REFLECTION ON READING week 4

Read the question carefully. Engage with the question from your contexts such as Personal, Spiritual, Church, missional, etc, and make meaningful applications to them. The word limit is a minimum of 300.

How is the Great Awakening contribute to revival in America?

Completion requirements

1. The Great Awakening

The early Eighteenth century was a time of religious and moral weakness in the colonies, and New England. The zeal of the first generation Puritans did not appear in their descendants. In Pennsylvania, Quakerism, the dominant form of religion, had lost much of its enthusiasm and evangelistic order perhaps because of great material prosperity. Great Awakening came in this time of need. The Great Awakening was a series of simultaneous, spontaneous, unorganized, and rural or village congregational awakenings led by godly pastors such as Jonathan Edwards. It often occurred spontaneously in different areas at the same time, resulting in the conversion of many, who became godly church goers and lived godly lives in their homes and work place.

Jonathan Edwards local church (Northampton) experienced revival. Charles G. Finnys meetings brought about revival. Revivals occurred in cities New Jersey (Presbyterian Church), Rochester, Yale, Cane Ridge etc. Evangelism is the result of revival as non-Christians became converted and accepted Christ. The tours of Jonathan Edwards and other leading ministers were followed by widespread evangelistic work in New England. The Spiritual awakenings motivated the need of reaching the unreached as well as of stirring the believers for a holy life.

The preaching of Theodore Freling Huysen bought about revival in Dutch Reformed congregations in New Jersey in 1726. The revival produced fiery evangelists among the Scottish-Irish of the middle colonies.

The revival in the Dutch Reformed and Presbyterians soon spread to Congregationalist New England through the efforts of Jonathan Edwards. His prayer and sermons brought about revival, which began in 1734, spread throughout New England until it reached its high tide in 1740. He upheld a Calvinistic theology and believed that while people have a rational ability to turn to God; because of total depravity they lack moral ability. This ability must be imparted by divine grace. George Whitefield was another great revival preacher from Boston. He preached in Boston and throughout New England brought about great revival.

Samuel Davis became the leader of the revival among the Presbyterians in Virginia. George Whitefield unified the efforts of all these revivalist preachers as he travelled in all the colonies in seven visits between 1738 and 1769. This revival was considered to be the American counterpart of Pietism in Europe and the Methodist revival in England. Between thirty to fifty thousand people and 150 new churches were added to the churches in New England. Thousands joined the churches in southern and middle colonies. The Congregational, Presbyterian, and Baptist bodies were much enlarged.

A high moral tone was noticed in the homes, work, and amusements of the people. Colleges were started to provide ministers to the new congregations. Missionary work was spurred and men like David Brainerd engaged in missionary work among the Red Indians with great personal sacrifice. Presbyterians founded college in New Jersey, now Princeton University, to train ministers in 1743. Whitefield founded an orphanage at Georgia for which he took up collections in his meetings. He also helped the Thirteen Colonies to sense their unity and common culture and values.