1. Introduction

The great Evangelical Awakening of the eighteenth century was a widespread revival of biblical Christianity which swept through England, Scotland, Wales, parts of Ireland, Holland, Germany, France, and, on the other side of the Atlantic, through the New England colonies of North America. The nature and extent of the revival was probably second only to the Reformation since the days of the apostles and the early church.

The movement commenced in the late 1730s, early 'forties, and continued virtually unabated for nearly fifty years. It was an awakening which touched the lives of all classes of men, women and children, rich and poor, religious or otherwise. It changed the tide of English history and deeply influenced the religious and moral conditions of the day. Multitudes were turned from their godless and corrupt ways, and few historians would deny that the Awakening saved England from almost certain bloodshed and civil war.

The accounts of the revival are well documented, and there is a vast amount of reading material available today on the subject. This outline is but a brief sketch, touching only a few of the features of the movement and concentrating on just one of its great preachers: George Whitefield.