Overall, I thought it was an interesting article and made a good read. George Whitefield was a great man of God who preached the Gospel of sovereign grace in England and the American colonies. This biography really has 3 parts:
- Whitfield's preaching "statistics"
- His oratory skills
- His conversion
- His theology
Personally, I would have preferred if it began with Whitefield's theology, since in the biography of any missionary this really is the most important part. It does not matter how much someone preached, if he preached a false gospel, it was worthless - or worse.
Whitefield's Preaching Record
Whitefield's preaching record is truly astonishing - an average of 1,000 sermons preached per year! Although Piper didn't specify how many of these were the same sermons, it is nonetheless impressive. Apparently he often preached more than he slept. Wow!
I think sometimes we hear of such a thing and are tempted to think that our preachers today just are too fearful to do the same, and if only our preachers would preach more! Although fear might be a factor in some cases, I think generally the problem is not the preacher but the people - there are simply not enough people interested in hearing the Word of God. My church gives public lectures and we advertise it in the news and invite friends or collegeaues, but barely anyone ever comes. I for one know that my pastor would love it if he had far more preaching opportunities!
Whitefield's Oratory Skills
To me, this really seemed like the part Piper was most interested in. Whitefield was an actor before being a preacher, and this carried over into his preaching. His oratory skills were so great that many unbelievers who hated what he preached came to hear him simply for how he preached!
The key to Whitfield's decision to use his acting skills to the utmost in preaching seems to be this. Says Whitefield:
“I’ll tell you a story. The Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 1675 was acquainted with Mr. Butterton the [actor]. One day the Archbishop . . . said to Butterton . . . ‘pray inform me Mr. Butterton, what is the reason you actors on stage can affect your congregations with speaking of things imaginary, as if they were real, while we in church speak of things real, which our congregations only receive as if they were imaginary?’ ‘Why my Lord,’ says Butterton, ‘the reason is very plain. We actors on stage speak of things imaginary, as if they were real and you in the pulpit speak of things real as if they were imaginary.’”
Piper really goes into a lot of detail about this part (a good third of the biography is take up with this) and the reason is clearly that Piper sees in it a justification of his own preaching style, which is based upon the same philosophy. Piper's preaching is very emotional and energetic, etc.
However, I have a very strong reservation about this philosophy, and it is what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians:
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect... And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God... And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching [was] not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
It would seem that according to Whitefield's and Piper's philosophy of preaching, the Apostle Paul preached as if the Gospel was "imaginary" and not "real". Though of course I think this is no excuse for "boring" preaching, it seems quite fundamental to me that the power of preaching is not in oratory skills, but "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" which is the invisible work of the Holy Spirit applying the preached Word to the heart of the elect.
Whitefield's Theology
Whitefield preached the beautiful gospel of grace which depends only upon the power of God and not upon the works or "free will" of man. I have read some of Whitefield's sermons and they were beautiful. Would to God that Evangelicalism, who love to speak of him, actually preached like this!
When speaking of Whitfield's friend John Wesley, Piper overlooks the fact that Wesley was a rampant Arminian who hated the "doctrines of grace" and preached against them with fierce vehemency. Whitefield wrote Wesley a beautiful letter in which he called Wesley to repentance over his false preaching; sadly, I think later in his life Whitfield went on to say that Wesley would be much nearer the throne of grace in heaven than himself... The truth is that anyone who so strongly opposes salvation by grace alone as Wesley did, calling it a "doctrine of devils", will certainly not enter into the kingdom of God unless he repents.
When speaking of Whitfield's friend John Wesley, Piper overlooks the fact that Wesley was a rampant Arminian who hated the "doctrines of grace" and preached against them with fierce vehemency. Whitefield wrote Wesley a beautiful letter in which he called Wesley to repentance over his false preaching; sadly, I think later in his life Whitfield went on to say that Wesley would be much nearer the throne of grace in heaven than himself... The truth is that anyone who so strongly opposes salvation by grace alone as Wesley did, calling it a "doctrine of devils", will certainly not enter into the kingdom of God unless he repents.
This mistake is sadly repeated by Piper who, though he teaches a weak form of sovereign grace, does not consider Arminianism a false gospel but simply "less pure".
