The First Great Awakening was a revival movement that swept Protestant Europe and British America in the 1730s and 1740s. It was characterized by an emphasis on spiritual conviction, repentance, and rebirth. Key figures included George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and John Wesley. The movement helped lay the groundwork for the American Revolution by promoting values like equality and individualism.
The Second Great Awakening was a similar revival movement that occurred in the United States from around 1790 to the 1840s. It arose in response to the rationalism of the Enlightenment and was led by preachers like Charles Grandison Finney. The Second Great Awakening led to the establishment of numerous reform movements designed to remedy the evils of society before the anticipated Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Causes of the First Great Awakening
Several factors contributed to the First Great Awakening:
- Decline in piety: By the early 18th century, Christianity had fallen into a cold, formal ritual in many places. People were dissatisfied with dry theology and formulaic worship.
- Boring preachers: Many older ministers relied on carefully written sermons and did not connect emotionally with congregants.
- Rise of Enlightenment rationalism: Scientific reasoning and philosophy challenged traditional authority, making way for new religious ideas.
- Quest for spiritual experience: People sought more personal, ecstatic experiences of God’s presence, no longer content with intellectual faith.
These factors created a hunger for religious revival. Evangelists like Whitefield and Wesley tapped into this hunger and preached an impassioned, experiential faith that ignited a spiritual fire across two continents.
Key Figures of the First Great Awakening
The First Great Awakening was led by powerful evangelical preachers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean:
George Whitefield
Whitefield was an Anglican minister from England who became famous for his dramatic open-air sermons. His innovative preaching style drew crowds in the tens of thousands. Though affiliated with the Church of England, his theology was Calvinist in emphasis. He preached his famous sermon “The New Birth” over 300 times, stressing the necessity of spiritual conversion.
Jonathan Edwards
Edwards was a leading theologian and Congregationalist pastor in colonial America. His 1741 sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is considered a classic of early American literature. Edwards emphasized God’s sovereignty and humanity’s depravity, preaching hellfire to shock listeners towards repentance.
John Wesley
Wesley was an Anglican priest and leader of the Methodist movement in Britain. He preached to coal miners and other common folk, organizing his converts into tightly-knit societies for spiritual accountability. Wesley’s emphasis on salvation for all and social justice contributed to Methodism’s rapid growth.
These three giants of Protestant Christianity helped spark a wildfire of religious fervor that swept through the English-speaking world in the mid-1700s.
Major Tenets of the First Great Awakening
The First Great Awakening was theologically diverse, but shared some core beliefs:
- Original sin – Humanity is totally depraved and enslaved to sin apart from God’s grace.
- New birth – Salvation requires a supernatural rebirth through the Holy Spirit.
- Justification by faith – We are saved by faith alone, not by good works.
- Personal relationship with God – Faith must be heartfelt and experiential, not just intellectual assent.
- Emphasis on the Bible – Scripture is the sole authority for Christian faith and practice.
These doctrines aligned with traditional Protestant beliefs. But evangelists preached them with fiery conviction and zeal, appealing more to the heart than the head. Emotionally-charged sermons aimed to convert the lost and spur nominal Christians to greater devotion.
Effects of the First Great Awakening
The First Great Awakening profoundly impacted society in several ways:
- It stimulated church growth and strengthened the role of religion in American life.
- It unified the colonies around a shared evangelical identity and built networks for inter-colonial cooperation.
- Its emphasis on spiritual equality advanced democratic ideals that shaped the American Revolution.
- It spawned new denominations such as Methodism and Presbyterianism.
- It led to increased missionary work and education, founding of universities like Princeton.
- It inspired numerous reform movements concerned with temperance, women’s rights, and abolition.
Overall, historians see the First Great Awakening as a seminal, transformative episode in the development of American religion, politics, and culture.
Causes of the Second Great Awakening
By the early 19th century, religion in America was at a low ebb. Several factors led to the Second Great Awakening:
- Rationalism of the Enlightenment era decreased interest in religion.
- Deism challenged traditional Christian doctrines.
- Young people were neglecting faith in favor of materialism.
- Westward expansion disconnected people from traditional institutions.
- Excessive consumption of alcohol concerned moral reformers.
- Revolutionary idealism was fading amid self-interest.
These forces created a sense of religious declension. But the Second Great Awakening promised to counteract backsliding and usher in spiritual renewal.
Key Figures of the Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening produced its own famous preachers and theologians:
Charles Grandison Finney
Finney was an evangelical Presbyterian minister and central figure in the revivalism of this era. He emphasized religious experience and denounced Calvinist doctrines. His revival techniques included the “anxious bench” for public decisions.
Lyman Beecher
Beecher was a Presbyterian minister known for his reforming spirit. He promoted temperance as a cure for social ills. His fiery preaching educated and inspired a generation of prominent ministers and reformers.
Peter Cartwright
Cartwright was an energetic Methodist circuit rider who helped spread the Awakening on America’s fast-moving western frontier. He preached to camp meetings of thousands, denouncing sin and urging people to repent.
Itinerant evangelists like these brought revivalist Christianity to masses of people across America, winning many new converts.
Major Tenets of the Second Great Awakening
Key teachings of this era included:
- Salvation for all – Christ’s atonement is offered to every human being.
- Free will – Humans have liberty to choose or reject God’s salvation.
- Social reforms – Christians must work to correct injustice and suffering in society.
- Postmillennialism – Christ will return after humanity has reformed society for 1,000 years.
Evangelists deemphasized Calvinist doctrines like predestination and stressed the potential redemption of all people. They called Christians to reform culture so Christ would return to a purified kingdom.
Effects of the Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening impacted America in many positive ways:
- It led to large numbers of conversions and renewed commitment among believers.
- It inspired social reform movements like abolition, temperance, and women’s rights.
- It motivated expanded missionary work at home and abroad.
- It fostered growth of evangelical denominations like Baptists and Methodists.
- It influenced culture through colleges and literature promoting revival themes.
- It strengthened the moral character of society based on Christian principles.
This democratic, egalitarian form of faith shaped 19th century America in lasting ways. The Second Great Awakening produced moral and spiritual fruits that endured long after the revival fires cooled.
Comparison of the First and Second Great Awakenings
While the Great Awakenings shared some similarities, they differed in important ways:
- The First was grounded in Reformed theology while the Second promoted Arminianism.
- The First awakened the 13 colonies while the Second swept the expanding frontier.
- The First impacted slaves and Native Americans while the Second advanced women’s roles.
- The First critiqued establishment churches but the Second strengthened denominations.
- The First encouraged religious freedom while the Second sustained moral norms.
Historians debate whether the Second Awakening was more of a continuation or departure from the First. But both movements revived American Christianity during eras of instability and helped define the nation’s spiritual landscape.
Conclusion
The Great Awakenings were watershed moments that profoundly transformed Christianity in America. Dynamic evangelical preaching called people to repentance and faithful living. These revivals expanded American churches, impacted society through reforms, strengthened participatory democracy, and fueled moral character. The Awakenings nourished Christianity in America during critical formative periods.
The Bible does not directly mention these historical events. But the revivals expressed biblical values like righteous living, spiritual rebirth, and the power of God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Peter 1:23). They demonstrated Christianity’s continuing relevance and capacity to renew hearts and cultures. The Great Awakenings renewal movements aligned with biblical exhortations to revive the church and spread the light of Christ.