George Whitefield by Arnold Dallimore Review
Today we're looking at Arnold Dallimore's two-volume biography of George Whitefield. My initial thoughts: fantastic. Very insightful, and very slow. It takes time in places where other biographies just don't, and it's a really phenomenal biography.
My copy
I originally read the first volume, which my grandfather gave me. It's a 1971 edition, the second printing, and that was really special to me. I have all kinds of markings and notes in it from studying through it. It encouraged me and helped me, and it pushed me in the right direction, both in study and in theology.
I couldn't afford to buy the second volume, and I didn't want to buy just the one, because the printing and the dust cover had changed and it just doesn't look right. But through God's providence, and by the grace of God, I was able to buy both volumes for a fraction of the cost, and this week I finished volume two.
What makes it so good
Dallimore takes his time. In the first volume he spends a lot of time with the Holy Club, and with the Wesleys, which was a fantastic study for me since I didn't know too much about them. So you aren't only reading about Whitefield, but about the people around him. In the second volume you spend a lot of time with Howell Harris.
It's so slow paced, but it doesn't feel slow. It has you on the edge of your seat the whole time, and it's careful not to skim past things that might be of importance. More than once Dallimore himself says that not many people take time on a certain point, and that he's going to. Those were always the places that struck me most. Why was this left out by others?
One story made me laugh and laugh. Charles Wesley came to America, fell in love with a young lady, and couldn't decide whether to marry her. She turned around and married another man. The next time communion was served, Wesley wouldn't let her take it. Her new husband was furious and threatened to sue, and Wesley had to flee to Charleston, South Carolina, and then hightail it back to England.
Both volumes are long, around 600 pages each, and both include very helpful pictures and diagrams of the places that matter in the story: where these men lived, where they were born, where they preached and where they died. I love history so much, and the fact that those paintings and carvings and places still exist is amazing.
Do I recommend it?
I absolutely do. Yes, they're expensive, and I understand that. I couldn't afford them either until I found them for half off. If you can get them, get them. I'm probably going to read both of these again.
Soli Deo Gloria!
