George Whitefield: “The Great Duty of Family-Religion” (1738)
“The Great Duty of Family-Religion” was a sermon preached by the British-born clergyman George Whitefield at various times and in various locations in the 1730s before it was published in a collection of his sermons in 1738. The purpose of “The Great Duty of Family-Religion” was simple: to persuade the heads of households to ensure that religion was practiced daily in their homes through prayer and the reading of scripture.
Whitefield’s name is largely forgotten today, but as an itinerant preacher in England, the American colonies, and Scotland, Whitefield became a superstar, a cultural hero who attracted audiences often numbering in the tens of thousands. He preached a sermon on Boston Commons to more than 20,000 listeners, likely the largest gathering in American history to that point, and it is estimated that throughout his career he preached 18,000 times, reaching 10 million listeners. Early in life, he seemed destined for a career on the stage, but he gave up acting...
