George Whitefield was the most well-known preacher during the Great Awakening in American history. He traveled the 13 colonies, inspired to raise money to start an orphanage in Georgia by gathering charity from his lectures. He took Colonial America by storm with his eloquent teachings and became infamous in the religious community. We know he was the most popular religious speaker of the time; now let’s discover why. Benjamin Franklin knew Whitefield personally and, to support his friend, went to observe one of his sermons. Franklin did not want to give any of his charity to the cause because he believed ”it would have been better to have built the house [in Philadelphia].” Throughout the oratory, however, Whitefield’s passionate words “made …show more content…
He gained much momentum with the help of the bandwagon effect as people started spreading the news of his passionate sermons. He may have been resented by the prim-and-proper church members of older communities, but he sparked hope in the souls of many who needed to hear that God accepted them for who they were. This is why George Whitefield was so popular.
George Whitefield was the most well-known preacher during the Great Awakening in American history. He traveled the 13 colonies, inspired to raise money to start an orphanage in Georgia by gathering charity from his lectures. He took Colonial America by storm with his eloquent teachings and became infamous in the religious community. We know he was the most popular religious speaker of the time; now let’s discover
…show more content…
He claimed that Whitefield was “a dangerous man, and greatly injurious to the interest of the undefiled religion of Jesus Christ.” Henchman was threatened by Whitefield’s popularity (as were many traditional churches of the colonies) because colonists were finding the desire to free themselves from the intolerant ways of their original religious communities. The message many ministers were preaching during the Great Awakening was that you didn’t have to conform to a church’s narrow requirements to be a Christian. The belief that being a Christian didn’t have to mean acceptance by a stiff or intolerant church community spread like wildfire, and a new light burned in the hearts of many: the light of hope. People began realizing that they could form their own, more liberal churches—and they did! The pickier, old fashioned churches began losing their grip on the religious community, and many people like Nathanael Henchman complained to George Whitefield about it. George Whitefield may have been disliked by the older churches, but he became very popular because he gave hope to the many who couldn’t fit in with
QUESTIONS Jonathan Edwards is one of the leaders of the “Great Awakening.” Before reading the text, determine the historical context through online research. In one or two sentences, briefly define the historical context of Edward's’ speech. What does Edwards hope to accomplish with this sermon? Define his purpose.
George Whitefield was an Anglican minster that came to the British colonies in the 1740s to spread Christianity on several evangelical tours. Whitefield had what is described as an enthusiastic approach to sharing Christianity that added a dramatic role to his sermons by focusing on an emotional connection to God in order to stir the hearts of those that were listening, Franklin gives an account of this in his autobiography. Whitefield was a well-known preacher in the colonies and at the time the Stono Rebellion happened in 1739, Whitefield was coming back to the British colonies to start another tour to spread Christianity. Although Whitefield was generally popular by the colonists, the higher officials in the church did not like him as much because of the new way he presented Christianity, through the use of enthusiasm. With a dislike for Whitefield, clergy members would shut their church’s doors to the influence of Whitefield’s enthusiasm and instead of preaching in the pulpits, he resulted to preaching in the streets and in fields, where ever a crowd would gather.
In his exceptionally well-written book, A Shopkeeper’s Millennium, Paul E. Johnson illustrates the dramatic changes in American economics, politics, and religion during the Second Great Awakening through profiling the new city of Rochester, New York. Through his thoroughly-researched depiction of life from the year 1815 to 1837, Johnson seeks to explain how the religious revival in Rochester changed the lives of middle class members and thus Rochester’s society. He further strives to prove his point by showing how the Rochester revival related to what was happening in the rest of America at that time. The early nineteenth century saw a time of growth for many cities in the Northern United States, including Rochester.
What was the Great Awakening? The Great Awakening was a religious revival that began in the 1730s. Many church leaders were worried that as the increase in politics had grown and that participation in religion had begun to fall. These fears lead to the movement of revivals throughout the colonies. There were many preachers involved but the leaders were Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield.
“By the mid-1830s, a new two-party system and a lively national political culture had emerged in the United States” (Nash, p. 336). The parties’ group started with the conflicts of Jackson’s presidency and the religious eagerness that was a result of the Second Great Awakening. It resulted with a growing diversity and a changing nation as well. Both of the parties had strong and wealthy leaders. Whigs contained most of their nations wealth and were the strongest in the area.
The ideas constructed by the Puritans were not simply a principal starting point for American culture because they were the first in the country, but because they offered distinct ways of thinking that are still deep-seated in our culture today. Although many of the ideas of Puritans have evolved or vanished over time, it is important to give credit to the Puritan writers and thinkers such as John Winthrop and John Cotton who offered ideas that were new at the time and that stayed with the American consciousness—culturally, socially, and politically. “John Winthrop's legacy can be seen primarily in the fields of government, commerce, and religion. It was religion that would most impact John's life; his religion would ultimately impact the
Rhetorical Analysis of Jonathan edwards’s Sinners in the hand of an angry god: jeremiad Jonathan edwards, is known as one of the most important religious figures of the great awakening, edwards became known for his zealous sermon “sinners at the hand of an angry god”. During his sermon he implies that if his congregation does not repent to christ they are in “danger of great wrath and infinite misery”. Throughout this sermon edwards uses literary devices such as strong diction, powerful syntax and juxtaposition to save his congregation from eternal damnation. Throughout Edwards’s sermon the use of turgid diction is exceedingly prevalent.
Billy Graham: The Rise of Revival Have you ever noticed that America became one of the strongest countries in the world? It all started because of God. He gave us the strength to fight for our freedom, and gave a young man the ability to become the most famous preacher across the USA. Billy Graham is the most influential pastor that ever lived. He brought revival throughout 185 countries, preached to 215 million people, and turned over 3.2 million people to Christ.
Literary analysis of “The sinners in the hands of an angry god” The great awakening was a religious revival that occurred in the 1730s and 1740s. It started in England and then gradually made its way over to the American colonies. During this time, many different preachers and religious speakers went around and gave speeches to the people. Jonathan Edwards was one of Americas most important and original philosophical theologians who also went around and gave speeches about God and hell.
He does it to bring to light “the attitude of the American church towards the anti-slavery movement” (32).
Benjamin Franklin is known to be an “Archetypal American,” because of his beliefs on religion, self-improvement, hard work, and determination; but also his somewhat prideful spirit. Much of modern America is quite similar to Franklin in his actions throughout his lifetime. In his early years, Franklin’s father, Josiah, had a set plan for what he was supposed to do with his life, as a minister. Soon into his education, he found an interest in reading and writing, so he began pursuing a career in printing.
It was during the Great Awakening, when powerful preachers like Jonathan Edwards decided to intensify their ways of broadcasting their religious seriousness. The idea of secularism and religious neglect had been the cause for this religious movement. In his sermon, from Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Edwards used strategies to guilt, persuade, and redirect the “sinners” into conversion, and to give a wakeup call to those who overemphasize their own worthiness as holy citizens. Throughout his sermon, Edwards used a variety of figurative language like imagery, metaphors, personification, and allusions to reveal his attitude towards “sinners” as unworthy and insignificant in the eyes of God, and his attitude towards God as being enraged
Jonathan Edwards once said: “Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.” Since birth (October 5th, 1703), Jonathan has always been a devoted Puritan which explains why he began the Great Awakening, along with George Whitefield. Edwards started preaching and wanted people to reconvert to Puritanism. His work, “Sinners at the Angry Hands of God,” was written on July 8, 1741.
The American Enlightenment and the Great Awakening were two very important motivators that changed the colonial society in America through religious beliefs, educational values, and the right to live one’s life according to each individual’s preference. The Great Awakening and the American Enlightenment movements were two events in history that signaled a grand distinction to the teachings among religious believers. New beliefs of how a person should worship in order to be considered in “God’s good graces” soon became an enormous discussion among colonists across the land. “Men of the cloth,” such as George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards were well respected and closely followed when preaching about the love of God and damnation.
Such large numbers of new people would create a diversity uncommon in colonial America. Unlike those in New England, specifically Boston who had more cultural homogeneity, Philadelphia would follow the John Bodnar model of assimilation and bring with them unique cultural baggage. The story of Benjamin Franklin and his rise to prominence is a tale that had a lasting impact on the city he would call home. He would help to shape Philadelphia into an example for urbanization in colonial America. Franklin’s involvement in issues relating to city services, economic inequality, and the role of virtue in individual identify not only shaped Philadelphia, but provided us with a window into the attitudes surrounding social change, reform, and community