Ben Franklin, George Whitefield, and How to Maintain Christian Commitment in Higher Education

Stream or download the audio recording from this breakout session titled Ben Franklin, George Whitefield, and How to Maintain Christian Commitment in Higher Education with Thomas Kidd that was delivered at The Gospel Coalition’s 2019 National Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. Thomas Kidd discussed George Whitefield and Ben Franklin’s debate in the 1740s on the founding of the University of Pennsylvania, especially in the light of Franklin’s enigmatic religious views. Whitefield and Franklin’s disagreement about the centrality of Christianity at the new university has surprising contemporary relevance. Kidd used this historical example as a way to consider what it requires to maintain Christian commitment in today’s educational environment.