The Great Awakening

[tyndale1946]

I have not studied a lot about The Great Awakening or The Reformation which I believe if I'm not in error were one and the same. I know this is a deep subject but this is Baptist History and I would like to explore this with you learned brethren who know more about it than I do. What part did the Baptist play in this and what were the causes and effects of the Great Awakening?... Brother Glen

 

[rsr]

Bro. Glen, the Great Awakening and the Reformation were two different events. The Great Awakening is, generally, a revival that occurred in America (and Canada) and England in the mid-1700s. (The Second Great Awakening occurred in the early 1800s and is responsible for the Adventists, Mormons, Campbellites and the Primitive-Regular split).

The most influential of the preachers were the Wesleys and George Whitefield. John Wesley preached in the United States, to disappointing results, before returning to England, where he led great revivals. Whitefield drew tremendous crowds in both America and England. Interesting that Whitefield and Wesley, though poles apart on grace, for the most part cooperated in the movement.

This is a pretty good account of the Great Awakening:
http://www.nhc.rtp.nc.us:8080/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/grawaken.htm

Interesting lecture:

http://www.wfu.edu/~matthetl/perspectives/four.html

Jonathan Edwards on the phenomenon:

http://www.nhinet.org/ccs/docs/awaken.htm

And Martin Luther King weighs in:

http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/publications/papers/vol1/501117-An_Appraisal_of_the_Great_Awakening.htm

From Christianity Today:

On Edwards: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/61h/61h028.html

http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/9b6/9b6010.html

On Whitefield and others: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/2001/001/10.39.html

Ben Franklin, whatever his religious views, was a fan of Whitefield and would attend his services to hear the man speak and found himself contributing to the ministry.

The Great Awakening appealed especially to the non-established churches -- Baptists, Presbyterians, proto-Methodists, in particular. After the Great Awakening, the established churches could no longer lay exclusive claim to state support, an important factor in the Founders' adoption of religious liberty.

The movement was not without its detractors, especially among the established churches, which decried the emotionalism and easy-believism of the revivals. (Hmm. Sounds familiar, and for the same reasons.)

[ February 05, 2003, 10:00 AM: Message edited by: rsr ]

 

[Squire Robertsson]

It has been observed that the First Great Awakening in England saved that country from a counterpart to the bloody revolution French Revolution.

 

[Jeff Weaver]

Rsr noted:

The most influential of the preachers were the Wesleys and George Whitefield. John Wesley preached in the United States, to disappointing results, before returning to England, where he led great revivals.

I would add that Francis Asbury who carried on the Wesleys' work after their return to England had quite a bit of success during the second great-awakening.

As for the original question, Bro. Glen, I think the links rsr gave are a good starting point.

I would also add that the results of the second great-awakening caused the Presbyterians to divide into Old School and New School camps as did the Baptists.

"The Awakeners" (a new word perhaps?) tended to be very emotional. They also questioned the salvation and sincerity of those who hadn't had those emotional conversion experiences. Of course this was taken as a grave insult by those who hadn't gotten caught up in the emotionalism of the "great revival." This, in part, grew into the reasons for the Old School/New School rifts. I think to many these perceived insults gave reason for excesses on both sides of the various fences.

Clear as mud?

Jeff

 

[rsr]

Thanks, Jeff, for the reference to Asbury.

Francis Asbury:

http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Heritage/francis.htm

The most common name for the revivalists was "New Lights," a term that carried over to the second Great Awakening.

 

[Jeff Weaver]

Stephen

Thanks for that reminder, I had forgotten the "New Light" term. I have been in carpenter mode today, not thinking all that well about non-wooden things.

Jeff.

 

[Rev. G]

The Protestant Reformation took place during the 1500s, the Great Awakening during the 1700s.

The Great Awakening was, in many respects, a renewal of the Reformation in America and British Isles.

 

[tyndale1946]

So was there one Great Awakening or many?... Was one in Britain and the other in America... And what about the other countries how were they affected?... I would really be interested in hearing from other brethren not of Britain or America and how they see this?... Brother Glen

[ February 06, 2003, 10:41 PM: Message edited by: tyndale1946 ]

 

[rsr]

Bro. Glen, there are two generally recognized events called the Great Awakening.

The first occurred in the mid-17th Century and is exemplified by Jonathan Edwards in the United States, the Wesleys in Britain and George Whitefield in both. Whitefield is an interesting connection between the two.

The first was marked by emotionalism, conversions and itinerant preachers who preached to large crowds outside of churches. (Whitefield is said to have preached to 20,000 people in Boston at a time the entire population of the city was only slightly larger than that.) The Baptists, Presbyterians and Methodists, in particular, grew as a result.

The Second Great Awakening began in the early 1800s in the United States and was characterized not only by revivalism but also by the development of new sects and denominations -- Mormons, Adventists, Campbellites, Disciples of Christ, etc. It also promoted the creation and development of mission societies, both within and among denominations.

A case could be made that there have been others that deserve the title, such as the development of Pentecostalism in the early 1900s and what is happening today, which has been called the "Third Wave."

 

[Jeff Weaver]

Stephen

You noted:

A case could be made that there have been others that deserve the title, such as the development of Pentecostalism in the early 1900s and what is happening today, which has been called the "Third Wave."

I would concur with the ca. 1900 events which led to the development of Pentecostal theology. But I am a bit unlearned about all the things going on now. Could you elaborate on the last part "Third Wave" comment. I am at a bit of a loss to understand.

Thanks.
Jeff

 

[Jim1999]

http://www.parousianetwork.com/Welsh_Revival_Bibliography.htm

You might be interested in this read about the Welsh revivals of 1904.

Also, don't forget the great Keswick revivals, even though these were of the Holiness Movement and what some consider the beginnings of Pentecostalism in the UK

Cheers,

Jim

 

[rsr]

According to observers, the First Wave was the original Pentecostal movement; the Second Wave began in the '60s when Charismatics began to influence mainline churches. The Third Wave would include much of what we see from some TBN-style evangelists -- healing, resurrection, prophesying -- along with an emphasis on unity.

Online research is difficult because most sites are for or against it, but I think a reasonable definition can be found at:

http://www.gospelcom.net/apologeticsindex/t00.html

 

[rsr]

Wanted to pass on this tidbit about Whitefield and Benjamin Franklin. Although they were poles apart in religion, they were friends.

In an essay entitled "Whitefield Awakens America," (published in "Days of Destiny: Crossroads in American History, DK Publishing, 2001), John Demos records Franklin's account of his attendance at a Whitefield meeting:

Franklin once went to hear Whitefield "resolved he should get nothing from me." But then, "as he proceeded, I began to soften, and concluded to give the coppers [pennies]. Another stroke of oratory made me ashamed of that, and determined me to give the silver. And he finished so admirably that I emptied my whole pocket into the collector's dish, gold and all."

 

[Jeff Weaver]

Stephen

Coincidentally, last night I was flipping channels, and heard a Pentcostal minister on one of the local relgious stations who gave an explanation of the Pentecostal "Waves." Helped me to understand some of their terminology. Maybe I should watch more. Nah.

J.

 

[rsr]

ROFL