners who were anxious to live a Christian life, Whitefield showed how Enoch demonstrated, in his own life (about which the Bible says almost nothing), how piously walking with God is the way to heaven:
“… there is a heaven at the end of this walk. For, to use the words of pious bishop Beveridge, ‘Though the way be narrow, yet it is not long: and though the gate be strait, yet it opens into everlasting life’. Enoch found it so. He walked with God on earth, and God took him to sit down with him for ever in the kingdom of heaven.”On the one hand, yes, Whitefield is expounding on Enoch’s obscure story to the extent of near-fabrication. That is, from the brief statement that Enoch “walked with God,” a brief mention in the biblical Letter of Jude, and the account in Hebrews that Enoch ended up in heaven (Hebrews 11:5), Whitefield derived an important moral principle for his listeners. That principle is that we should walk with God. On the other hand, although the argument is strained, Whitefield’s premise does imply a certain amount of internal logic: 1) The Bible teaches a Christian life, and, 2) Enoch got to heaven. Whitefield reached a speculative conclusion from those two clues. Whitefield’s conclusion seemed so reasonable, at least to believers, that a listener could easily overlook his failure to offer meaningful textual evidence.
Personalizing the Doctrines
As his exposition reached its end, Whitefield continued to personalize Enoch, developing from Enoch’s character a lesson of Christian devotion:
“I observed at the beginning of this discourse, that Enoch in all probability was a public person, and a flaming preacher. Though he be dead, does he not yet speak to us, to quicken our zeal, and make us more active in the service of our glorious and ever-blessed Master? How did Enoch preach! How did Enoch walk with God, though he lived in a wicked and adulterous generation! Let us then follow him, as he followed Jesus Christ….”The imaginative speculations with which Whitefield started have now, astonishingly, become moral principles. Was Enoch a preacher at all? Much more, was he “a flaming preacher?” The Bible seems to be strangely silent on those questions. Instead, Enoch’s personality was, in large part, a speculative creation of Whitefield’s creative impulses.
Yet, Whitefield was not preaching as a scholar. His method was to preach to, and from, the heart. He wanted his listeners to “walk with God.” From two simple biblical points, that Enoch walked with God and then went to heaven, Whitefield created a narrative frame, a character study, if you will, to inspire his listeners. Whitefield’s fictionalized Enoch seemingly helped listeners grasp his moral, religious perspective, with accuracy being, at best, a minor inconvenience.
In particular, it is astonishing for Whitefield to say, that Enoch “followed Jesus Christ,” when there is no scriptural support whatsoever for that claim. Indeed, I suspect that many rabbis would rightly find that connection to be obscure, if not offensive. In his conclusion, however, Whitefield was more concerned to inspire his audience, and less committed to informing them.
_____________
Here are two present-day evangelical preachers. Does the reader see similarities to Whitefield, in their enthusiasm, or their tendency to speculate? Or not?
Paula White Prayed against Trump's Enemies and Gave a Lesson in How to Shut Down Reasoned Debate
Franklin Graham Prays for the Divine Right of (Republican) Presidents: Religion Becomes a Political Tool
Franklin Graham Prays for the Divine Right of (Republican) Presidents: Religion Becomes a Political Tool
_____________
Conclusion
So, Whitefield personalized his theological narrative by spinning out a semi-fictionalized version of an obscure person from the Hebrew scriptures. In Whitefield’s sermon, Enoch became a character in a moral drama. Interesting. Controversial. Emotional. Probably quite convincing. Strongly suggestive of preaching techniques that sometimes crop up in the present day. As we listen, today, to the preaching of Franklin Graham or Paula White, or the prosperity preachers, we still experience the Great Awakening’s rhetorical techniques.
_____________
Two other preachers from the Great Awakening
John Wesley’s Sermon against Bigotry
Jonathan Edwards "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God:" Proof-Texting as a Rhetorical Tactic
_____________
By William D. Harpine
Historical Note: Although Whitefield never left the Church of England, he often counts as one of the founders of the modern-day Methodist Church, and, later in his career, the American divisions of the Presbyterian Church. It might be more accurate to suggest that Whitefield rarely tied himself to any one religious authority. Indeed, “Walking with God” also presages the Dispensationalist perspective that would come to influence evangelical theology in the next century. In colonial America, Whitefield was known for operating an orphanage. Good for him. Although he insisted that slaves should not be treated harshly, Whitefield enslaved Africans on his American properties. How cruel. Moral complexities are nothing new, are they?
Biblical Note: Jude 1:14-16 KJV in the Bible says only this about Enoch, never mentioning a “flaming preacher:”
“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.”However, an ancient writing called the First Book of Enoch, which is not in the Bible, talks repeatedly about “flaming” (“Its ceiling also was flaming fire;” “The flaming fire was round about Him;” “And from underneath the throne came streams of flaming fire,” etc.). That may account for Whitefield’s claim that Enoch was a “flaming preacher.” Who knows?
RE “the great awakening”
ReplyDeleteThe so-called “great awakenings” were historically never great because they did not last but a geological twitch in time at best, even in terms of human history they were only moments in time. They were only minor temporary awakenings.
It's the SAME today.
Because nearly all people who ALLEGEDLY are waking up, ONLY see the evilness of the authorities in power.
However, the fact that evil people rule is only ONE part of the equation. The pack of leading criminals do not operate in a vacuum, and never have. There are 2 destructive human pink elephants in the room and they are MARRIED --- https://www.rolf-hefti.com/covid-19-coronavirus.html
The criminals in power are in those positions and do what they do ONLY because of the mostly willful activities, or inactivities, of the majority of self-entitled "good" or "decent" or "enlightened" or "religious" people --- the 90-95% of the herd.
Here's more reality that no "great awaking" is anywhere in sight.. most "awake" (U.S.) people STILL believe the U.S. is the "greatest nations on earth", or that there is a democracy, or there's a US vs China or Russia dichotomy, or a "democrats vs republicans" dichotomy, etc
Or how most people welcome AI with open arms, or how most people still trust their allopathic doctor and blindly flock to them, or that the global public has made the "Oppenheimer" movie into a blockbuster hit, a total propaganda film censoring the atrocities done in Hiroshima/Nagasaki by the immoral murderous US empire's propaganda factory called Hollywood, also proves there's no great awakening anywhere.
Or that there are still hundreds of millions of people who believe in Trump and other "leading authorities" also proves there's no great awakening anywhere on the planet. Etc
If you have been injected with Covid jab-weapons and are concerned verify what batch number you were injected with at https://tinyurl.com/ytthwrwm
“When a well-packaged web of lies has been sold gradually to the masses over generations, the truth will seem utterly preposterous and its speaker, a raving lunatic.” --- Dresden James