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One of the great figures of the movement was George Whitefield, an Anglican priest who was influenced by John Wesley but was himself a Calvinist. Visiting America in 1739–40, he preached up and down the colonies to vast crowds in open fields, because no church building would hold the throngs he attracted.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- First Great Awakening
- Jonathan Edwards
- George Whitefield
- Other Leaders
- Basic Themes of The Great Awakening
- Old Lights vs. New Lights
- Second Great Awakening
- Effects of The Great Awakening
- Sources
In the 1700s, a European philosophical movement known as the Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason, was making its way across the Atlantic Ocean to the American colonies. Enlightenment thinkers emphasized a scientific and logical view of the world, while downplaying religion. In many ways, religion was becoming more formal and less personal during th...
Most historians consider Jonathan Edwards, a Northampton Anglican minister, one of the chief fathers of the Great Awakening. Edwards’ message centered on the idea that humans were sinners, God was an angry judge and individuals needed to ask for forgiveness. He also preached justification by faith alone. In 1741, Edwards gave an infamous and emotio...
George Whitefield, a minister from Britain, had a significant impact during the Great Awakening. Whitefield toured the colonies up and down the Atlantic coast, preaching his message. In one year, Whitefield covered 5,000 miles in America and preached more than 350 times. His style was charismatic, theatrical and expressive. Whitefield would often s...
Several other pastors and Christian leaders led the charge during the Great Awakening, including David Brainard, Samuel Davies, Theodore Frelinghuysen, Gilbert Tennent and others. Although these leaders’ backgrounds differed, their messages served the same purpose: to awaken the Christian faith and return to a religion that was relevant to the peop...
The Great Awakening brought various philosophies, ideas and doctrines to the forefront of Christian faith. Some of the major themes included: 1. All people are born sinners 2. Sin without salvation will send a person to hell 3. All people can be saved if they confess their sins to God, seek forgiveness and accept God’s grace 4. All people can have ...
Not everyone embraced the ideas of the Great Awakening. One of the leading voices of opposition was Charles Chauncy, a minister in Boston. Chauncy was especially critical of Whitefield’s preaching and instead supported a more traditional, formal style of religion. By about 1742, debate over the Great Awakening had split the New England clergy and m...
The Great Awakening came to an end sometime during the 1740s. In the 1790s, another religious revival, which became known as the Second Great Awakening, began in New England. This movement is typically regarded as less emotionally charged than the First Great Awakening. It led to the founding of several colleges, seminaries and mission societies. A...
The Great Awakening notably altered the religious climate in the American colonies. Ordinary people were encouraged to make a personal connection with God, instead of relying on a minister. Newer denominations, such as Methodists and Baptists, grew quickly. While the movement unified the colonies and boosted church growth, experts say it also cause...
The Great Awakening, UShistory.org. The First Great Awakening, National Humanities Center. The Great Awakening Timeline, Christianity.com. The Great Awakening, Khan Academy.
Dec 29, 2023 · The First Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival that occurred in the American Colonies during the 18th century. It was the first movement that was shared in all the colonies, helping transform colonial society and establishing a common “American” identity.
- Randal Rust
The First Great Awakening (sometimes Great Awakening) or the Evangelical Revival was a series of Christian revivals that swept Britain and its thirteen North American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. The revival movement permanently affected Protestantism as adherents strove to renew individual piety and religious devotion.
George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and Gilbert Tennent were influential during the First Great Awakening. Some of the influential groups during the Great Awakening were the New Lights and the Old Lights.
During the First Great Awakening, evangelists came from the ranks of several Protestant denominations: Congregationalists, Anglicans—members of the Church of England—and Presbyterians. They rejected what appeared to be sterile, formal modes of worship in favor of a vigorous emotional religiosity.
- Remember at this time that the colonists living in the colonies did not have the religious fervor of their forebearers. For example, those living i...
- Yes, God's got a plan! The Wesley brothers also did a lot to counter the unchristian elements of the Enlightenment in England. In response to David...
- There are many ways to go about responding to this. One can cite physical factors, like better roads and postal service that spread messages more e...
- Pentecostalism, as we know of it in 21st Century America, is a 20th century phenomenon that began in Los Angeles, CA. Search out the "Azusa Street...
- One major effect is that it encouraged a more personal relationship with God instead of the minister. This idea here gave birth to many new religio...
- Did it? It was roaring along on both sides of the Atlantic, and, like many religious movements, diverted the attention of the oppressed masses from...
- It is presented in the lesson. Listen again, and you'll get it.
The First Great Awakening (often referred by historians as the Great Awakening) is the name sometimes given to a period of heightened religious activity, primarily in Great Britain and her North American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. In New England, the Great Awakening was influential among many Congregationalists; while in the Middle and ...
