This article will explore who pioneered a highly expressive style of sermons. Some examples of such speakers include George Whitefield, Quakers, and Presbyterians. We will also consider the differences between their addresses and the ones of other preachers. This article does not intend to provide an exhaustive list of these preachers.
George Whitefield
George Whitefield was one of the eighteenth century’s most famous and influential Christian ministers. He helped spark a spiritual revival in Britain and Ireland known as the Great Awakening. His sermons were highly emotional, and the crowds he addressed were large enough to occupy a church field. His writings were published in many different forms, including speeches, journal entries, and books.
George Whitefield was a charismatic preacher from England who preached with great passion. His powerful sermons attracted huge crowds, often two or three times a day. Ben Franklin, a printer in Philadelphia, met Whitefield during his first preaching tour of the colonies. The two men became friends and were partners in a profitable business venture.
The main message of Whitefield’s ministry was based on the Bible verse John 3:7, which means that you must be born again. Whitefield used this verse to excite the crowd and urge them to follow Christ. He also used acting classes to stoke their passion. Whitefield’s ministry was so successful that he was later invited to preach in a few of England’s most “respectable” churches.
Whitefield was one of the most influential revivalists of his time. He preached with great passion and intensity to the people of New England and sparked the Great Awakening in the Americas. The Great Awakening inspired people to become vocal and leave churches that didn’t meet their expectations.
George Whitefield was an extraordinary orator and a gifted storyteller. His powerful voice and dramatic antics mesmerized his audience. His skills as a storyteller helped him create powerful word pictures that evoke emotional responses. Some people even fell to the floor while listening to his message.
Whitefield preached to ten million people throughout his life. He preached as many as ten sermons a week. His health deteriorated in 1770, and he prayed for strength to deliver his final speech. His final address on faith and works lasted two hours. Unfortunately, Whitefield died from an asthma attack the next day.
The power of Whitefield’s preaching inspired an inter-colonial revival. He became a hero of the 1700s, and his sermons helped ignite the First Great Awakening – a pivotal event in American history. His final speech was delivered in Boston Commons in front of an estimated 23,000 people, making it the most powerful sermon ever had in the country.
Quakers
Quakers pioneered an incredibly expressive yet practical style of preaching. They believe in the power of prayer and allow the spirit of God to speak through the speaker. They also practice silence, allowing a few minutes after talking to be silent. Meetings are usually short, lasting one hour. Occasionally, many people speak at one time.
The Quakers have always held different theological beliefs, including varying understandings of the Holy Spirit and differing statements of faith. One of their distinctive is the stress of immediate guidance from the Holy Spirit. Their doctrines have sometimes been codified, but often they were interpreted spontaneously and applied to everyday life.
In the 1650s, women in the Quaker community began public preaching, and prophesying and developed charismatic personae. This teaching style aimed to unite men and women and encouraged the non-conformity of its followers. They also played a crucial role in defining Quakerism and promoting its values. But Quakers faced opposition from other Protestants, who saw the women as a blasphemous challenge to the order of the day. They were targeted by the Quaker Act 1662 and the Conventicle Act 1664.
Quakers pioneered a highly emotional form of preaching. Their pacifist beliefs made it difficult to justify slavery. By 1758, Quaker members in Pennsylvania were disowning slave traders. By 1772, slave-owning Quakers could no longer attend meetings.
The different strands of Quakerism began to blend. The other yearly meetings held Quaker World Conferences and joined relief work and the Friends Ambulance Unit. These efforts eventually led to the creation of the Friends World Committee for Consultation. Finally, however, the Quakers began to split. Ultimately, the Oregon Yearly Meeting seceded from the Five Years Meeting, bringing together several yearly and scattered monthly meetings.
George Fox founded the Religious Society of Friends (also known as Quakers) in the 17th century. Quakers were noted for rejecting legal oaths and religious ceremonies and believed in the existence of God within every human being. They also believed in the spiritual equality of men and women.
Presbyterians
The Scottish Presbyterians were among the first Protestant denominations to develop a highly emotional preaching style. They held frequent “Holy Fairs” or camp meetings. In 1801 they organized a robust revival at Cane Ridge, near Lexington, Kentucky. Their sermons were powerful and dramatic, and many congregations became converts.
Before the American Revolution, Presbyterians were already holding outdoor assemblies. Woodmason recorded many such “big meetings” as early as 1768. After the Revolution, they sponsored these meetings regularly. In Kentucky, the Presbyterians modeled camp meetings after their Scottish counterparts. This preaching style tended to generate gusts of emotion, and many people attended them for several days.
Like the north of England, the backcountry of England was a mix of religious denominations. However, PRESBYTERIANS were the majority by the middle of the 18th century. Despite their different beliefs, they maintained a distinctive religious culture. Many of their beliefs and practices were distinct from those of the Anglicans and Catholics.
The American revivalists cultivated powerful rhetorical techniques, which are still used today. Preaching changed, and so did the subject matter during these great revivals. Reformation sermons focused on pronouncing the whole counsel of God. On the other hand, Puritans focused on a topical “plain style.”
George Whitefield, the most famous itinerant preacher, believed that the only way to please God was through heartfelt faith. While traditional church services tended to promote apathy, Whitefield believed that only an angry, passionate voice could awaken the Christian world. As a result, he traveled from New York to South Carolina.
The early Puritan Jonathan Edwards, a prominent theologian, and preacher, also shared his Puritan beliefs. He believed in predestination and was concerned that his congregation had stopped searching their souls. He preached against the world’s sins and the signs of God’s saving grace in his sermons. His most famous speech was called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and caused convulsions in his congregation.
