Changes

==Career==

==Career==

Whitefield was educated at St. Mary de Crypt School in Gloucester and Pembroke College, Oxford University; in 1735 he was converted, while a member of the same Holy Club, in Oxford, to which [[John Wesley]] and Charles Wesley belonged. At the invitation of John Wesley, Whitefield visited Georgia in 1738, and on his return to England, he was ordained a priest in the Church of England. He found many churches closed to his "evangelical" ministry, but he preached where invited, as well as in the open air, and persuaded Wesley to follow the latter practice.

Whitefield was educated at St. Mary de Crypt School in Gloucester and Pembroke College, Oxford University; in 1735 he was converted, while a member of the same [[Holy Club]], in Oxford, to which [[John Wesley]] and Charles Wesley belonged. At the invitation of John Wesley, Whitefield visited Georgia in 1738, and on his return to England, he was ordained a priest in the Church of England. He found many churches closed to his "evangelical" ministry, but he preached where invited, as well as in the open air, and persuaded Wesley to follow the latter practice.

 

Whitefield was a preaching evangelist who could address thousands in the open air and command rapt attention. He was indefatigable, often preaching three and four times a day for hours at a time.  He preached throughout Scotland, Wales, and England and in addition made seven journeys to America. He gave impetus to the [[First Great Awakening]] in the American colonies around 1740. He collaborated with his [[Jonathan Edwards]], who had started a revival in 1736 in Northampton, Massachusetts.  He was founder and chief supporter of an orphanage in Oglethorpe, Georgia. As an imperial figure he united the people of the American colonies.

==Theology==

==Theology==

Whitefield, unlike Wesley, was Calvinistic in his theological views. The two differed on eternal election, final perseverance, and sanctification, but were reconciled as friends and co-workers, each going his own way. Whitefield was not primarily an organizer but a man of profound experience, which he could communicate through clear expression infused with passion. During his later years he was patronized by the Countess of Huntingdon, who was the center of a group of Calvinistic Methodists until her death in 1791. She gave generously of her time, energy, and means to build chapels and found a seminary and, to prove her loyalty, separated from the Church of England in 1779. Whitefield died in Newburyport, Mass., on Sept. 30, 1770, and was buried there.

Whitefield, unlike Wesley, was Calvinistic in his theological views. The two differed on eternal election, final perseverance, and sanctification, but were reconciled as friends and co-workers, each going his own way. Whitefield was not primarily an organizer but a man of profound experience, which he could communicate through clear expression infused with passion. During his later years he was patronized by the Countess of Huntingdon, who was the center of a group of Calvinistic Methodists until her death in 1791. She gave generously of her time, energy, and means to build chapels and found a seminary and, to prove her loyalty, separated from the Church of England in 1779. Whitefield died in Newburyport, Mass., on Sept. 30, 1770, and was buried there.