最棒的基督徒生命 43
美國的覺醒者
喬治.懷特腓George Whitefield
1714-1770
喬治.懷特腓曾是世上最廣為人知的名字，當然他也是當時最著名的宗教領袖，對於第一次大覺醒的散播功不可沒。此大覺醒不僅為基督教帶來完全的改變，更是影響著西方文明。若沒有懷特腓的貢獻，很難想像世界會成為今日的樣貌。
懷特腓於1714年出生於英格蘭的格洛斯特，後來他去到牛津大學，在那裡碰見衛斯理兄弟約翰和查理。他們三人參與牛津大學的『聖潔俱樂部』，展開一段即將改變世界的情誼。他們一起建立了循道派和福音派運動，不僅改變了基督教的呈現，更成為大英帝國與北美殖民地的軌跡。
懷特腓遊走各殖民地，並在喬治亞的沙凡那港市擔任該教區的牧師，但他於1738年回到英格蘭，為沙凡那港市的孤兒院籌募基金。在英格蘭期間，他講道的教會非常大，以致於他朋友說服他在布里斯托郊外對礦工講道。他吸引了大群，有些人估計約有數萬人，此成功促使許多人試圖說服他留下來，但他想返回沙凡那港市。因此他請求約翰衛斯理接管在布里斯托的工作。此將他們兩人引至他們生命中最結實纍纍的階段。
值得注意的是懷特腓是加爾文派的死忠追隨者，成為預定論和揀選論的忠實信徒。約翰和查理則抱持著亞米念派（Arminianism）教義，與加爾文主義剛好相反。即便如此，懷特腓和威斯理兄弟維持忠誠的友誼，支持著彼此的工作。當懷特腓被問到是否會在天堂看見約翰衛斯理，他回答：『不會，我認為他會非常接近寶座，而我卻離得很遠，使我很難看見他在那裡。』這就是他們對待彼此，也對其他與他們不同之工人與運動如此大方的態度。此高尚的情操提升了此運動對人們的影響，打開許多人去觸及超越他們個人教義或教派的藩籬。
法蘭克林和懷特腓
懷特腓已成為英國最有名的傳道人，他在1740年展開在美國殖民地的行程。他立刻便像在英國一樣吸引大群，許多人很快就視他為殖民地最具影響力的公眾人物。法蘭克林對他所聽到關於懷特腓的報導，以及他所吸引群眾的數量充滿懷疑，這促使他去參加懷特腓在費城的聚會，想要親自看看。
當法蘭克林聽著懷特腓的講道，他決定走離群眾好測量可以清楚聽見的距離，接著他估算每平方英尺與半徑的人數。藉此他測定懷特腓強而有力的聲音，可以一次讓三萬人以上聽到並瞭解內容。
在法蘭克林與懷特腓會面之後，他們成為好朋友。法蘭克林視他為真正的知識份子，並決定印刷他的一些傳單，同時也在他的報紙刊登他所有的講道。這為大覺醒煽動更多的火焰。
法蘭克林是一個泛基督教主義（ecumenist），認同懷特腓從不同教派來吸引人。在懷特腓講的一篇道，法蘭克林寫著『極其美好…改變了我們居民的禮貌』，『禮貌』是當時用來形容道德的專有名詞。他持續道出此轉化：『從對宗教的無心與冷漠，彷彿全世界有越來越多人信教，以致於只要在晚上走在城裡，總會在每條街上的不同家庭裡傳來詩篇的吟唱聲。』
懷特腓與在賓州的莫拉維夫弟兄會，連同在新英格蘭地區的愛德華滋，成為美國屬靈大覺醒的三大關鍵影響。毫無疑問地，懷特腓的大型聚會成為主要影響，但法蘭克林將他的傳單與文章廣泛散播，才真正澆灌了在他講道所撒的種子。這一切因素深切地影響著殖民地，協助馬上要形成的國家建立其屬靈的DNA。
懷特腓總共造訪美國7次，飄洋過海13次，預估他大約傳講了1萬8千次的道，7成以上被出版與散播。懷特腓所傳講直接了當的福音信息，成為所有信息中最強而有力的，他的傳道在某種程度上對英格蘭和北美殖民地帶來巨大的轉化。他將福音帶出受限制的教會建築物，進入人們生活的地方。
懷特腓的風格充滿生氣與活力，帶著對神的熱情，不若許多人在教會所使用的冷淡與正式。他的風格喚起人們與神活潑的關係，而不單是固守教義。為此緣故，人們傾向充滿個人感情地回應神，常常為自己的罪流淚、哭泣與哀嚎，或是在神的恩典與憐憫中喜樂。人們不只在懷特腓的聚會中聽到神，他們真實與祂相交。個人與神的關係在大覺醒中更為看重，遠勝過單單擁有對神的知識。
這徹底抽離當時典型的宗教經歷，教會因而成為達到目的的方法，而不是目的本身。殖民者本來就傾向個人主義，但此強化他們對自由與個人價值的熱愛。大覺醒預估影響了一半的殖民者，此毫無疑問的激起他們對政府真實民主的渴望，這就像是倘若沒有大覺醒，美國革命是不會發生的。
奴隸的擁護者
喬治亞殖民地於1735年宣布奴隸制度非法，但在1749年懷特腓爭取其合法化。他相信對白人辛勤耕耘土地而言，南部殖民地過於炎熱，若沒有奴隸，他們的土地就毫無用處。到了1751年，殖民地委任管理人將奴隸合法化，這可能是出於懷特腓的影響。於是他購買奴隸來為自己的農場和孤兒院工作。
懷特腓善待奴隸為人所知，他也會批評虐待奴隸的人。他的奴隸都忠於他，對於使用奴隸是可接受的，進行奴隸交易卻是錯誤的，他認為這是個難解的謎題。然而，他看待奴隸交易是釋放許多來自異教土地之人的一種方法，帶領他們信主並得著救恩。然後供應他們的後裔有機會在主的敬畏與勸誡中受培育，他也支持購買大量奴隸，好讓他們的生活盡可能的舒適。
人們往往將邪惡合理化，將邪惡中的一些良善納入其中，但知識樹良善面其實和邪惡面一樣致命。因此，這位偉大的傳道人，可能也是在殖民地上撒上最多自由種子的人，也撒了奴隸的種子。他為殖民地帶來救恩之光，也栽種了最終犧牲多人性命，引起前所未有的毀壞，成為美國最大的危機─南北戰爭。
我還記得小時候曾去拜訪我的曾祖父母，他們的產業仍涵蓋先前奴隸之地，他們對自己的先祖擁有奴隸感到自豪。我的曾祖父母是在南北戰爭結束很久才出生，但他們仍常常談論此內戰。我記得有一晚坐在陽台聽著他們的對話，言談之中常提到『他們的奴隸』是如何被善待。當某件事有如此的正當性時，我們需要瞭解那往往是邪惡。
我們也必須納悶馬丁路德透過宗教改革，將如此多的光明帶給世界，怎麼會在他的反猶著作中撒了憎恨與邪惡的種子。因著這些著作，許多人將他視作為猶太人大屠殺鋪路者。雅各書三章11節詢問：『泉源從一個眼裡能發出甜苦兩樣的水嗎？』在傳道書三章16節回答了此：『我又見日光之下，在審判之處有奸惡，在公義之處也有奸惡。』在地上的此時此刻，我們無法期待純淨的公正或公義，而是摻雜著不公正的公正，不公義的公義。就連最偉大的聖經英雄都有可怕的錯誤，除了那一位，祂才是我們要信靠的，而不是信靠人。在這個世代，就是人當中最好的都有摻雜。
在經歷過許多試煉與危機，美國在面對與戰勝一些邪惡上進步不少，但仍有進步的空間。最大的進步不會來到，直到我們學會即使一棵樹有好果子，倘若裡面也摻雜了邪惡的果子，我們仍需避免整棵樹。有一棵生命樹，就是基督自己，裡面沒有邪惡，也沒有有害的果子。
(摘自喬納 word for the week, Week43, 2015)
America's Awakener- The Greatest Christian Life
Week 43, 2015
Rick Joyner
George Whitefield
1714-1770
For a time, George Whitefield was one of the most widely recognized names in the world. He was certainly the best-known religious leader of his time and is credited with the spread of the First Great Awakening. This Awakening not only brought profound changes to Christianity, but to Western civilization as well. It is hard to imagine what the world would be like today without Whitefield’s contribution.
Whitefield was born in in 1714 in Gloucester, England. He later attended Oxford University where he met the Wesley brothers, John and Charles. The three joined “The Holy Club” at Oxford and began a friendship that would change the world. Together they founded the Methodist and Evangelical movements that not only changed the expression of Christianity, but also the trajectory of the British Empire and the North American colonies.
Whitefield traveled to the colonies and served as a parish priest in Savannah, Georgia, but he returned to England in 1738 to raise funds for an orphanage in Savannah. While in England, he preached to such large congregations that his friends persuaded him to preach to miners at an open-air meeting in Bristol. He drew massive crowds, some estimated to have been in the tens of thousands. This success caused many to try to persuade him to stay, but he wanted to return to Savannah. So, he asked John Wesley to take over the work in Bristol. This led to both men entering into the most fruitful periods of their lives.
It is noteworthy that Whitefield was a staunch adherent to Calvinism, being a firm believer in predestination and election. John and Charles held to the doctrines of Arminianism, considered the polar opposite of Calvinism. Even so, Whitefield and the Wesley brothers remained devoted friends and supporters of each other’s work. When Whitefield was asked if he thought he would see John Wesley in heaven he replied, “No. I think that he will be so close to the throne, and I so far back, that it will be hard for me to see him there.” Such was their generous attitude toward each other and other workers and movements with which they had differences. This noble spirit elevated the movement in the affections of the people and opened many to reach out beyond their own doctrinal or denominational boundaries.
Benjamin Franklin and Whitefield
Whitefield had become the most famous preacher in Britain when he began his tour of the American colonies in 1740. He quickly drew massive crowds like he had in Britain, and soon many considered him the most influential public figure in the colonies. Benjamin Franklin was skeptical of the reports he heard about Whitefield and the size of the crowds he was drawing. This provoked him to go to Whitefield’s meeting in Philadelphia to see for himself.
As Franklin listened to Whitefield preach, he decided to walk away from the crowd to measure the distance from which he could hear him clearly. Then he estimated the square footage taken up by each person and the span of the semicircle crowd. By this he determined that Whitefield’s powerful voice was heard and understood by over thirty thousand people at once.
After meeting Whitefield, Franklin became good friends with him. Franklin considered him to be a true intellectual and decided to print some of his tracts, as well as Whitefield’s entire sermons in his newspaper. This fanned the flames of the Awakening even more.
Franklin was an ecumenist and approved of the way Whitefield drew people from across the denominational spectrum. After one of Whitefield's sermons, Franklin wrote about the “wonderful . . . change made in the manners of our inhabitants.” “Manners” was the term used at the time for morals. He continued about this transformation: “from being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk thro' the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street.”
Whitefield, the Moravians in Pennsylvania, and Jonathan Edwards in New England were the three major influences of the spiritual awakening in America. No doubt Whitefield’s large gatherings were a chief influence, but it was the wide dissemination of his printed tracts and articles, such as Franklin distributed, that watered the seeds sown in his sermons. All of these factors profoundly impacted the colonies and helped set the spiritual DNA of the nation then forming.
In all, Whitefield visited America seven times and made thirteen ocean crossings. It was estimated that he preached eighteen thousand sermons, and over seventy were published and distributed. Whitefield preached a straightforward gospel message, the most powerful of all messages. He preached in a way that brought radical transformation in England and the colonies. He took the gospel out of the restrictive church buildings and into the places where the people lived their lives.
Whitefield’s style was vibrant and alive with passion for God, not cold and formal as many were used to in the churches. It invoked a living relationship to God, not just adherence to a doctrine. For this reason, the people tended to respond personally and emotionally, often weeping, crying, and moaning for their sin, or rejoicing in the grace and mercy of God. The people did not just hear about God at Whitefield’s meetings—they encountered Him. A personal experience with God became more esteemed in the Awakening than just knowledge about Him.
This was a radical departure from the typical religious experience of the time. Because of this, church became a means and not an end in itself. The colonists tended to be individualists anyway, but this fortified their love for freedom and the value of the individual. The Awakening is estimated to have impacted 50% of colonists, and this no doubt fueled their desire for true democracy as their government. It is likely that the American Revolution would not have happened without the Great Awakening.
An Advocate for Slavery
The colony of Georgia outlawed slavery in 1735, but in 1749, George Whitefield campaigned for it to be legalized. He believed that the southern colonies were too hot for white men to toil in their fields and that their lands could never be profitable without slave labor. In 1751, the trustees of the colony legalized slavery, probably because of Whitefield’s influence. He then purchased slaves to work on his own plantation, as well as in his orphanages.
Whitefield was known for the kind treatment of his slaves and was critical of any who abused their own slaves. His slaves were devoted to him. That he viewed the use of slaves as acceptable yet the slave trade as wrong is an enigma. However, he viewed the slave trade as a means of delivering many from their heathen lands, leading them to Christ and salvation. This then provided their offspring with a chance to be nurtured in the fear and admonition of the Lord. He also advocated purchasing a good many so as to make their lives as comfortable as possible.
It has often been the practice of men to justify evils by including some good in them, but the good side of the Tree of Knowledge is just as deadly as the evil side. So this great preacher, possibly the most responsible for sowing the seeds of liberty in the colonies, also sowed the seeds of slavery. The man who brought salvation and light to the colonies also planted what would ultimately cost many lives and create unprecedented destruction in America’s greatest crisis—the Civil War.
I remember as a very young child visiting my great grandparents whose estate still contained the former slave quarters on it. They were proud that their ancestors had owned slaves. My great grandparents had been born long after the Civil War, but they still talked about it. I remember their conversations at night while sitting on the porch, which often turned to how well “their slaves” had been treated. When something has to be justified so much, we need to understand that it is just evil.
We must also wonder how Martin Luther, who brought so much light to the world through the Reformation, could sow seeds of hatred and evil in his anti-Semitic writings. Because of these writings, he is credited by many as paving the way for the Jewish Holocaust. James 3:11 asked, “How can the same well bring forth both fresh and bitter water?” Ecclesiastes 3:16 answers this: “Moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there” (WEB). At this time on the earth, we cannot expect pure justice or pure righteousness, but rather a mixture of justice with injustice and righteousness with unrighteousness. Even the greatest Bible heroes had terrible failures, except One. He is the One we should put our trust in, not man. In this age, even the best of them will have a mixture.
Through many trials and crises, America has made progress in confronting and overcoming some of our evils, but there is still progress to be made. The ultimate progress may not come until we learn that even if a tree has good fruit, if it is mixed with evil fruit, then the whole tree must be avoided. There is a Tree of Life, Christ Himself, in which there is no evil and no poisonous fruit.
