The Great Awakening

New England

Church membership declining Population spreading Westward Young men becoming lawyers and

businessmen, not preachers Youth not as serious People are more prosperous

Age of Faith

Counters Age of Enlightenment

Trust heart not head

Feeling is more important than thinking

Reliance on biblical revelation not human reasoning

Jonathan Edwards

Sinner as a loathsome spider suspended by a slender thread over a pit of seething fire and brimstone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzvD7E17m_U

George Whitefield

English – Sermons were gripping theatrical performances

Results

Churches begin to lobby state not to support any one church

Four-fifths of Americans, both Northerners and Southerners, are united in common understanding of Christian life

Dissent and dissenters are given more respect

Greater emphasis on education

Results

Greater sense of responsibility for Indians and slaves

People no longer victim of predestination; they can do something about their fate

Religion more accessible to people