Historically, The First Great Awakening was a Christian revival that impacted America during the 1730s and 1740s. The backdrop of secularism took root and the age of Enlightenment (which consisted of philosophical, scientific and logic reasoning) made its way to the American colonies from Europe. At the time, the culture was becoming more formal and church attendance was dropping.
During the Great Awakening, preachers traveled from town to town preaching about the Gospel, salvation and promoting a passionate experience of Christianity where prior it had been seen as religious and stale. The result of these spontaneous revival stops sparked a fresh devotion and a cultural awakening toward religion. Many historians believe the Great Awakening impacted the history of American culture.
Not everyone embraced the ideas or the style of preaching of the Great Awakening; some preferred a traditional approach. In fact, “by about 1742, debate over the Great Awakening had split the New England clergy and many colonists into two groups. Preachers and followers that were for the new ideas and style became known as ‘new lights.’ Those who embraced traditional church practices were called ‘old lights.’”
Jesus lived in a similar cultural climate, in the Middle East in His day, to the period of the First Great Awakening. People were being pulled and torn between the spirit of religion and the “politics” of the day. (Sound familiar? We’re living in a repeat moment.) I’m sure Jesus was a breath of fresh air for so many people looking for The Way out of the enslavement to the religious and political spirits in constant battle in culture.
Current Culture
The current cultural backdrop of America and Europe is filled with spirituality. Even the occult, the wiccan and the New Age are actually easier to reach than the hard-core hearts of the religious looking to disapprove our Christian Faith. Our global culture has shifted dramatically in the last two decades in the area of spirituality. And it’s fertile ground to plant seeds of truth through, media, art, poetry and thought, as well as spiritually-provoking philosophy.
We can see the culture absorbing spirituality all over tv, media ads and even in the Church with “Christian” yoga. Spiritual meditation, healing oils, crystals and now, even psychedelics are once again being studied and utilized for many different types of healing of the mind, body and spirit. The modern Jesus People, the “new lights” won’t shy away from new age types of people and they won’t shy away from witches either. Many Christians have been enlightened, but by the Holy Spirit rather than logic. So enlightened in fact, that there’s no turning back without dire eternal consequences.
One thing is for sure, it isn’t a “religious” experience the people need in modern day culture. They simply need to get their hearts wrecked and enlightened spiritually by Jesus. This is the Greater Awakening coming.
The Christian life has to be seen and felt in an undeniable way. Jesus came for those hungry souls looking to be filled, looking to be healed, looking for what’s deeply spiritual—not religious. We need a greater awakening than the ones of the 18th Century. We need a profound, cultural wake-up call to truth. We’ll overcome this cultural mountain only by His Spirit. That’s the future of the Church. This remnant of Spirit-filled Christians will reach into the minds and lives of humanity even though the culture is dead set on the belief that all roads lead to Rome (or heaven).
We will see America and Europe once again impacted by a fresh and greater awakening and perspective of the Christian faith. In fact, it is beginning to happen in 2020, as mainstream media stations are once again writing about Jesus and Christianity. This resurgence has only just begun. The witnesses will rise with a new found boldness—true bravery.
Continue to Part 4 of What’s Stirring? — A Revival Gone Wild