Echoes of the Past: The Great Awakenings and Their Impact on American Christianity

George Santayana once related, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” I remember this quote vividly since an old teacher had it on his classroom wall many years ago. This statement appears demonstrably true since we see civilizations repeating the same mistakes and wonder why their societal goals are not realized.

I wonder about my own country in this regard. A frequent question being asked in our day is, “How did we get here?” Many see the chaos in our own country and wonder the same. Within a generation, we seem to see the traditions of yesteryear unraveling. Our major institutions, whether political, educational, familial, or moral, appear to be sliding down a steep slope. Sadly, I believe we see much of the same disintegration in the Western Church.

Over the course of American Christianity, we have seen many cycles. We began with the orthodoxy of the Puritans and soon saw a decline that went from nominalism to apostasy. This set the stage for what historians call the First Great Awakening. Christian fervor was revived before the Revolutionary War by the grace of God and the efforts of champions like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. However, soon afterward came another declension. Many figured they didn't need God anymore with our newfound freedom and unfettered expansion and prosperity. In fact, around 1790, only about 8% of Americans attended church regularly.

This prepared the ground for another great revival called the Second Great Awakening. This was, in many ways, completely different from the First Awakening. Whereas the first was Calvinistic and Biblical, the Second was non-Calvinistic and deeply emotional. Led by Charles Grandison Finney, this movement emphasized man's action versus God's sovereignty. That is to say, Man had a decision to make. He either needed to choose God and the salvation He offered or remain freely in his sin. Again this was a significant departure from the ethos of the First Great Awakening.

The revival of the early 1800s was significant in many ways. It introduced a new way of conducting evangelism. Rather than profoundly theological and systematic preaching, “New Measures” were introduced that included music, emotional appeal, and the beginning of what we now call “alter calls.” The preacher went from being a trained theologian to a populist showman. The result is that people came by the thousands to these newly founded tent meetings. Finney related that the right means (priming the pump for an emotional response) was key to evangelistic efforts, not biblical preaching. A de-emphasis on theology and doctrine during this time gave way to a psychological thrust toward conversion. A practice that would be felt in years to come. Future blogs will highlight the impact.