The settlement of the original thirteen colonies was greatly influenced
by religious groups seeking refuge from politics and persecutions that
were happening in Europe. Colonies were set up to support the religious
lives of specific groups of people. The colonists’ own openness and tolerance of other belief systems, however, was often slight. Yet the religious
experience within their communities was a focus of many colonists lives.
In 1743, an itinerant, or roving, preacher named George Whitefield
(1714–1770) returned to America from England. He was on a preaching tour to raise funds for his orphanage in Georgia. His energetic style
and simple messages attracted large, emotional crowds everywhere he
went. The resulting revival of religious fervor, or interest, throughout
many Christian denominations in the colonies is called the Great
Awakening. Though it lasted longer in some places than others, the impact of the Great Awakening helped to define a uniquely American culture that ultimately led to the American Revolution (1775–83).
Religious quickening
Settlement of the American colonies was marked by periods of intense
religious feeling from nearly the beginning. Prior to Whitefield’s first tour of the colonies in 1739, there were individual incidents of religious
quickening, or sudden renewed interest, among several Christian denominations beginning as early as 1720. Movements among the Dutch
Reformed Church in New Jersey and among the Presbyterians of New
Jersey and Pennsylvania are examples of efforts to revive piety, or devotion to God, in colonial Protestantism.
Whitefield’s style, however, was the catalyst that allowed the movement to break through barriers separating different denominations and
to spread as quickly as itinerant preachers could travel.
Whitefield’s influence
Whitefield was a leading preacher in England before he came to America
in 1739. His sermons, delivered in a deep, musical voice with great dramatic flair, attracted large crowds wherever he went. As his popularity
spread throughout England, however, opposition from various religious
leaders grew. Resenting Whitefield’s appeal to the masses, his ability to
raise money, and his belief that he was united with God, Whitefield’s detractors managed to close most of the churches in England to him.
Undaunted, Whitefield began delivering his sermons outdoors, and large
crowds continued to follow.
In 1739, Whitefield came to America on a preaching tour through
many cities along the East Coast. As in England, his style and message
appealed to the people, and large crowds gathered and converted to a serious religious life wherever he went. His message was simple: repent,
seek Jesus Christ, and be saved by the Holy Spirit, thereby becoming assured of salvation, or life with God in heaven after death. Whitefield’s
message dismissed intellectual theology, the differences between
Christian denominations, and the authority of the clergy.
As Whitefield’s popularity grew, so did the presence of other itinerant preachers. Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758), William Tennent
(1673–1746), and George Tennent are some of the leaders who embraced and carried the message of the Great Awakening through their
own revivals. Criticism of the simplicity of their message, however, especially concerning an individual’s role in salvation, caused opposition to
the movement and rifts within denominations that permanently
changed the religious landscape in America. Tensions build
As the Great Awakening gained momentum and the presence of revivals
increased, tensions between the revivalists and established congregations
began to appear. Revivalists focused on bringing to listeners an awareness
of the spirit and presence of God in their lives. Revivalists preached
about sin and tried to awaken a person’s need to repent for his or her
transgressions. According to the revivalists, only by accepting the gift of
God’s grace and rejecting sin at every opportunity could an individual be
saved and have hope of reaching heaven. This “rebirth” of an individual
was often an emotional and dramatic conversion in the middle of a revival meeting.
The revivalists’ message about salvation conflicted with traditional
Protestant doctrine known as predestination. According to predestination, an individual’s salvation is not earned but is completely predetermined by God before birth. The revivalists’ message about salvation
created rifts within congregations and whole denominations. In some
cases, new denominations that embraced the revivalists’ message were
created. Itinerancy and clerical responsibility for multiple, smaller congregations across communities thus became more common.
The individual experience of dramatic conversion caused tensions
between clergy as well. The revivalists’ claim that an individual’s repentance and conversion led to salvation allowed laymen (those not in the
clergy) to become respectable preachers. Revivalists such as George
Tennent even conducted sermons on the “Danger of an Unconverted
Ministry.” Ministers were selected more for charisma and preaching style
than for theology and counseling. During a time when traditional congregations valued an intellectual approach to religion and the education
of their ministers, this caused a great stir.
Critics of the revivalists denounced their teachings and behavior as
un-Christian. The critics argued that the gracious states of individuals
are known only to God, and that God’s will is revealed only through the
Holy Scriptures, not through the emotional ranting of humans. For
them, individuals can never have absolute knowledge of anything. They
believed that to glorify God means developing virtuous Christian habits.
Finally, the critics attacked the revivalists’ lack of education, calling them ignorant. Legacy
Though the Great Awakening was mostly over by 1750, its presence never
faded completely. The movement reached beyond individual religious experiences, impacting American political and social culture as well.
The movement’s message of unity broke some denominational
boundaries and encouraged religious tolerance among congregations.
This helped to create networks of people connecting previously isolated
communities and denominations throughout the colonies. Breaking social barriers between colonies laid some of the groundwork for their later
split from England.
The Great Awakening helped individual experience became important in American religions, as the concept of free will in salvation was established and embraced. By questioning authority, the revivalists’
message not only changed religion but also contributed to ideals that
would fuel the approaching American Revolution.
The Great Awakening left different footprints on all of the colonial
denominations and sects of Christianity. Though revival meetings would
resurge again in the 1800s, the movement’s greater impact was to create
a new religious culture and open the doors for greater religious toleration
and individual freedom that would become defining characteristics of the American experience.