The Revivalist Movement
Cameron, Zoe, Melissa, Justin
11-21-14
Thumm/3A
HUSH
UNIT FOUR: ESSAY
"There is so little principle in the church, so little firmness and stability of purpose, that unless the religious feelings are awakened and kept excited, counter worldly feelings and excitements will prevail, and men will not obey God... religion must be mainly promoted by means of revivals." The most prominent preacher of the Second Great Awakening, Charles
Finney, wrote this in his book, Lectures on the Revivals of Religion, in 1835. Finney was a firm believer in the revivalist movement of the mid-1800s, and helped influence many others across the country to join the Christian faith. Between 1800 and 1850, the Christian population in the
United States more than doubled, thanks in large parts to the efforts of the revivalists. But why were these revivals so popular? Why did this new Great Awakening influence other movements that would forever change America? That is what we asked ourselves throughout the readings of these documents and what we have decided to write about. People were drawn to revivals because the ideals of the revivalist movement appealed to many, and the Second Great
Awakening began the abolitionist and women's rights movements.
First, the revivalist movement revolved around the theme of a revival. A revival was an emotional religious meeting, usually in the wilderness, that sometimes lasted for 4-5 days.
Ministers would travel across the country, and hold these events, which included intense Bible study and self-examination. These new events began the Second Great Awakening, drawing thousands in each town they stopped. It is called the Second Great Awakening as it offered a vastly different view on religion that had previously been accepted. Revivalist ministers preached the importance of self-examination and expressed the idea that people's actions could decide whether they would go to heaven. This differed from the ideas previously held by churches, as they believed that
11-21-14
Thumm/3A
HUSH
UNIT FOUR: ESSAY
"There is so little principle in the church, so little firmness and stability of purpose, that unless the religious feelings are awakened and kept excited, counter worldly feelings and excitements will prevail, and men will not obey God... religion must be mainly promoted by means of revivals." The most prominent preacher of the Second Great Awakening, Charles
Finney, wrote this in his book, Lectures on the Revivals of Religion, in 1835. Finney was a firm believer in the revivalist movement of the mid-1800s, and helped influence many others across the country to join the Christian faith. Between 1800 and 1850, the Christian population in the
United States more than doubled, thanks in large parts to the efforts of the revivalists. But why were these revivals so popular? Why did this new Great Awakening influence other movements that would forever change America? That is what we asked ourselves throughout the readings of these documents and what we have decided to write about. People were drawn to revivals because the ideals of the revivalist movement appealed to many, and the Second Great
Awakening began the abolitionist and women's rights movements.
First, the revivalist movement revolved around the theme of a revival. A revival was an emotional religious meeting, usually in the wilderness, that sometimes lasted for 4-5 days.
Ministers would travel across the country, and hold these events, which included intense Bible study and self-examination. These new events began the Second Great Awakening, drawing thousands in each town they stopped. It is called the Second Great Awakening as it offered a vastly different view on religion that had previously been accepted. Revivalist ministers preached the importance of self-examination and expressed the idea that people's actions could decide whether they would go to heaven. This differed from the ideas previously held by churches, as they believed that