Preaching Politics

Though the famed eighteenth-century itinerant evangelist, George Whitefield, has received considerable attention over the past two decades, surprisingly few studies focus directly on the 100 plus sermons Whitefield preached and published from a rhetorical vantage point. Happily, that lucunae is now filled with Jerome Mahaffey's impressive new book, Preaching Politics. Besides exploring the rhetoric underlying Whitefield's dynamic sermons, this book also looks at Anglo-American politics and deftly locates Whitefield's words in the question for an independent American political identity. A must-read for students of eighteenth-century religion and politics alike.

~Harry S. Stout, Jonathan Edwards Professor of Religious History and Chair, Department of Religious Studies, Yale University

Professor Mahaffey has established in a conclusive manner the contribution that George Whitefield made to the unifying of American political thought through his preaching and writing. He has also shown in a detailed way the political influence of Whitefield in England. This book is required reading for an explanation of the forces that led to American independence.

~Thomas H. Olbricht, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Religion, Pepperdine University

This excellent study sheds new light on George Whitefield as an orator and argues convincingly for his role, and the role of evangelical Protestantism, in the formation of an American identity. This significant contribution to the rhetorical, religious, and political history of the colonial period adds much to our understanding of the underpinnings of the American Revolution.

~James R. Andrews, Editor, Sources of Identity in British-American Colonial Rhetoric, The Rhetorical History of the United States

This study of the convergence of religion and politics in 18th-century America is an altogether satisfying presentation suitable for use by undergraduate and graduate students alike... Recommended.

~CHOICE