George Whitefield: Evangelist for God and Empire

In this impressive debut, Choi, director of academic studies at Newbigin House of Studies, presents a bold recontextualization of the life of 18th-century English preacher George Whitefield. Using Whitefield’s papers as a source, Choi offers a “character study” of Whitefield as the consummate 18th-century British imperial entrepreneur. Pushing back against previous studies, Choi reframes Whitefield’s long residences in Georgia, stating it was not a “fringe” colony, but rather a “crossroads of the world” that was important to British imperial growth. Readers looking for a purely spiritual biography will not find that here. Instead, Choi convincingly demonstrates that Whitefield’s “religious and imperial agendas” were inseparable, as when he supported the legalization of slavery in Georgia, hoping enslaved laborers could provide financial support for the education and salvation of black orphans. Choi bolsters his argument by spending time on the decades following the end of Whitefield’s revival and publishing career, when the preacher’s anti-Catholic sentiment was vital to the consolidation of a British Protestant imperial identity. The book’s accessible prose and clear signposting make this an excellent choice for a general reader, and Choi’s engagement with broader issues of 18th-century colonialism will make it an important volume for scholars of early America. (Aug.)