Latest news with #Whitefield
Epoch Times
27-05-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
Reviving the Soul: Lessons From the Great Awakening
Imagine if a televangelist like Joel Osteen or Billy Graham made the front page of every newspaper in America. Not because of a scandal, but simply out of enthusiasm for their spiritual message. This is what happened in 1739, when English minister George Whitefield toured America. A star celebrity in his day, Whitefield was already famous in England for his charismatic preaching style that stressed personal conversion. Instead of reading long sermons as other ministers did, Whitefield spoke in a more impromptu way and made emotional appeals to congregations. His oratory made him popular, but also controversial. George Whitefield preaching, in an 1857 engraving. Public Domain In his famous 'Autobiography,' Benjamin Franklin described the excitement this preacher stirred up when he came to America: 'In 1739 arrived among us from Ireland the Reverend Mr. Whitefield, who had made himself remarkable there as an itinerant preacher.' By 'itinerant preacher,' Franklin meant that Whitefield traveled from church to church. Some of the local ministers in America were offended by his bluntness, seeing him as a threat to their established orthodoxy. They 'soon refused him their pulpits, and he was obliged to preach in the fields.' Franklin was among the huge 'multitudes of all sects' that gathered to hear the man. Attending out of curiosity and silently resolving 'that he should get nothing from me,' the rational inventor ended up emptying his pockets into the collection plate. Franklin was one of thousands who had been won over. He Related Stories 5/10/2023 1/11/2023 Franklin was right. The world was 'growing religious.' But why? Reacting Against Materialism Whitefield was exceptional, but he was not the only preacher stirring things up. In the 1730s, change was in the air. The period preceding what is now known as the 'Great Awakening' was a time much like our own. In the early 18th century, American civilization was undergoing a crisis. Tired of the religious wars that had dominated the previous century, the educated classes turned to science and reason as a guide. The Enlightenment began to take hold as thinkers like Francis Bacon and Isaac Newton inferred the laws of nature from experiments and mathematics. Ordinary people, however, were not satisfied with these materialistic explanations. In their unrest, they turned to charismatic preachers like Whitefield to feed their spiritual hunger. Early Social Media To realize their goals, these preachers used the printing press. While its existence was not new, its use became more widespread during this time. Whitefield himself cultivated a 'preach and print' strategy to attract his massive crowds, exploiting the commercial possibilities of newsprint to build his revival. It sounds impressive to learn that every newspaper in America was reporting on Whitefield's preaching. Actually, though, there were only 12 colonial newspapers in print in 1739. Boston had five, New York two, and Pennsylvania three. Just two, the Virginia Gazette and South Carolina Gazette, were located in the South. The head of one of these papers was, in fact, Benjamin Franklin. It was he who helped publicize Whitefield's evangelism in his Pennsylvania Gazette, even supporting construction of two separate building projects, a preaching venue and an orphan house. It worked. In 'Inventing the 'Great Awakening,'' historian Frank Lambert writes that 'even armies arrayed for the biggest battles did not match the revivalist crowds in number.' Mass Conversions Jonathan Edwards (L) published "A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God" in 1737. Public Domain Jonathan Edwards was another popular preacher of the time. The opposite of Whitefield, Edwards had a quiet voice more suited to intimate settings than large crowds. Thanks to the power of printing, though, he was able to reach a wide audience. It was Edwards who helped launch the Great Awakening through a 1737 publication. In 'A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God,' he described how hundreds of people in his small town of Northampton found spiritual salvation by turning away from the material realm. Their hearts became wholly absorbed in 'the great things of religion and the eternal world,' he wrote. 'All the conversation, in all companies and upon all occasions, was upon these things only.' Worldly affairs, by contrast, were treated as 'a thing of very little consequence.' Following this, other preachers began publishing similar accounts of awakenings in their communities. Strange things began to happen. Jonathan Parsons, in an account of the revival at Lyme in Connecticut, Rev. Jonathan Parsons. Public Domain Though the Great Awakening subsided after the 1740s, it led to the rise of new denominations, including those of the Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterians. Following criticisms from Whitefield and others that institutions of higher learning had become corrupt, four new universities were eventually founded: Princeton, Brown, Rutgers, and Dartmouth. The echo of the Great Awakening can be heard down to our own day. It reminds us that the true measure of a life well-lived lies not in possessions, but in purpose. What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Stock market update: Nifty IT index falls 0.75%
NEW DELHI: The Nifty IT index closed on a negative note on Tuesday. Shares of Coforge Ltd.(up 0.05 per cent) ended the day as top gainers in the pack. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Whitefield's Top Villas @ just ₹2.35 Cr | Ready Dec'26 Avani Abode Get Rates Undo On the other hand, HCL Technologies Ltd.(down 1.29 per cent), Tata Consultancy Services Ltd.(down 1.1 per cent), Persistent Systems Ltd.(down 0.8 per cent), Wipro Ltd.(down 0.8 per cent) and Infosys Ltd.(down 0.66 per cent) finished as the top losers of the day. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. The Nifty IT index closed 0.75 per cent down at 37501.45. Benchmark NSE Nifty50 index ended down 174.96 points at 24826.2, while the BSE Sensex stood down 624.82 points at 81551.63. Live Events Among the 50 stocks in the Nifty index, 11 ended in the green, while 39 closed in the red. Shares of Vodafone Idea, Eternal, Reliance Power, Suzlon Energy and YES Bank were among the most traded shares on the NSE. Shares of Camlin Fine Sc, Apollo Micro Systems, Centum Elec, Suven Life Sci and Racl Geartech hit their fresh 52-week highs in today's trade, while Shree Ram Proteins, California Soft(PP), Tantia Const, Chembond Chem and Protean eGov Techno hit their fresh 52-week lows.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Radio host moved to tears after colleague opens up on air in emotional interview
A radio presenter was moved to tears after one of her colleagues opened up on air about the challenges he has overcome. Bury-based singer, songwriter and broadcaster Jsky delivered the emotional interview on BBC Radio Manchester's Manc and Proud show. The conversation with his colleague Simone Riley made the host tearful while listeners at home said they were also moved. During the interview, Jsky talked about his journey as an artist, his love for Manchester and the challenges he has overcome. READ MORE: Armed police and air ambulance descend as woman bit by 'chow chow breed' dog in Tameside READ MORE: Man rushed to hospital after car ploughs into Manchester shop Overwhelmed by emotion, Riley said she 'had a bit of a cry' listening to her colleague, telling him, 'you've truly touched my heart'. "I'm getting emotional listening to you," she said, "and before I had a bit of a cry when I was speaking to you because I know you as a colleague but we've never had a deep chat like this. "I just see someone who is flamboyant, someone who's very confident and I've never really delved into this like we have done today... and Jay I've got to say, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for being so open and honest with me here today. "It really is heartwarming to hear your story and to know your purpose." Jsky, whose real name is Jason Warner, grew up in Whitefield where his family were 'the only black people' and subject to racist abuse. But the singer, who regularly performed at Pride events, said he did not felt welcome in Manchester's gay scene for a long time either. He said: "I'd go to clubs in Manchester in the village and I wouldn't be able to get in. They'd say, "you need to be a member", and then the people that weren't the same skin tone as me, shall we say, would be able to walk in and I'd be left on the outside. "When I first started going out on the Manchester scene, I made a name for myself with the z-list clubs on the straight scene because they were the places that actually accepted me the most. I built up my following that way." Speaking about his upbringing, he added: 'From an early age I got to experience being different in a room and being treated differently. So I've had this responsibility instilled in me, to represent something bigger than yourself, that's kind of primed me." During the interview, Riley described Jsky as a 'role model'. Asked about his fashion choices, Jsky said: "I want to have fun. "My message has always been to not be scared of doing something that will make you happy. It's not that deep. "You don't need to live your life based on what someone might say. And chances are, that negative opinion is just your own in the back of your head. "So you need to make that other opinion, the good one, louder. And if wearing something makes you feel a certain way and clothes do, they have that power. "They change how we walk, they change how we hold ourselves, our posture, how we introduce ourselves into the world. "I want to look back on my life and. Yeah, I might make a few fashion mistakes. I might make a lot to be fair. "But I want to look back at this pictures and say 'I remember wearing that outfit, I remember the day'. "It's a statement. It does something. That's my aim." Listeners quickly took to social media to express their support and admiration for the Manchester fashionista after the interview. Rapper Sebastenelli who features on Jsky's latest single Put It Pon Dem wrote: "Listened LN, very proud. Very proud. Nothing but love." Adding to the outpouring of support, Philip Brennan replied: 'Superb interview. Was genuinely quite emotional listening to your story." Bluescarrmusic also commented: "You are an absolute inspiration...a fellow Manc rooting for you." Jsky's mum, who tuned in while working at a local charity shop, said: "Heard the interview… you make me so so proud. Have to confess I did shed a tear—you're such a beautiful young man and privileged to be your mam Shap bizzie up later. Love youuu xx."
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Travel warning issued as tram stops closed for a week amid major works
Passengers are being warned to expect major disruption as engineering works take place on a Metrolink line. No trams will run between Bury and Whitefield from the beginning of Sunday, May 25, to the end of next Sunday, June 1. Meanwhile, there will be no services between Whitefield and Crumpsall tomorrow (Sunday), and from Friday to next Sunday. READ MORE: Hundreds pay tribute as teenagers killed in Salford horror crash named and pictured READ MORE: Road blocked as family and friends pay tribute to two teenagers killed in motorbike crash Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) says the closure is for 'essential repair works' to take place on the Bury line. It means that Bury and Radcliffe tram stops will be closed for eight days. Services will run between Whitefield and Manchester city centre from bank holiday Monday to the end of Thursday. Trams on the Bury line will only run between Crumpsall and Manchester tomorrow, and from Friday to next Sunday. Join our Traffic and Travel WhatsApp group HERE TfGM says a tram replacement bus will be in use at the affected stops. It also says that passengers could find cheaper or quicker alternatives by using Bee Network buses instead. Metrolink tickets will be accepted on the 97, 135 and 524 services on Friday and next Saturday. However, they will only be accepted on tram replacement buses on the other days that work is taking place. Further details can be found on the TfGM website. --- For the latest stories and breaking news visit Get the latest headlines, features and analysis that matter to you by signing up to our various Manchester Evening News newsletters here. You can also get all your favourite content from the Manchester Evening News on WhatsApp. Click here to stay up to date with the latest. Follow us on X @mennewsdesk for all the latest stories and updates on breaking incidents from across the region and beyond, as well as on our Facebook page here. If you prefer reading our stories on your phone, consider downloading the Manchester Evening News app here, and our newsdesk will make sure every time an essential story breaks, you'll be the first to hear about it.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'I tried a viral chocolate challenge for breakfast' at famous chocolatiers
As a self-confessed sweet tooth, I was almost certain that taking on a TikTok viral chocolate challenge at a much-loved Whitefield chocolatier would be a breeze. How wrong I was. After seeing videos of the Slattery Chocolate Challenge racking up thousands of views on social media in recent months, I finally booked myself a table to see first-hand what the fuss was about. I look forward to a Slattery princess cake on my birthday every year and am a regular in the bakery and chocolate shop. (Image: Newsquest) (Image: Newsquest) I turned up at 9:15am on a Saturday morning to find the third-floor of the Bury New Road Mason Dining Room almost full - which is why pre-booking is essential – and felt rather confident that I'd easily earn myself a spot of the Slattery Wall of Fame. After all, it wouldn't be the first time I've had chocolate for breakfast and I could probably put Augustus Gloop to shame most weekends. (Image: Newsquest) The huge plate arrived at the table with great fanfare as the utterly ginormous American-style fudge cake was topped with an extravagant sparkler. For those who haven't heard of it before, the Slattery Chocolate Challenge sees diners tackle chocolate fudge cake, a mound of freshly whipped double cream (which was the size of my fist – this is not an exaggeration), four chocolate cups, two of which filled with milk and white melted chocolate, three fat scoops of homemade chocolate ice cream and a hot chocolate topped with a chocolate disc. Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the Bury Times morning newsletter as well as our breaking news alerts. It costs £25 per person and those who complete it win a chocolate medal and a 100g box of artisanal chocolates, along with their name displayed on the Wall of Fame in the dining room waiting area. I had heard some horror stories about people making themselves ill whilst trying to finish the 'world famous' challenge so was mindful to take it slowly and not let my pride get in the way. There was no set time frame to finish it and I can confirm that the pictures and videos do not fully relay the sheer size of the plate - the cake weighed more than 1lb alone. I started with the melted chocolate cups and immediately knew I was in trouble. Again, I adore sweet treats but the richness of the Belgian chocolate hit me straight away. Next up I went for the ice cream, then put that on pause after one scoop before taking on the Bruce Bogtrotter-esque cake and the whipped cream. After a few forkful's, I gave my taste buds a break from the cake and drank the hot chocolate - a little palette cleanser, if you will. This is where I began to struggle and I officially tapped out after just twenty minutes. READ NEXT: Crews back in town for second day of filming major TV drama READ NEXT: Man who set up dog walking business while grieving his parents shortlisted for award In hindsight, it was not the quantity that was the real barrier but the exceptional quality. When I spoke to co-owner John Slattery earlier this year, he explained that they only use specially imported Belgian chocolate and it's what they are famed for. I am a lifelong fan, having grown up visiting the shop, it but smashing through it all at once was too much. (Image: Newsquest) More than 10,000 other people have failed before me though so I was in good company, and nothing goes to waste as I got the take the leftovers home. I also took the opportunity to do some shopping downstairs and picked up some gifts for loved ones on my way out. Do you think you could have fared any better? Let us know in the comments. You can find the Slattery shop and dining room at 197 Bury New Rd, Whitefield, Manchester M45 6GE
