Revivalism
Will Hancock and Alex Story
Sources of Revivalism
•Revivalism was a movement born out of theSecond Great Awakening. Thus, it was sparkedby a lack of religious zeal.
•It was brought about by a lack of churchmembership and public religious adherence.
•It was also brought about by the difficulties offactory life or life on the frontier.
•Revivalism was at its peak in the 1820s and 30s,although the effects on America’s religiousmakeup were great.
Views of Revivalists
•Revivalism came in a number of denominations,but was particularly strong among three groups.
•First were the Calvinists, who held a forebodingview of Predestination.
•There were also more hopeful groups such asthe Methodists and Free-Will Baptists.
Calvinists
•Calvinists took a traditional view of religion. Theywere often criticized for their depressing view ofPredestination.
•One notable Calvinist revivalist was Rev. AsahelNettleton, D.D.
•Calvinist congregations were notoriously bland,emotionless affairs.
Arminians
•These “Free-Will” Denominations were brandedArminians due to their rejection ofPredestination.
•They believed in Self-Salvation.
•They were far more successful than theCalvinists, particularly in the 1830s.
•This was because of their hopeful message,which appealed to lower classes.
Arminian Conversion
•The various Arminian denominations wereat a disadvantage when trying to gainconverts due to their lack of well-educatedpreachers and missionaries.
•Mainly through the influence of Charles G.Finney, the Arminian churches grew. Theydeveloped calls for reform, as they weremainly made up of lower-class workers.
The Great Reformers
•In between these two groups were some of thegreatest reformers of Revivalism.
•Charles G. Finney, an influential Presbyterianminister who became a revivalist leader in the1820s and 1830s, rejected Calvinist ideals ofPredestination, instead preaching that all mencould achieve salvation.
•He commented that the Methodist preachers,who are often less educated than their Calvinistcounterparts, had still gathered largercongregations due to their better message.
Successes of Arminians
•Another influential preacher, Jedediah Burchard,said, “They [Predestination-believers] are sowrapt up in prejudice, that they don’t care if allmen go to hell, if they won’t be saved exactlyaccording to their notions.”
• By the 1830s, the Arminian denominationsbecame a more powerful force, with trainedpreachers and regular meeting-houses.
•Arminians had more success due to their moreoptimistic views.
Relation to Transcendentalism
•The largest portion of the Revivalists, theArminians, had many things in common with theTranscendentalists.
•Both groups thought highly of the potential ofman. While the Transcendentalists emphasizedthe ability of men to achieve in their lifetimes, theArminians stressed the ability of men to savethemselves, in contrast to the Calvinists.
•Both groups were reactions to the increasinglyindustrialized American society, as they bothemphasized the divinity of the individual.
Relation to Jacksonian Democracy
•The idea of empowering the common manwas shared between JacksonianDemocracy and Revivalism.
•Both movements were born out of thewidening gap between rich and poor in theindustrialized society, and both gave hopeand power to the common man.
Impact on Antebellum America
•Revivalism significantly changed the religiouslandscape of Antebellum America.
•Increasing missionary and religious zeal led to amassive growth in the Arminian denominations.
•This, with the Second Great Awakening, led tothe spread of Baptists and Methodists, amongothers, in the American South and Midwest.
•Revivalism represented a major break from thepast in American Religion.
Impact on Modern America
•Many prevalent denominations today,including the Baptists, Methodists, andPresbyterians, grew due to Revivalism.
•Modern American Christianity has a muchmore hopeful outlook, compared to theCalvinist idea of Predestination.
•Many ideas of moral reform for the upperclasses and empowerment for the lowerclasses were spread by the Revivalists.