{"id":41,"date":"2024-10-17T23:52:08","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T23:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/3rdgane.com\/?page_id=41"},"modified":"2024-10-18T02:26:39","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T02:26:39","slug":"other-awakenings","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/3rdgane.com\/?page_id=41","title":{"rendered":"Other “Awakenings”"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Third Great Awakening<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Wikipedia reports that The <\/span>Third Great Awakening<\/span><\/span> refers to a hypothetical historical period proposed by <\/span>William G. McLoughlin<\/span><\/a> that was marked by religious activism in American history and spans the late 1850s to the early 20th century.<\/span>[1]<\/span><\/a> It affected <\/span>pietistic<\/span><\/a> Protestant denominations and had a strong element of social activism.<\/span>[2]<\/span><\/a> It gathered strength from the <\/span>postmillennial<\/span><\/a> belief that the <\/span>Second Coming<\/span><\/a> of Christ would occur after mankind had reformed the entire earth. It was affiliated with the <\/span>Social Gospel<\/span><\/a> Movement, which applied Christianity to social issues and gained its force from the Awakening, as did the worldwide missionary movement. New groupings emerged, such as the <\/span>Holiness movement<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Nazarene<\/span><\/a> movements, and <\/span>Christian Science<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>[3]<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>
The era saw the adoption of a number of moral causes, such as the <\/span>abolition of slavery<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>prohibition<\/span><\/a>. However, some scholars, such as <\/span>Kenneth Scott Latourette<\/span><\/a>, dispute the thesis that the United States ever had a Third Great Awakening.<\/span>[4]<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>
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Overview<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
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This was a time that continued from The Second Great Awakening put more of a stress on the social gospel than on improving our relationship with Jesus Christ. Revivals occurred, especially during the Civil War, but there was no significant change in the importance of religion in governance or society as happened in the first two awakenings. Instead of society realizing the need to reform individuals through repentance, religion was often used to accomplish political social goals. <\/span><\/div><\/div>
As a continued result from the Second Great Awakening, the American Protestant mainline churches grew rapidly in numbers, wealth and educational levels, leaving their frontier beginnings and becoming more established in towns and cities and more respectable in society. Writers and influential leaders in society such as <\/span>Josiah Strong<\/span><\/a> advocated a muscular Christianity with systematic outreach to the unchurched in America and around the globe. Colleges and universities were continuing to be built to train the next generation of religious leaders. Churches fully supported missionary societies, and held missionaries in high regard.<\/span>[6]<\/span><\/a> This new continued missionary activity brought the United States further from the reformation of Europe and its predestination.<\/span><\/div><\/div>
In the north, Pietistic mainline Protestants used their influence to affect politics and they tended to support the Republican Party, urging them to support prohibition and other social reforms.<\/span>[7]<\/span><\/a>[8]<\/span><\/a> The <\/span>American Civil War<\/span><\/a> slowed down any supposed awakening activity in the north. But in the <\/span>South<\/span><\/a>,, the Civil War stimulated revivals, especially the <\/span>Confederate States Army revival<\/span><\/a> in General <\/span>Robert E. Lee<\/span><\/a>‘s army.<\/span>[9]<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>
After the war, <\/span>Dwight L. Moody<\/span><\/a> continued the efforts of efforts of The Second Great Awakening and made revivalism the centerpiece of his activities in Chicago by founding the <\/span>Moody Bible Institute<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>Ira Sankey<\/span><\/a> aided the efforts with his many hymns.<\/span>[10]<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>
Religions used their political clout across the nation, crusading in the name of religion for the <\/span>prohibition<\/span><\/a> of alcohol. The <\/span>Woman’s Christian Temperance Union<\/span><\/a> mobilized Protestant women for social crusades against liquor, pornography and prostitution. Mixing politics and religion they sought to affect even more change with a demand for woman suffrage.<\/span>[11]<\/span><\/a> The <\/span>Gilded Age<\/span><\/a> plutocracy came under sharp attack from the <\/span>Social Gospel<\/span><\/a> preachers and with reformers in the <\/span>Progressive Era<\/span><\/a>. Historian <\/span>Robert Fogel<\/span><\/a> identifies numerous reforms, especially the battles involving <\/span>child labor<\/span><\/a>, compulsory elementary education and the protection of women from exploitation in factories.<\/span>[12]<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>
Colleges associated with churches rapidly expanded in number, size and quality of curriculum. The promotion of “muscular Christianity” became popular among young men on campus and in urban <\/span>YMCA<\/span><\/a>‘s, as well as such denominational youth groups such as the <\/span>Epworth League<\/span><\/a> for Methodists and the <\/span>Walther League<\/span><\/a> for Lutherans.13 <\/span><\/div><\/div>
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New religions<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
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Mary Baker Eddy<\/span><\/a> introduced <\/span>Christian Science<\/span><\/a>, which gained a national following.<\/span>[14]<\/span><\/a> In 1880, the <\/span>Salvation Army<\/span><\/a> denomination arrived in America. Although its theology was based on ideals expressed during the <\/span>Second Great Awakening<\/span><\/a>, its focus on poverty was of the Third. The <\/span>Society for Ethical Culture<\/span><\/a> was established in New York in 1876 by <\/span>Felix Adler<\/span><\/a> attracted a Reform Jewish clientele. <\/span>Charles Taze Russell<\/span><\/a> founded the <\/span>Bible Students movement<\/span><\/a>, which later split into the “<\/span>Jehovah’s Witnesses<\/span><\/a>” of today.<\/span><\/div><\/div>
The Social Gospel was very strong in all area, <\/span>Jane Addams<\/span><\/a>‘s <\/span>Hull House<\/span><\/a> in Chicago established the settlement house movement and the vocation of social work with religious thought was established and worked for a better world today without demanding repentance or a relationship with Jesus Christ.<\/span>[15]<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div>
The <\/span>New Thought<\/span><\/a> movement expanded as <\/span>Unity<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Church of Divine Science<\/span><\/a> were founded. These all focused on the divine within each individual and that man is inherently good and not evil. This was the origin of today\u2019s positive confession, health and wealth and healing gospels that are so prevalent.<\/span><\/div><\/div>
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The Holiness and Pentecostal movements<\/span><\/div><\/div>
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The goal of the <\/span>Holiness movement<\/span><\/a> in the <\/span>Methodist Church<\/span><\/a> was to move beyond the one-time conversion experience that the revivals produce, and reach entire sanctification.<\/span>[16]<\/span><\/a> The <\/span>Pentecostals<\/span><\/a> went one step further, seeking what they called a “baptism in the spirit” or “baptism of the Holy Ghost” that enabled those with this special gift to heal the sick, perform miracles, prophesy, and speak in tongues.<\/span>[17]<\/span><\/a> These new ideas were not found in the New or Old Testaments, but were added by people seeking more experiential ways of finding God. As these trends continued, the Bible was used less and influential people were trusted more. We see a mixture of truth and error that has continued to today. There was influence from this time, but it could not be considered a great awakening.<\/span><\/div><\/div>
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Bibliography<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>