Research Paper on "Great Awakening"

Research Paper 4 pages (1160 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Great Awakening:

In addition to being a time of religious revival in the American colonies, the Great Awakening was also a defining moment in the life of the American people. This period was characterized by an increase in interest in religion and prevalent revivals. Moreover, the great awakening was also a period of deep sense of guilt and redemption, an increase in church membership and the growth of new denominations and religious movements. By the time of its conclusion, the great awakening had swept the colonies of the Eastern Coastline while transforming the religious and social lives of the land. Ironically, the great awakening was not a single constant revival but several revivals in various locations. In fact, these various revivals defined the state of religion in the colonies because they were religiously asleep.

However, most of the attempts in putting down roots were terribly and largely unsuccessful. For instance, the Anglicans who came to control the religious life in Virginia following the establishment of royal control over Jamestown were unsuccessful just like the Puritans in Massachusetts Bay. In reality, the parish system used by both the Anglicans and Puritans was difficult to transfer. The small farms and new plantations that spread out in the wasteland made communication and religious discipline difficult as compared to the condensed communities of the old world. Furthermore, church membership and participation was also difficult due to the fact that people usually lived far from parish churches.

As the concern for survival and earning a living from the harsh and difficult land increased, the concern for theological issues faded. Authoritarian governmental and religious structures began to be met with resistance as people were dependent on themselves for survival. Consequently, majority of the American population were outside church membership by the second and third generations. Because the Eastern Coastline was full of people who were not going to church, there was a great need for revival that would ignite religious enthusiasm. Those who led this great awakening were surprised by the turn of events which characterized their efforts and attributed it to God's grace. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm and fervor that characterized the great awakening faded away with time.

The First Great Awakening:

It is believed that there are technically four great awakenings that have occurred since mid 18th Century to the 20th Century. However, the first great awakening, commonly known as the great awakening, can best be explained as a renewal of religious piety, which occurred throughout the American colonies between the 1730s and the 1770s. The Great Awakening was part of a much broader revival that was simultaneously taking place in England, Scotland and Germany. The revival, a new Age of Faith, occurred to oppose the currents of the Age of Enlightenment and growing rationality in all these Protestant cultures. This revival occurred in the mid 18th Century to reiterate the notion that religion means trusting the heart rather than the head as well as depending on biblical revelation instead of human reasoning.

The earliest manifestations of the great awakening in America were among Presbyterians in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. They were led by Reverend William Tennent who was a Scots-Irish immigrant together with his four sons who were all clergymen. In addition to initiating religious revivals in those colonies in the 1730s, the Presbyterians also established a seminary, Princeton University, to train clergymen. These clergymen's fervid and heartfelt preaching brought sinners to experience religious conversion.

With America, especially the Eastern Seashore, being in need… READ MORE

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