The Great Awakening and the American Revolution

Author: John Stonestreet and Dr. Glenn Sunshine

This July is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the event considered to be the birthday of America. Along with the celebrations of what President Trump is calling our “Super Centennial,” will be resurfaced arguments about whether the founding of the country was a product of Christianity or Enlightenment Deism. Among the best answers was given by Michael Novak, in his book On Two Wings. The title is a way of summarizing Novak’s assertion, that the American Eagle flies on both the empirical tradition of Enlightenment thinker John Locke and the Christian faith.

A good example of the role evangelical Christianity played in inspiring the American Revolution is The Great Awakening. The religious revivals of the 1730s and ‘40s are most often associated with Jonathan Edwards and New England Puritans. However, the Awakening reached throughout the American colonies through the work of itinerant preachers, especially Englishman George Whitefield, a man greatly admired by Benjamin Franklin.

The Awakening emphasized the need for personal conversion, an idea that disrupted existing churches by, among other things, calling into question the status of ministers who didn’t have that experience. For example, Presbyterian minister Gilbert Tennant preached a sermon called “The Dangers of an Unconverted Ministry” in which he argued that a regenerated plowman was better than an unconverted minister. Tennant also argued that a pious, regenerated beggar was better than an unholy, unregenerate prince. In the hierarchical world of the eighteenth century, such ideas were revolutionary and helped shape the mindset which inspired the Founding Fathers.

Most importantly, the Awakening challenged existing authority structures in both church and state. If a regenerate layman was superior to an unregenerate bishop, then the ecclesiastical hierarchy was no guarantee of spiritual legitimacy. The same thinking applied to the state. A king who was unregenerate and ruled unjustly was no better than a beggar and no more legitimate than an illegitimate bishop.

These teachings on spiritual equality spilled over into ideals about social and political equality. As individuals were empowered to challenge elites, historical deference to the king eroded. Within the colonies, this led to the thinking that a republic was superior to a monarchy.

The itinerant preachers of the Awakening attracted huge crowds from across denominations and throughout the colonies. This resulted in interconnected networks and a common sense of purpose among evangelical Protestants, which became a core constituency for the Patriots in the Revolution. This common experience contributed to an emerging sense of American identity that was distinct from England.

Those affected by the Awakening saw it as evidence of God’s active role in history. This aligned with earlier Puritan ideas about the colonies being a “city on a hill,” and a sense of being on the cusp of a “new era.” It is no accident that Revolutionary leaders framed the struggle against Britain as more than just political. For them, it was a moral crusade to preserve virtue, liberty, and divine favor.

The ideals of egalitarianism, nationalism, and civic virtue informed by the Great Awakening blended seamlessly with the political theories from John Locke that so influenced Thomas Jefferson and other Founders. The egalitarian ideas of the Awakening were consistent with republican government and the idea of consent of the governed, an idea championed by John Locke, but whose ultimate source is God’s covenant with Israel at Sinai. There, God asked the people three times if they agreed to His covenant.

The Awakening’s promotion of individual responsibility and conscience aligned with another idea promoted by Locke. The idea of limited government is consistent with Augustine’s articulation of the doctrine of original sin, and its implication that no one or no group could be trusted with absolute power. This idea passed from Augustine to Calvin and the Reformed tradition to the Puritans, and then to the preachers of the Awakening.

Without the cultural foundations laid by the Great Awakening, the Revolution would likely have lacked moral justification and broad popular support. The Awakening alone did not spark the Revolution but, as Novak noted, it was a contributing factor as were certain Enlightenment ideas of John Locke.

The Great Awakening is one of the many ways that Christianity influenced America’s founding, history, and culture. Throughout this year, we will examine other parts of the American story through the lens of a Christian worldview.