First Great Awakening

Revival history is an interesting topic and matchless that understructure be explored at massive depths. Revivals of the past, if looked at through and through the right lens, brush off awaken hope and desire for paragon to move again, even in the darkest times. Revivals show us that God is still very(prenominal) practically combat-ready and interested in His people. The Father desires that we would k this instant Him as a really Person and who loves to make Himself known through His Son Jesus. I wrote my youngsprint on the initial enormous arouse principally because I am from New England and I have a passion to see the church building set ablaze again in that line of business.The herit be on is so productive in that land and I believe that the Lord would love to construe His people again with a great spiritual awakening. Below, I get out go over the Great rouse in detail discussing the dates, location, depict leaders, scope of bushel, main features, main subs tance, controversial aspects, principles learned, and our application for to daytime. The First Great Awakening was a ghostlike revitalization run that took dimension in the northeast, mainly in the New England area.The Great Awakening interruption passim the colonies on the eastern seaboard. The dates of when the First Great Awakening began vary callable to the opinion of the chosen historian. Most say that the dates begin somewhere in the early 1700s 1740s. The earliest moves of revitalization meeting were recorded in the 1730s in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The next noticeable move of God was in Northampton, Mass around 1734 36. The final thrust of awakening took mastermind in the 1740s with the arrival of the powerful orator and itinerant talker, George Whitefield.A contri just nowor to the matter Humanities Center validates these claims by informing, The earliest manifestations of the American phase of this phenomenonthe beginnings of the First Great Awakeningappea red among Presbyterians in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Led by the Tennent familyReverend William Tennent, a Scots-Irish immigrant, and his four sons, all clergymenthe Presbyterians not only initiated religious revivals in those colonies during the 1730s but excessively established a seminary to train clergymen whose fervid, earnest preaching would transport sinners to examine evangelical variation.Originally known as the put down College, it is better known today as Princeton University. 1 When looking historically at the Great Awakening, umpteen may not recognize that the knock over of the Lord was already starting to awaken hunger for revitalization of trust ahead the man Jonathan Edwards came on the scene. While serving as the new local congregational minister of a Northampton church, Jonathan Edwards noticed the spiritual bluntness and condition of the townshipship. He wrote this quote Just after my grand stimulates death, it seemed to be a time of extraordinary du llness in religion.Licentiousness for some years prevailed among the younker of the town they were many of them very much addicted to night-walking, and frequenting the tavern and salacious practices, wherein some, by their example, exceedingly corrupted others. 2 Afterward, Jonathan was moved to the point of traffic the young people to gather into small groups to join for prayer and a time of discussion. The next recognized stirrings began in December 1734 of Northampton, Massachusetts. Two headspring known young people died in the town and the existence began to vex concerned with death, conduct after death, eternity and other spiritual matters.In this stirring context, Edwards began preaching a teaching series on Justification by reliance alone. It was at this point that six young people were converted. ane of whom was a young girl who was said to be known by many young men in the town, meaning she was very immoral. The town of Northampton was shaken to its very core an d three hundred more conversions took place following the initial 6. With the entire town boasting 1,100 people, this equates to 25% of the population getting saved. About a year posterior in 1736, the town went dressing to normal mainly due to the suicide of Jonathan Edwards uncle.The next cockle of revival to hit New England was in 1740 upon the revival of George Whitefield. He was another(prenominal) key figure and leader during this great spiritual awakening and stirring. George at one point spoke to 30,000 people in England. The night before he died he saw that 2,000 people had gathered out his basis so he went to his balcony and preached on the excellencies of Christ. The key leaders of the Great Awakening as mentioned previously were sarin Tennent, Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. Gilbert Tennent was natural in 1703 in Ireland and was the son of William Tennent.Gilbert had immigrated to the United States in 1718 and lived in Pennsylvania. After wrestling over his salvation during his teen years he was converted at 20 years old in 1723. It was only three years later that he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister. Tennet was a stirring speaker and from his sermons he led many into a conversion experience. In 1739 Gilbert met George Whitefield and went on tour with him throughout New England. They both shared a great passion for revival. While on tour Gilbert introduced George to many different ministers which aided in making the tour a great success.When George returned to England, Tennet inhabitd on with preaching throughout New England and from these speaking engagements teeny revivals sparked. The revivals in New England were scattered but aided in creating what we now call The Great Awakening. Jonathan Edwards, a native to the New England area was born in East Windsor, computerized tomography on October 5, 1703. Jonathan grew up as the only son out of 11 children. From a young age he lived a life of prayer and study in the word. He a s well as studied many topics and was one of the most brilliant minds to be produced on American soil.Edwards didnt have his actual conversion experience until January 12, 1723. Jonathan studied the bible 13 14 hours a day and wrote over 120 pieces of literature which many can still be found. Edwards was bold in his proclamation of the truth and didnt not shy away from it even when it was uncomfortable for the people. Edwards desire for opinionated purity is admirable and the dedication and devotion given to it is worth reduplicating. George Whitefield was born on December 16, 1714 in Gloucester England. George was the youngest of seven children.He was not raised in a Christian home but rather one that was dysfunctional. His father passes away when he was at the mere age of two. His mother did eventually remarry but it was indicated that the marriage was not peaceful. In 1733 Whitefield met the infamous Wesley brothers part studying at Pembroke College in Oxford. John and Charle s Wesley at that time were leading(p) what is known as the Holy Clubs and before Whitefield even had his conversion experience he was apart of the holy clubs for 3 years. The schedule was one that was very rigors and it must have been the hand of the Lord to keep him enough marrow to stay.It took a very serious illness to confront him on his congenital separate while in England. Whitefields accomplishments are quite unspeakable he pioneered open air, square and field meetings. The church walls were filled to beyond capacity and thousands had to be turned away from hearing him. The scope of opposition of the great awakening was a watershed event in the life of the American people. Before it was over it had spread throughout the colonies of the eastern seaboard. The revival had great allude on the church and saw 1000s of sinners saved.The revival did more than effect the spiritual climate it also had an impact on the social and governmental levels. A contributor from a website consecrate to the Great Awakening gives more details on the scope of impact The effect of Great Awakening unity was an attitude that went against the deferential cerebration that consumed English politics and religion. Rather than believing that Gods will was necessarily understand by the monarch or his bishops, the colonists viewed themselves as more capable of execute the task. The chain of authority no longer ran from God to ruler to people, but from God to people to ruler.The children of revivalism later echoed this radicalism and popular self-righteousness in the American Revolution, when confidence turned against the tyrannical ways of George III. It was not to any church that the signers of the declaration of Independence appealed to, but directly to the Supreme Judge of the World. It was through the revivalism of the first half of the Eighteenth Century that the colonists were finally able to stones throw out from under the protectorate of the established Christian ch urches and assert religious control over their own nations destiny. In other words the Colonists cognise that religious freedom and power rested in their own custody and not in the church of England anymore. Some of the main features of the Great Awakening were men and women turning away from religious apathy and turning back to their puritan roots. Others who were not saved were being confronted with their need for a delivery boy and the reality of eternity. Upon and from the arrival of George Whitefield in 1740 to Northampton Massachusetts where Edwards resided the awakening spread wherever George went as he was an itinerant speaker who spoke mainly in open fields. maven of the most famous messages was preached on July 8, 1741 in Enfield, Connecticut entitle Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. The revival was titled the Great Awakening with good reason as it was a movement of religious revitalization within and outside of the church. The people of the towns had an understan ding of faith as they or their fathers had come from England to have freedom of expression in their worship. But they had turned apathetic especially with the introduction of the Half Way Covenant.Essentially people who were baptized and lived half way enough lives but made no public confession of Christ were allowed to bring their children in to be baptized which led to people who did not avow to being Christians partaking of the Lords Supper. This over time created a church that was disconnected from their state of desperation and need for a savior to save them from their sin. The main message was about justification by faith. Men and women were cut to the titty as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield spoke to them the word God.They could not be saved by whole kit and boodle alone but it must be an inner endureing of the heart and faith in Jesus Christ alone. The preachers were calling them up high from just a Sunday morning church goer mentality. One of the main controver sial aspects of the Great Awakening was the phenomena that took place during some of the services. frequently opposition was stirred among conservative congregational ministers so Edwards wrote in defense force The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God dealing with much of the bodily affects.He noted that these bodily affects were not necessarily a work of the spirit which forced him to write another apology in 1742 called Thoughts on Revival in New England noting the great moral improvement. Another one of the controversies which is still around to this day is the called the Old Lights and New Lights. The New Lights were those congregants who had a new light or perspective on sin and atonement. They were also those who also felt that the revival was from the Lord and that they would be able to continue in that kind of environment.The old lights were ones that did not like or hump change but wanted to keep things the way that they were. They were skeptical of the re vival and depending upon which branch of the denomination they were from they took a stance with their view point. The old lights were also apprehensive because they were afraid that the new lights would act in rebellion and that they may possibly be a threat to authority.1http//nationalhumanitiescenter. org/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/grawaken. htm 2Edwards, Jonathan. A communicative of Surprising Conversions. Wilmington, DE Sovereign Grace Publ. , 1972. Print.