4 Reasons Families Will Love ‘A Great Awakening’

George is a young boy in 1700s England with a gift for oratory and the confidence to step forward and use it.Unfortunately, his family is commoners in a country where wealth is necessary to get ahead. George would make a great professor or even politician – yet such opportunities seem out of reach.Soon, though, George’s fortunes take a divine turn when a graduate of the University of Oxford notices his theatrical talent and offers to endorse him for the school, where he begins classes as a “servitor” – given free tuition in exchange for performing menial tasks, a role that sparks ridicule and even bullying from high-society students, some of them mocking his cross-eyed appearance.George, filled with humility and patience, endures the hardship. He also connects with two brothers, John and Charles Wesley, who are passionate for Christ and invite George to join them. He becomes part of their “Holy Club” and begins a life of discipline and devotion – serving the poor and preaching the gospel to anyone who will listen.George has found his calling. He wants to be a minister.Unfortunately for him, the Church of England has little use for animated pastors who stray from the script and stir the congregation into deep conviction.Undaunted, George begins open-air preaching to the public as an evangelist – and eventually sails to the United States, where the rules are supposedly less strict and where a hunger for the gospel – and George’s passionate style – is growing.There, he meets a middle-aged newspaper publisher, Benjamin Franklin, who doesn’t share George’s passion for Christ – but does share a keen instinct for what draws a crowd. Franklin sees the masses George is drawing – 30,000 at one sermon in Philadelphia – and sees opportunity.The two men soon became friends. Franklin covers George’s revivals, knowing readers will buy his papers to follow the movement. And George gives him access, knowing that Franklin’s coverage will bring even more people to his outdoor services.It’s a match made in, well … heaven.The new movie A Great Awakening (PG-13) follows the true story of the friendship between Franklin and George – that’s George Whitefield (Jonathan Blair) – two men who were polar opposites in many ways but helped spark a revival that often is credited with, at least in part, helping ignite the Revolutionary War. Joshua Enck directed it.Here are four reasons families will enjoy it:Photo Credit: Sight and Sound
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