The First Great Awakening

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The First Great Awakening the Birth of Modern
Evangelicalism
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I. The 18th CenturyEnlightenment AND Revival

• Enthusiasm for SCIENCE
• Science Religion Deism
• Science against Religion Voltaire, dHolbach

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A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792)
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Enlightenment AND Revival

• A DECLINE in religious fervor?
• Old England a church too bureaucratic?
• New England a frozen Calvinism?
• In N. America vast space, few clergy

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Enlightenment AND Revival

• YET stirrings of renewal
• Clergy eager to reassert their role
• Science experimental religion
• Innovation Open-air services
• Anglican Calvinism renewal projects

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II. BackgroundAnglican Spirituality

• Anglicanisms children
• 1600s Puritans
• 1700s Wesley Methodists
• 1800s J. H. Newman Catholics

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Anglican Spirituality

• Problems stir up critics
• State church politics bureaucracy (see A.
  Trollopes novels)
• Tie to Imperialism
• Puritans, Methodists, Catholics all criticize the
  Anglican Church

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Anglican Spirituality

• Anglican STRENGTHS
• Even where British Imperialism fails,
  Anglicanism/ Episcopalianism survives
• Critics are themselves shaped by Anglican
  spirituality

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Anglican Spirituality

• catholic, not confessional
• Continuity Pilgrimage
• Balance Reason-Scripture-Tradition
• Incarnation (a Christmas church) (Easter
  churches Orthodox Good Friday Churches
  Lutherans, Calvinists Catholics)
• Poetic Souls

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3. The Evangelical Explosion
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1720s Lutheran Pietism
Some Lutherans impatient with arguments over
creeds and church bureaucracy call for a return
to Luthers own stress on prayer, conversion,
worship and the simple and pious life
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Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf supports the
pietist movement Multiple pietist
communities, including THE MORAVIANS
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P.C.E. Steimel, Old Salem, NC
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1720 The Tennents call for renewal of Calvinist
fervor

• William Tennent sons GILBERT John

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Gilbert Tennent (1703-64)

• A Calvinist revival examine your conscience
  conviction? Election?
• Especially critical of the clergy
• The Danger of an Unconverted Ministry (1740)

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1726 Theodore Jacob FRELINGHUYSEN

• Warns Dutch Reformed that maybe theyre
  complacent, not elect!

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1733 Jonathan Edwards and the astonishing
events in Northampton

• Americas first great intellectual
• Love for Science
• Religion must be both rigorous (Calvinist
  theology)
• And experimental (must be experienced)

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1733 ? Edwards champions Renewal

• Key role of IMAGINATION the AFFECTIONS
• Defense of Creeds, but also
• Renewed interest in prayer, spiritual life,
  conversion, sanctification (life in the spirit)

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1733 ? Edwards is tireless defender of renewal
affective as well as logical preaching
aggressive outreach

• The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit
  of God (1741)
• Some Thoughts Concerning the Present Revival of
  Religion (1742)
• A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections (1746)

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1739-1740 GEORGE WHITEFIELDS campaign in America

• Anglican clergyman
• Calvinist theology
• Mesmerizing speaker
• Open-air meetings
• Dramatic appeal to the affections
• HUGE CROWDS! Emotional Explosions!

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1741 Angry split between Old Lights and New
Lights

• New Lights call for change!
• Old Lights (Charles Chauncey)
• OLs denounce fanaticism
• OLs Revivals works righteousness!

Charles Chauncey
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Meanwhile in Britain THE WESLEY BROTHERS

• 1735 Johns disastrous ministry in Savannah
• 1738 Aldersgate experience
• 1744 first meeting of lay group nicknamed
  methodists

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Methodism

• Brothers are Anglican clergy
• Organize prayer Bible study groups
• Focus the unchurched
• Members are energetic, aggressive, emotional
• John especially is TIRELESS PREACHER ORGANIZER

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Charles Wesley
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Methodism

• 1765 Robert Strawbridge, Philip Embury, Barbara
  Heck laypersons organize methodist meetings
  among Anglicans others in New York

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Methodism

• 1773 Wesley despite objections by Anglican
  hierarchy ordains an American Bishop FRANCIS
  ASBURY
• Asbury leads explosive evangelization campaign
• 1784 Christmas Conference Methodists
  officially create independent denomination

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Methodist Preacher
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Methodism

• Go to everyone the more unchurched, the more
  remote, the better!
• Focus especially
• on affections
• Stress need for decision for Christ

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Methodism

• Mobilize the laity
• Develop a committed, disciplined, military-like
  core of preachers the CIRCUIT RIDERS
• Retain Hierarchy of Bishops, but
• Stress democratic governance

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Weathers so awful, theres nothing out except
the crows and the Methodist circuit riders
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Methodisms Explosive Growth
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Innovative, energetic worship the out-door
camp-meeting
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A DISTINCTIVE EVANGELICAL LITURGY CAMP
MEETING REVIVAL TESTIMONY COMMUNAL
SINGING PASSIONATE CALL FOR DECISION CONVERSION
Choctaw, Mississippi one of thousands of camp
meeting sites
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Methodisms explosive growth

• By 1800 Weslyanism growing rapidly
  Methodist Episcopal Church (1784) Methodist
  Episcopal Zion Church Wesleyan Churches
  Holiness-Pentecostal Movements (c. 1880s)

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4. Calvin Wesley

• Wesley is also a THEOLOGIAN
• In the USA Wesleyan ideas clash with older
  Calvinist ideas
• At the same time each influences the other

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Three Models of the Christian Experience
PILGRIMAGE ELECTION DECISION
Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans Different needs at different stages of the journey Entirely possible to be on track, lost, found, etc. Focus on life-long process of salvation Classical Reformers Intrusion of Divine into human life - ELECTION Intense sense of Divine Sovereignty - PREDESTINATION Focus on Justification   Salvation by faith through grace, yet Rejection of Predestination Renewed sense of Human agency Rejection of Limited Atonement Focus on Sanctification, which follows Justification  
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5. Consequences

• REVIVAL becomes central to Protestant liturgy
• Among many Protestants, the parish system (people
  in same area belong to same church) largely
  collapses

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Consequences

• In North America denominationalism among
  Protestants Church membership based on
  voluntary personal choice, not where you live or
  even family tradition

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Consequences

• Widespread success among poor women enslaved
  African Americans
• By 1760s, religious excitement leads to calls for
  freedom of conscience, of speech of assembly
  for political liberty
• Introduction of third great model of the
  Christian life "Decision"

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Consequences

• Social Criticism the "way things are" and
  "powers that be" must be held accountable to a
  Higher Law
• Reform Act on social criticism to prepare the
  Kingdom! Reform!

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Consequences

• Periodic Awakenings recur in U.S. Culture
• 1st Great Awakening (1740s)
• 2nd Great Awakening (early 1800s)
• 3rd Great Awakening (late 1800s)
• 4th Great Awakening (from 1960s ?)

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Consequences

• Upheaval in theology need to deal with human
  agency democratic structures sanctification
  (what happens after justification)

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CONCLUSIONThe 18th Century Dramatically
Transformed Protestant Christianity