George Whitefield: The Cause Of The Great Awakening

To begin, the Great Awakening took place during the early 1730’s. It was a period where religious revivals were spreading along the Atlantic coast. Preachers such as Jonathan Edwards would go around and try to get people back into Christianity. One reason why colonist turned away from Christianity was because of the Enlightenment. He would describe hell and heaven trying to convince colonist to rejoin christianity.

The Great Awakening was a religious movement that swept through the colonies. One of the leaders of this movement was George Whitfield. Whitfield was a popular speaker due to his unique and influential way of speaking messages. George Whitfield was a powerful and influential speaker (Doc. A), Whitfield was able to convince Ben Franklin to donate his money to a cause that he at first did not support, the fact that Whitfield was able to change someone's mind just through speaking is amazing.

Benjamin Franklin notably contributed to the period of religious revival known as the Great Awakening. Being a printer, he was well acquainted with the texts of different religious sects, because much of the material printed at the time were Bible texts. Franklin represents a quintessential ideal of how to achieve success through education. His pursuit of perfection was driven by the values instilled in him by his Puritan father as

George Whitefield was born into a thespian society and family. His whole world revolved around schoolboy performances. Whitefield paid to put himself through Pembroke College by helping out the wealthier students and by waiting on them. George Whitefield joined a group that called themselves “Methodists” led by the Wesley brothers John and Charles. Whitefield experienced a “new birth” through this new view of the Methodists. Whitefield decided to become a missionary and travelled to the Georgia colony to spread his message of his new found life; however, his ship was delayed and he ended up being ordained as a deacon in the Anglican church. When Whitefield spoke he amassed huge crowds. Whitefield incorporated his thespian career into his sermons to give the audience a more realistic view of what is really going on in the scriptures. When preaching on eternity Whitefield stopped and spoke excitedly "Hark! Methinks I hear [the saints] chanting their everlasting hallelujahs, and spending an eternal day in echoing forth triumphant songs of joy. And do you not long, my brethren, to join this heavenly choir?". Whitefield made it to Georgia and returned to England just three months later; although, when he returned he found out that many churches did not welcome his unconventional preaching methods. Whitefield did not let this stop him- he instead starting to looking for places to preach in the open, outdoors. He felt closer to his audience in this way due to the fact that there was not a paper or a pulpit to keep him from engaging with his audience instead of a physical barrier that stood between him and his audience members. In 1739 Whitefield returned to tour around the American colonies. Whitefield sailed to the “New World” and his first stop was Philadelphia.

George Whitefield was born on December 27, 1714 in the Bell Inn in Gloucester England and In the middle of the 18th century, a series of evangelical religious revival movements went across America. Which was known as the Great Awakening. When he was 18 years old he went to Oxford, and became associated with John and Charles Wesley, and others, in what was known as the "Holy Club". In response to an urgent appeal from John Wesley, he came to Georgia as a missionary and he arrived in Newburyport in September, 1740. The revival that followed his labors, brought into existence Old South and he crossed the Atlantic thirteen times, and preached more than 18,000 sermons. His audiences numbered as many as 15,000 people.

A product of the religious revival in Western Europe from late 17th century to early 18th century, the First Great Awakening was a period of religious growth throughout the British American colonies from approximately 1720 to the 1740s. This awakening was led by many religious figures such as John Wesley - a founder of Methodism in the Church of England, George Whitefield - an Anglican who preached throughout the colonies from 1739 to 1740, and Jonathan Edwards - an Apologist of the Great Awakening who led the revival in Northampton, Massachusetts. Although this period of religious high is referred to as “The First Great Awakening,” historians still debate whether or not this grandiose title is deserved.

As a result, the American people were infused with religious fervor again, thanks to a new and energetic style of preaching spearheaded by George Whitefield. The Great Awakening revived American religion, but also split many existing churches. Many Americans flocked to Methodist and Baptists churches, and others more welcoming to the new form of preaching. The Great Awakening replaced old clergy with new, more energetic preachers. It also inspired a new wave of missionary work with the natives, and even black slaves.

When looking back in history, specifically Christian history, we would say that George Whitefield truly made his mark on history during the evangelical awakening. He was one of the biggest proponents in spreading the word of God, and he was not to go unnoticed. However, how much do we really know about such an important historic event?

In essence, the Great Awakening was a religious awakening. It started in the South. Tent camps were set up that revolve around high spirited meetings that would last for days. These camp meetings were highly emotional and multitudes of people were filled with the Spirit of God. These meeting, were sponsored mainly by Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterians, and met social needs as well as spiritual needs on the frontier. Since it was hard for the Baptist and Methodist to sustain local churches,

The Great Awakening also played a role in government and society. The Great Awakening was based on a wave of rivals that were an attempt to keep churches and religion from dying in an era that believed that nature held more answers that the Bible. The Great Awakening allowed for ministers like George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards to share their ideas about God’s vengeful supremacy and for the first time sermons were being aimed at colonist’s hearts, instead of their heads. These revivals awakened and refreshed the colonists, allowing them to forget the anxiety and uncertainty that they had about America at the time, as well as Great Britain affect on their new home. The sermons communicated the message that every soul in fact was important to God, as well as that both men and women had to choose to be saved, making religion a very personal experience that once was very generalized.

The First Great Awakening, was a religious revitalization movement that came through the Atlantic region, and even more so in the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, forever impacting American religion & is widely known as the most important event for American religion during the eighteenth century. The First Great Awakening was inspired by an English Methodist known as George Whitefield along with other ministers, when many people in the rural areas rejected the Enlighted and rational religion that came from the Cosmopolitan pulpits and port cities. George Whitefield began this movement with speaking tours through the colonies (“The Great Awakening”).

of religon. More people came to church for the worship of god from their heart.

The First Great Awakening was a religious revival that swept across Colonial America in the 18th century. The First Great Awakening changed the colonists attitudes toward religion and helped pave the way for the American Revolution. It impacted the way colonists worshipped and gave them a sense of independence. This paper will look at the cause and effect of the First Great Awakening.

Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield had an indirect impact on the American Revolution due the Great Awakening. The Great Awakening was a revival of a person’s personal spirituality sparked by Whitefield and Edwards; which de-emphasized the church. The revolution preached similar messages regarding criticism and tensions of authority. Without these two men, the American Revolution would not have happened as early as it did, if it all.

George Whitefield was a great preacher and religious leader in the Great Awakening. Everyone in the colonies loved to hear him preach of love and forgiveness because he had a different style of preaching. This led to new missionary work in the colonies in converting Indians and Africans to Christianity. Religious leaders were alarmed by Whitefield appearance because he was young