Bethany Ellis

Revive Us Again: Tracing the Beginning of American Revivalism

As I began my research for my presentation over Jonathan Edwards’ “Personal Narrative,” I grew more and more interested in the Great Awakenings that swept America during his time. My grandparents are strong Southern Baptists, so I grew up hearing stories of all of the revivals they attended when they were young. They witnessed sermons that were incredibly similar to Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” countless baptisms, but mostly a rekindling of the Christian spirit. She once witnessed a “healing service” during which everyone laid hands on a person who was paralyzed from infant sickness. The preacher tried to “heal” the man, but his soul was unfortunately too lost to fix the man’s physical maladies. Even today, Christians flock to events such as the Passion Conference in Atlanta that is a four day “revival” for college students ages 18-25. Interestingly enough, this year’s conference was called “Awakening”. In this research post, I want to trace the origins of the Great Awakening as the beginning of American Revivalism.

As most literature majors do, I turned to JSTOR for my research. The first article I encountered on this subject was “The Great Awakening: An Historical Analysis” by  Robert D. Rossel, published in The American Journal of Sociology in May of 1970. It illustrates the sociological origins of the Awakenings. He states that there are eight leading causes for the Great Awakening. He does thoroughly explain all of his reasons, but the article seemed excessive. If the author had focused on class-struggles, “the socio-emotional reaction to the rising dissension and strain in New England,” and the growing issues with “theocratic solidarity” (Rossel 908). These issues would likely lead to some kind of religious or social rallying. If one considers the socio-economic status of the colonies at this point, it would make sense for them to react in the way that they did. In order to prevent chaos, they reverted back to extreme religious zeal and control. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” documents Edwards’ vehement reproval of the supposed licentiousness of the colonists. As one of the leaders of the ­Great Awakenings, he greatly influenced the lives of many colonists. He strongly stressed theocratic solidarity, encouraging them to return to God as the Israelites. Rossel outlines his great affect on the people, as well as other  preachers in the Middle colonies and the South.

The other sources I found were internet sources that only briefly dealt with the causes of The Awakening. One of the websites was a lecture by Terry Matthews, an adjunct professor for Wake Forest University. He postulates that the Enlightenment “extinguished” the periodic revivals during this time. He says reason was “the smothering influence” that turned religion to emotionalism (The Great Awakening). He also says that matters of salvation and election plagued the consciences of the people like a cancer. He equivocates Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” to a radio address where the speaker declares they found a cure for cancer. His lecture notes made me realize how important salvation truly was to the Puritans. His article focuses less on technical sociology and more on historical context. It made me feel like I was actually one of them. It is a great read.

I learned that the Great Awakenings were actually reactions to a loss of piety in the Puritan world. They were attempts to regain the fire and desire for purity that led them to the New World originally. Each generation since has searched for that renewal, to be revived again.  In my next research post, I plan to research the spread of the Awakenings and their lasting effects on the American psyche.

Sources:

Interview with Aleta Beth O’Neal on 3/6/2010 about revivals.

“The Origins of the Great Awakenings” The http://www.great-awakening.com/origins.htm

Matthews, Terry. “The Great Awakening: Lecture Four”. <Http://www.wfu.edu/~matthetl/perspectives/four.html>

Rossel, Robert D. “The Great Awakening: An Historical Analysis” The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 75, No. 6 (May, 1970), pp. 907-925