Great Awakening

The settlement of the original thirteen colonies was greatly influenced by religious groups seeking refuge from politics and persecutions that were happening in Europe. Colonies were set up to support the religious lives of specific groups of people. The colonists’ own openness and tolerance of other belief systems, however, was often slight. Yet the religious experience within their communities was a focus of many colonists lives.

In 1743, an itinerant, or roving, preacher named George Whitefield (1714–1770) returned to America from England. He was on a preaching tour to raise funds for his orphanage in Georgia . His energetic style and simple messages attracted large, emotional crowds everywhere he went. The resulting revival of religious fervor, or interest, throughout many Christian denominations in the colonies is called the Great Awakening. Though it lasted longer in some places than others, the impact of the Great Awakening helped to define a uniquely American culture that ultimately led to the American Revolution (1775–83).

Religious quickening

Settlement of the American colonies was marked by periods of intense religious feeling from nearly the beginning. Prior to Whitefield's first tour of the colonies in 1739, there were individual incidents of religious quickening, or sudden renewed interest, among several Christian denominations beginning as early as 1720. Movements among the Dutch Reformed Church in New Jersey and among the Presbyterians of New Jersey and Pennsylvania are examples of efforts to revive piety, or devotion to God, in colonial Protestantism .

Whitefield's style, however, was the catalyst that allowed the movement to break through barriers separating different denominations and to spread as quickly as itinerant preachers could travel.

Whitefield's influence

Whitefield was a leading preacher in England before he came to America in 1739. His sermons, delivered in a deep, musical voice with great dramatic flair, attracted large crowds wherever he went. As his popularity spread throughout England, however, opposition from various religious leaders grew. Resenting Whitefield's appeal to the masses, his ability to raise money, and his belief that he was united with God, Whitefield's detractors managed to close most of the churches in England to him. Undaunted, Whitefield began delivering his sermons outdoors, and large crowds continued to follow.

In 1739, Whitefield came to America on a preaching tour through many cities along the East Coast. As in England, his style and message appealed to the people, and large crowds gathered and converted to a serious religious life wherever he went. His message was simple: repent, seek Jesus Christ, and be saved by the Holy Spirit, thereby becoming assured of salvation, or life with God in heaven after death. Whitefield's message dismissed intellectual theology, the differences between Christian denominations, and the authority of the clergy.

As Whitefield's popularity grew, so did the presence of other itinerant preachers. Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758), William Tennent (1673–1746), and George Tennent are some of the leaders who embraced and carried the message of the Great Awakening through their own revivals. Criticism of the simplicity of their message, however, especially concerning an individual's role in salvation, caused opposition to the movement and rifts within denominations that permanently changed the religious landscape in America.

Tensions build

As the Great Awakening gained momentum and the presence of revivals increased, tensions between the revivalists and established congregations began to appear. Revivalists focused on bringing to listeners an awareness of the spirit and presence of God in their lives. Revivalists preached about sin and tried to awaken a person's need to repent for his or her transgressions. According to the revivalists, only by accepting the gift of God's grace and rejecting sin at every opportunity could an individual be saved and have hope of reaching heaven. This “rebirth” of an individual was often an emotional and dramatic conversion in the middle of a revival meeting.

The revivalists' message about salvation conflicted with traditional Protestant doctrine known as predestination. According to predestination, an individual's salvation is not earned but is completely predetermined by God before birth. The revivalists' message about salvation created rifts within congregations and whole denominations. In some cases, new denominations that embraced the revivalists' message were created. Itinerancy and clerical responsibility for multiple, smaller congregations across communities thus became more common.

The individual experience of dramatic conversion caused tensions between clergy as well. The revivalists' claim that an individual's repentance and conversion led to salvation allowed laymen (those not in the clergy) to become respectable preachers. Revivalists such as George Tennent even conducted sermons on the “Danger of an Unconverted Ministry.” Ministers were selected more for charisma and preaching style than for theology and counseling. During a time when traditional congregations valued an intellectual approach to religion and the education of their ministers, this caused a great stir.

Critics of the revivalists denounced their teachings and behavior as un-Christian. The critics argued that the gracious states of individuals are known only to God, and that God's will is revealed only through the Holy Scriptures, not through the emotional ranting of humans. For them, individuals can never have absolute knowledge of anything. They believed that to glorify God means developing virtuous Christian habits. Finally, the critics attacked the revivalists' lack of education, calling them ignorant.

Legacy

Though the Great Awakening was mostly over by 1750, its presence never faded completely. The movement reached beyond individual religious experiences, impacting American political and social culture as well.

The movement's message of unity broke some denominational boundaries and encouraged religious tolerance among congregations. This helped to create networks of people connecting previously isolated communities and denominations throughout the colonies. Breaking social barriers between colonies laid some of the groundwork for their later split from England.

The Great Awakening helped individual experience became important in American religions, as the concept of free will in salvation was established and embraced. By questioning authority, the revivalists' message not only changed religion but also contributed to ideals that would fuel the approaching American Revolution.

The Great Awakening left different footprints on all of the colonial denominations and sects of Christianity. Though revival meetings would resurge again in the 1800s, the movement's greater impact was to create a new religious culture and open the doors for greater religious toleration and individual freedom that would become defining characteristics of the American experience.