The Great Awakening and The Enlightenment

The Great Awakening

Revivalist Preaching

• Jonathan Edwards: His fiery revival preaching influenced many.
• George Whitefield: Most famous itinerant preacher, used dramatic style, preached to large crowds without a microphone.
  • Criticized church's lifeless delivery
  • Emphasized personal emotional connection with God

Changes in Theology

• Preachers gradually broke from dominant theology
• Focused on salvation by faith, confession, and accepting God's grace
• Established new denominations: Baptist and Methodist churches emerged

Impact on Church Authority

• Challenged authority of established churches
• Divided clergy: New Lights (supporters) vs. Old Lights (opponents)
• Created new schools for ministerial training: Princeton, Rutgers, Brown, and Dartmouth
• Increased religious tolerance due to denominational diversity

Social Impact

• Encouraged questioning of authority
• Promoted individualism and laid groundwork for rebellion against England
• Greater willingness to challenge established norms

The Enlightenment

Intellectual Transformation

• Emphasis on reason, science, and rationality (The Age of Reason)
• Challenged religious explanations with scientific observation
• Key figures: Copernicus, Kepler, Descartes, and Newton

Scientific and Philosophical Advances

• Universe seen as a machine governed by natural laws
• Secular reason and logic began to explain the world
• Belief in a Creator but also in natural laws

Enlightenment Thinkers' Contributions

• Political science: Developing theories based on natural law
  • John Locke: Theorized a natural political order based on land ownership, significant for freedom