When revolution threatened to tear a nation apart, one man chose to stay.
In the summer of 1775, as the American Revolution erupted into armed conflict, Methodist preacher Francis Asbury faced an impossible choice. His fellow British ministers fled to England, but Asbury refused to abandon the scattered Methodist societies they had worked to establish.
Despite colonial authorities viewing British clergy with suspicion, Patriots questioning his loyalty, and Methodists everywhere facing imprisonment, fines, and persecution, Asbury became one of only two British Methodist ministers to remain in America throughout the entire Revolutionary War.
From his own journal, witness: • A man navigating dangerous roads while authorities hunted Methodist preachers • The daily struggles of building a religious movement from horseback • Ministry to families torn apart by revolution • The transformation of American Christianity through unwavering commitment
These intimate journal entries reveal a man of extraordinary courage and faith-riding circuit through Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and the Carolinas while war raged around him. We see him preaching in barns and homes, sleeping in rough frontier cabins, and shepherding early Methodist societies that would eventually grow into the largest Protestant denomination in 19th-century America.
More than just a historical document, this journal captures the heart of a shepherd who chose his sheep over his safety, his calling over his comfort. Through Asbury's own words, discover how one man's faithfulness during America's darkest hour helped birth a spiritual awakening that would transform a nation.
★ Perfect for readers of American history, church history, and biographical literature ★ Over 500 pages of firsthand Revolutionary War testimony ★ Scholarly editing with commentary and historical context ★ Based on the 1821 manuscript
Edited with commentary by J. Randolph Turpin Jr., D.Min., descendant of Solomon Turpin II, who hosted Asbury during the war.
