Frontier Revivalism I. Introduction A. What impact did the frontier have how Protestants experienced their faith? B. Forming of a style of Protestantism that crosses denominations 1. begins in 18 th century, with influences from England and continent 2. flourishes in South and frontier 3. mid-19 th century beliefs of Methodists and Baptists 4. evolving into 20 th century (more on this in later lecture) Evangelicals C. Vocabulary: Evangelical three meanings 1. Evangelical church (not Catholics): relating to good news of the gospels, stress on the biblical message rather than the sacrament. The term originates in the Greek word evangelion, meaning "the good news," or, more commonly, the "gospel." During the Reformation, Martin Luther adapted the term, dubbing his breakaway movement the evangelische kirke, or "evangelical church" a name still generally applied to the Lutheran Church in Germany, and American Lutheran church (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America). 2. Evangelical Protestantism (not high church Episcopalians): those Protestant churches that stress the good news of the Bible as developed in the revival based Protestant denominations of 18 th and 19 th century America. a) Methodists, Baptists, Congregationalists b) mainstream Protestants (up until early 20 th century) 3. Evangelicals (not liberal Protestants, not fundamentalists). Protestants that have conservative theological beliefs that stress the importance of the Bible and moral righteousness. Evangelicals, Born Again Christians, Christians II. Evangelical Reaction against Calvinist and Deist heritage A. Political, Social, and Economic 1. New nation a) American experimentation b) Openness to new ways of understanding world
c) Throwing off rigid social forms either Episcopal or Puritan d) Growth in merchant class, creating one s own path 2. Romanticism a) Beginning at end of 18 th century, response to Enlightenment b) Sentiment over reason c) Individual spirit over the community or rational principles d) Meaningful, exciting part of the world is mysterious and unknowable through reason 3. Frontier Expansion a) Movements for more land, west and south b) Independent people on edge of civilization c) Few churches d) Interactions with non Christians: Native Americans and African slaves B. Great Awakenings 2 1. New England a) Movements within Congregational, Presbyterian congregation b) Old Lights: New Lights (1) Reinforce Existing beliefs conversion oriented (2) Formal spontaneous (3) Ritual and custom emotional (4) Scholarly singing, crying, dancing (5) Beauty of argument intensity of feeling (6) Wider view of ideas based on everyday life 2. Revivals in the West --Kentucky (early 1800s) a) Itinerate preachers God calls, doesn t go to study but finds a horse, takes Bible, hymnbook, (1) Methodist circuit riders
(2) Francis Asbury (1745-1816), the founding bishop of American Methodism, traveled 270,000 miles and preached 16,000 sermons as he traveled the circuits. b) Camp meetings religious, communal, entertainment (1) Drove wagons to clearing in woods, stayed several days (2) Singing, preaching, conversions (3) Intense and emotional C. Denominational Growth in South and on frontier 3 1. Baptists emerging out of Puritan Separatists from Church of England a) Congregational polity now with strong associations b) No general creed, individuals covenanting together c) Total separation of church and state Roger Williams d) Two ordinances: believer s baptism, Lord s supper e) Itinerate clergy, spirit not education f) Missionaries to frontier communities, South g) Fast growth 2. Methodists emerging out of Church of England a) Focus on inner life, piety not ritual b) Free will, not determinism c) New birth for salvation d) Episcopal polity bishops e) Sacraments: holy communion and baptism (infants) f) Christian mission and service to the world
III. Evangelical Protestantism Main Ideas A. Caring but Judging God 1. God: benevolent, merciful, reasonable, loveable 2. Judge image still important a) Evil of the Devil takes over some power from harsh God 3. Humans: may work actively towards salvation 4. Salvation: opportunity given to all a) Can respond directly to God s presence through intuition, feelings, imagination B. Christocentric 1. Personality of Jesus 2. Christ s sacrificial love rather than God the father s judgment a) Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross 3. Images: cross, blood of the lamb, gentle Jesus, Jesus as friend, lover 4. Bible based, emphasis on biblical narrative not theology a) reading bible as prayer, proof texts b) hymns to power of Bible [Music] C. Primacy of Feeling [Q: Describe the engraving. What does it have to do with changes in Christianity?] 4 1. Heart over the head 2. Intuitive perception of truth through the feelings or emotions 3. Humans partake in divine feelings 4. Domesticity and women D. Conversion [Q: Describe the painting. What does it have to do with conversion? Acts Ch. 9] 1. we live in sin, lives need to be changed 2. people are capable of changing their lives 3. cycle of sin and repentance E. Revivalism 1. How to provoke conversion?
a) Feeling not intellectual thought b) Geared to average person, simple and dramatic c) Public space, esp. in summer d) Music, good sermons e) Using media of the day radio, eventually television, movies f) charismatic preachers g) Individual witnessing 2. Religious personalities a) Billy Sunday (1863-1935) Known as the baseball evangelist, Sunday drew large crowds to his revivals with his flamboyant style, popular American evangelist of the World War I era b) Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944) U.S. evangelist, founder of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, 20s celebrity revivalist c) Billy Graham (1918-) ordained a minister in the Southern Baptist Church (1939) and began his career as an evangelist (1944) for the American Youth for Christ movement. In 1949 he received national attention for an extended evangelical campaign in Los Angeles. He subsequently made preaching tours (for which he popularized the term crusade ) in most major U.S. cities and in Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, Australia, and Russia. 5 IV. Fundamentalism A. Introduction 1. prior to World War II: rural, Southern, less educated 2. rejection of modernizing trends in Protestantism 3. trends within denominations pulling Methodists and Baptists especially B. Infallible Bible 1. path to righteousness laid out only in Bible a) morality clearly stated b) good and evil 2. error-free and literal belief in the authority of the Bible a) if not literal than very serious
b) science is in harmony with biblical narrative, creationism c) 1925 Scopes trial C. Dispensational Premillenialism (Premillenial Dispensationalism) 6 1. the outside of the Christian remnant the world is evil and will slowly dissolve a. rejection of modern changes in gender, entertainment 2. God deals with humanity in a series of epochs, or dispensations 3. speculation based on the biblical Book of Revelation a. Gives form to End Times b. world deteriorates (pre) until establishment of 1000 kingdom of Chrsit and then end of time(millennial) c. eternal drama between good and evil 4. John Darby (1800-1882) Irish founder of Plymouth Brethern a. Prot. born and educated in Ireland b. 1870s influence in US c. Rapture theory, 1827 no dates, stay ready, read Signs of Times Darby sees a series of dispensations, which will culminate in a dramatic moment, the moment of the Rapture, when true believers will be taken from the earth. Then a 7-year period, the Great Tribulation: the Antichrist arises, tremendous persecution; the number 666 is emblazoned on the forehead and the hands of his followers. Then the battle of Armageddon. Christ returns from the skies with his saints, as the Antichrist and his army gather at Armageddon. Antichrist and his armies are destroyed. Jews are converted. Christ establishes in Jerusalem the Temple, and the thousand year reign of justice and righteousness, the Millennium. At the end of that period on earth comes the Last Judgment: all those who have ever lived will be consigned either to heaven or hell. And essentially then human history ends. The great drama that began in the Garden of Eden comes to its close. A new heaven, a new earth are created, and essentially the great prophetic scheme has been fulfilled. 5. Signs of Times a. Wickedness, unbelief, natural disasters b. importance of translating what happens in politics to where we are in dispensation c. Late Great Planet Earth; Left Behind series of books
7 V. Pentecostalism Spirit Filled Christianity A) Gifts of the Spirit going back to New Testament (yet again) Seven weeks had gone by since Jesus death and resurrection, and the Day of Pentecost had now arrived. As the believers met together that day, suddenly there was a sound like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them and it filled the house where they were meeting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on their heads. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues, for the Holy Spirit gave them the ability. Acts 2: 1-4 Azusa Street Revival From a Los Angels Newspaper (Sept. 1906): Disgraceful intermingling of the races, they cry and make howling noises all day and into the night. They run, jump, shake all over, shout to the top of their voice, spin around in circles, fall out on the sawdust blanketed floor jerking, kicking and rolling all over it. Some of them pass out and do not move for hours as though they were dead. These people appear to be mad, mentally deranged or under a spell. They claim to be filled with the spirit. They have a one-eyed, illiterate, Negro as their preacher who stays on is knees much of the time with his head hidden between the wooden milk crates. He doesn t talk very much but at times he can be heard shouting Repent, and he s supposed to be running the thing... They repeatedly sing the same son, The Comforter Has come. 1) Born again, and yet again (second baptism) third birth by Holy Spirit 2) Gifts: Glossolalia (speaking in tongues) and interpreting 3) Prophecy, discerning of spirits, working miracles B) Heightened supernaturalism 1) Virgin birth, real heaven and hell but also devil and demons who are active in everyday life, miracles C) Healing 1) Faith healing (and the belief that faith can sustain health) D) Separate from worldly culture 1) no movies, drinking, makeup, modest dress, pious life, anti-worldly education E) Organizational forms 1) initially multi-racial then segregate into denominations (a) Church of God in Christ (b) Assemblies of God (c) Large number of non-denominational churches
2) spiritual empowering of lower and working class, African Americans 8 VI. Conclusions Long-term American Values A. Religion is how you feel not how you think B. Most of the world is evil and saved should live in community C. Cycle of sin and repentance D. Personal divinity involved with individual lives E. Clear, binary perspective on universe: good and evil