Greg Laurie,
Hey, Christian. Hope you are well.
I love it when I come across little-known stories and biographies that point to God. In fact, I'm working on a film project that tells the story of how movie legend Steve McQueen became a Christian in his later years. I'll tell you more about that in the future.
Today I want to tell you a little bit about another kind of legend—some might call him the unsung spiritual father of America. His name is George Whitefield.
If you are like I was, you have heard the name before and might be able to identify him as a preacher in the colonial days of America. Beyond that, I didn't know much about him until I read a book by Eric Metaxas called If You Can Keep It.
What I wasn't aware of was the extent of Whitefield's impact and the major role he played in the formation of this great country. In fact, Eric asserts in his book that if there had been no Whitefield back then, there would be no America today.
You see, George Whitefield made it his life's work to preach day-in and day-out in the American colonies. He traveled by horseback from town to town for so many years that by the time he died, 80% of all of the citizens in the 13 colonies had heard him preach in person at least once. That's an amazing feat considering there was no such thing as television, radio, or internet.
Whitfield preached that we are all equal in the eyes of God, and that we all need to repent of our sins. Everywhere he went, people turned to God and he basically prepared the soil for the seeds of American democracy—because only a people of virtue, who answer first to God and His standards, are capable of governing themselves.
The "great experiment" of America would have failed drastically if it had been tried by a corrupt people with no morals, so the foundation that Whitefield laid through decades of incessant travelling and preaching was crucial to the survival of the young United States. I find all of that fascinating, and it really goes to show just how important the preaching of the gospel is—not only to America's history, but for America's future.
Whitefield is not the only personality that Eric brings to light in his book. I learned some interesting new things about Paul Revere, George Washington, and several others as well. It's a great book that really takes you back to the spiritual roots of this great country.
I encourage you to get a copy today by giving a donation to Harvest Ministries. It's our thank-you gift for anyone who supports the ministry this month. You can get it at this page:
https://harvest.org/if-you-can-keep-it
May God bless you today, and may God continue to bless America!
Greg
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