The Great American Revival of the 18th Century
The Great Awakening in America has been one of the most significant work of God in the history of the church. It was criticized and it was praised. It touched the lives of countless number of people from different status of society. In some respects it is a mystery because there is no single factor that contributed to the event. It can only be attributed to the sovereignty of God, according to His divine will and purpose. This essay will look at events that led to the Great Awakening.One of the significant factors that led to the great awakening was the decline in religious fervor in the eighteenth century. The North American colonies spiritual foundation was associated with the religious excitement that spread over Europe in the wake of the Reformation. The recession of this religious fervor at the beginning of the eighteenth century produced a decline in the religious life of the colonies. The religious fervor was replaced by interest in science and the age of reason. Rationalism was replacing and ridiculing revelation. Anglicans in North America embraced the age of reason, freedom and morality and discarded reformation theology to the past. The new sp
Another leader whose preaching was instrumental leading up to the Great Awakening was Theodore Frelinghuysen. The Great Awakening was necessary to bring revival and reformation to the American colonies. However, its rapid growth created problems within the family, the church and the community particularly about the ownership of land and business. This created a barrier prohibiting church membership to the children of those who were already baptized and were members of the congregation. However, this theology of salvation that God loved all men equally began to reemerge in the eighteenth century and became cause for concern among the believers of Calvinism. Members of the congregation who were not converted viewed the pastors' authority in a different light. The authority of ministers was questioned and more and more complaints were made against leaders. JONATHAN EDWARDSMany of the events that led to the Great Awakening were spiritual and social issues. The controversy that arose over Arminianism thought on salvation and predestination was an event that brought division amongst the theological leaders of the Puritan colonies. His preaching was instrumental in bringing the Great Awakening to New Jersey and Philadelphia. Conflicts over disruption of former settlement patterns and factions between the community and the church became regular features of life in New England. Harvard was funded to advance learning and to train men for the ministry ensuring the religious tradition pass from generation to another. Yale and Harvard Colleges were affected by the 'new' learning of Europe that arose in the latter part of the sixteenth century. His dramatic and powerful preaching unified America unlike any other person or event. Leaders were given permission to buy and dispose of land without price regulation.
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