Experience the American dream with today’s Patriots of the Past interview. I’m your host, John Gillespie.
It’s December 13, 1752. I’m with Benjamin Franklin. We’ve just finished listening to the famous evangelist, George Whitefield.
JG: “Mr. Franklin, what did you think of his preaching?”
BF: “Mr. Gillespie, his voice is like the thunder, his passion like a hurricane, and he has aroused many Americans out of their moral slumber. Truly, there is a great awakening upon our land.”
While Benjamin Franklin never did profess a belief in Christianity, thousands of Americans did as the Great Awakening laid the moral foundation for the American Revolution.
Read more of what Benjamin Franklin had to say about George Whitefield.
John and Jan Gillespie are the founders of the Rawhide Boys’ Ranch; they have fostered 351 teenagers and wrote the book Our 351 Sons; they have also assisted numerous churches in developing youth programs and expanding their total church ministries. After running for U.S. Senate, John founded 1776 American Dream, which exists to demonstrate the vision of our founding fathers and help our generation of youth passionately embrace those values.