His mother was the daughter of an Anglican priest, and his father was an unsuccessful pastor in the Church of England. He had been raised in the parsonage - one of nineteen children.

He, too, became a priest, but he sensed something missing. Religion to this "preacher’s kid" seemed cold, cruel, and intellectual.

Then came May 24, 1738. Early in the morning he read in his Bible: "In this way he has given us the very great and precious gifts he promised, so that by means of these gifts you may escape from the destructive lust that is in the world, and may come to share the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4).

A little later in the morning, Scripture came alive again as he read: "You are not far from the kingdom of God."

In the afternoon, he stopped by St. Paul’s and heard the anthem, "Out of the d…