Complimentary Story
Summer 2026George Whitefield was very instrumental in shaping the direction of our nation. His interaction with Benjamin Franklin is scarcely mentioned in any historical accounts, yet his influence and spiritual guidance were instrumental. The recently released movie "A Great Awakening,” sheds light on their interactions.
So let’s dive into why this movie is so important and relevant in understanding how our nation was founded, shaped, and God-ordained; as a powerful influencer, George Whitefield, whose preaching abilities would awaken once more the “Sleeping Church.” Late 1700’s Preacher George
Whitefield left England for New England, or rather was booted out by the Church of England, for His
radical preaching and challenging the hierarchy of the establishment. His strong rebuke, “REPENT” was not well received by the established church leaders, as he exclaimed, “You must be born again!”
He went on to rebuke them by saying: “We actors on stage speak of things as if they are real, and you, in the pulpit, speak of things real as if they are imaginary.” He called out the clergy for their bland and pompous ways, which made the Word of God ineffective. George Whitefield’s boldness and powerful, booming voice could be heard by over twenty thousand people.
A highlight in the movie is when George Whitefield had a conversation with Benjamin Franklin. Ben believed that good works were all he needed to get him into heaven. George said to him, “Works? A man gets to heaven by works? I would as soon think of climbing to the moon on a rope made of sand.”
He also said, “Other men can preach the gospel better than I, but no one can preach a better gospel.”
He strongly advocated that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life, and no man can come to the Father, but through Him, and that you must be ‘born again’ to enter into the Kingdom, not by works, lest any man should boast, it is the complete works of Jesus Christ.”
The movie starts out with George Whitfield as a young man working alongside his mother, cleaning tables and serving the rich as they are being entertained by a Shakespearean-style actor. This particular actor/performer took a liking to young George Whitfield. He started teaching him the art of
acting and using his voice as a powerful means of performing on stage. This actor eventually was able to get George into the prestigious University of Oxford by being a servant to the richer upper-class students and to clean up after them. Thus, he was able to receive free tuition.
His goal was to enhance his vocal skills and become a stage actor with his booming voice training. It was at this time that he met both John and Charles Wesley, who witnessed his humiliation by the rich, snobby students in the way they treated him. The Wesleys began to wash his feet in a humble act, teaching him the ways of Jesus. It was through this encounter that George gave his life over to Jesus Christ and pursued a career in preaching instead of acting! His powerful booming voice could be heard by thousands of listeners.
After receiving his degree, he became an ordained minister, his fame started to spread throughout England and beyond, reaching the shores of New England, America. The thirteen colonies were established at that time. So upon his travels to America, Pennsylvania, in particular, he encountered Benjamin Franklin and other founding fathers of our Constitution.
George had a profound impact on Benjamin Franklin, trying to teach and persuade him that He, Benjamin, had a misconception in his theology, believing that his good works were enough to gain him entrance into heaven, as George tried in vain to persuade Benjamin that it was only through Jesus Christ and Him alone that he must be born again.
This was an important interaction in the movie that shed truth and light on the beliefs of some of the theists who were our founding fathers. It was because of George Whitefield’s influence on Benjamin Franklin, that in 1787, he spoke at the convention to reinstate prayer before each opening session of Congress, as they struggled to keep the 13 colonies together.
A Great Awakening, I highly recommend that you watch this movie. You can find the “trailer” to this movie online.
So, as we get ready to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding nation, I encourage you to watch this movie, “A Great Awakening,” which depicts a part of our history that has mainly gone unnoticed and underreported until this movie came out.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is powerfully proclaimed throughout this movie and not watered down. Whenever a Christ-centered movie of this magnitude becomes available, we, as believers, should and must support it by purchasing the DVD or renting it online through venues that offer this movie. May God bless our nation once more. Amen.
