Fourth Great Awakening. The Fourth Great Awakening was a Christian religious awakening that some scholars — most notably, economic historian Robert Fogel — say took place in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s, while others look at the era following World War II. The terminology is controversial, with many historians believing the religious changes that took place in the US during these years were not equivalent to those of the first three great awakenings. Thus, the idea of a Fourth Great Awakening itself has not been generally accepted.[1] New religious movements[edit] Concomitant to the power shift was a change in evangelicalism itself, with new groups arising and extant ones switching their focus.
Synan (1997) argues that a charismatic awakening occurred between 1961 and 1982. Trends[edit] Organized religion has changed in the face of secularizing pressures after World War II. The "mainstream" Protestant churches contracted sharply in terms of membership and influence. See also[edit] Third Great Awakening. The Third Great Awakening refers to a hypothetical historical period proposed by William McCloughlin that was marked by religious activism in American history and spans the late 1850s to the early 20th century.[1] It affected pietistic Protestant denominations and had a strong element of social activism.[2] It gathered strength from the postmillennial belief that the Second Coming of Christ would occur after mankind had reformed the entire earth.
It was affiliated with the Social Gospel Movement, which applied Christianity to social issues and gained its force from the Awakening, as did the worldwide missionary movement. New groupings emerged, such as the Holiness movement and Nazarene movements, and Christian Science.[3] The era saw the adoption of a number of moral causes, such as the abolition of slavery and prohibition. However, some scholars, such Kenneth Scott Latourette, dispute the thesis that the United States ever had a Third Great Awakening.[4] Overview[edit] See also[edit] Second Great Awakening. The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States.
The movement began around 1790, gained momentum by 1800, and after 1820 membership rose rapidly among Baptist and Methodist congregations whose preachers led the movement. It was past its peak by the 1840s. It has been described as a reaction against skepticism, deism, and rationalism, although why those forces became pressing enough at the time to spark revivals is not fully understood.[1] It enrolled millions of new members in existing evangelical denominations and led to the formation of new denominations. Many converts believed that the Awakening heralded a new millennial age. The Second Great Awakening stimulated the establishment of many reform movements designed to remedy the evils of society before the anticipated Second Coming of Jesus Christ.[2] Spread of revivals[edit] Background[edit] Theology[edit] Burned-over district[edit] West and Tidewater South[edit] West[edit]
Frontier Revivalism. Frontier Revivalism High morality did not characterize many Americans at the end of the eighteenth century. Especially on the frontier, immoral activities appear nearly as rampant as they do today. Ministers of the day lamented the profaning of the Sabbath, prevalence of vulgarity in speech and action, rampant fraud, drunkenness, gambling, lewdness, and an overall disinterest in spiritual matters. Revival burst into this context in the mid-1700s then waned quickly. The first Great Awakening, which is the descriptive title given to the mid-eighteenth century revival, hit New England the hardest although it appeared in the southern colonies as well.
The second Great Awakening which burst on the scene at the end of the century had its greatest impact on the frontier. I. The revivals which broke out in the 1790s are often considered a continuation of the earlier phenomenon. From 1797 on, revivalism spread throughout New England Congregationalism. II. A. B. C. III. B. C. D. Conclusion (2) Ibid. First Great Awakening. George Whitefield. George Whitefield (December 27 [O.S. December 16] 1714 – September 30, 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an English Anglican preacher who helped spread the Great Awakening in Britain, and especially in the American colonies.
Born in Gloucester, England, he attended Pembroke College, Oxford, where he met the Wesley brothers. He was one of the founders of Methodism and of the evangelical movement generally.[1] In 1740, Whitefield travelled to America where he preached a series of revivals that came to be known as the "Great Awakening". He became perhaps the best-known preacher in Britain and America during the 18th century, and because he traveled through all of the American colonies and drew great crowds and media coverage, he was one of the most widely recognized public figures in colonial America. Early life[edit] The Old Bell Inn, Southgate Street, Gloucester. Whitefield was born at the Bell Inn, Southgate Street, Gloucester in England. Evangelism[edit] Revival meetings[edit] Jonathan Edwards, Religious Tradition and American Culture - Jospeh A. Conforti.
John Wesley. John Wesley (/ˈwɛsli, ˈwɛzli/;[1] 28 June [O.S. 17 June] 1703 – 2 March 1791) was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian who, with his brother Charles Wesley and fellow cleric George Whitefield, is credited with the foundation of the evangelical movement known as Methodism. His work and writings also played a leading role in the development of the Holiness movement and Pentecostalism.[2][3] A key step in the development of Wesley's ministry was, like Whitefield, to travel and preach outdoors. In contrast to Whitefield's Calvinism, however, Wesley embraced the Arminian doctrines that dominated the Church of England at the time.
Moving across Great Britain, North America and Ireland, he helped to form and organise small Christian groups that developed intensive and personal accountability, discipleship and religious instruction. Most importantly, he appointed itinerant, unordained evangelists to travel and preach as he did and to care for these groups of people. Early life[edit]