The Second Great Awakening: A Democratization of Religion

The early years of the nineteenth century were a time of great religious upheaval, with many new and exciting ideas. Old traditions were overturned and a general religious fervor swept the United States. This period was known as the Second Great Awakening.
The impact the Second Great Awakening had on the nation was truly remarkable. Happening alongside a continuing call for freedom and reform in all parts of life, it fulfilled the call for an increase of freedom and diligence in the church. This change can be termed a “democratization of religion.” With this ever increasing desire for freedom also came an eroding respect for authority, tradition, and station. Its numerous effects were both positive and negative.
The first effect can be seen in the drastic increase of Christian ministers. At the time the United States won its independence, there were fewer than 2,000 ministers across the nation. By 1845, there were 40,000. This huge growth is not necessarily attributed to more people attending seminaries or religious colleges, but rather, a democratization occurred in religion in that fewer and fewer preachers felt the need to be trained or ordained by an authoritative religious figure. Instead, they gained their knowledge and preaching style mainly from the Bible.
There was also a democratization in the doctrinal emphasis. In colonial times, most churches taught predestination, or the belief that a person is predestined to be saved or damned, and no work you do on your part can change that. In the Second Great Awakening, there was a change to emphasizing instead a person’s free will and their ability to work towards salvation. This was the beginnings of “fire and brimstone” preaching, where preachers used intense, frightening descriptions of hell in order to call their congregations to repentance.
In stressing the importance of industry, sobriety, and self-discipline as examples of freely chosen moral behavior, evangelical preachers promoted the very qualities necessary for success in a market culture.
With this democratization of religion came the breakdown of traditional churches and the creation of many new denominations. There were suddenly large numbers of Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Baptists, and other Christian sects. Some had ordained pastors leading dutiful congregations while others had self-appointed ministers leading camp revivals and almost out-of-control congregations. Never before had American religion seen such passion and emotion shown in regular meetings of Christian denominations. This was especially true of the frontier camp revivals. The lack of need for tradition or authority made these meetings new and exciting and they quickly grew in number, with hundreds of converts spreading the word like wildfire.
These effects of democratization created a fertile ground for new and exciting ideas, which consistently brought in hundreds and thousands of converts each year. The cause of freedom moving throughout the land stirred its religious sects in ways not seen before. The Second Great Awakening was a huge success in calling people from their idleness to a new commitment to salvation through Jesus Christ. 

Works Cited
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!, Second Edition, Volume 1 (Give Me Liberty). 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2007. Print.

Angel Tree - Something else to consider this Christmas

 If any of you are looking for a way to serve your community this Christmas, please consider Angel Tree. As a non-profit branch of the Prison Fellowhip Ministry, Angel Tree gives Christmas gifts to children in the name of imprisoned parents. It is a beautiful way to serve those children who may not be having much of a Christmas. In return for a donation, the website gives you a small thank-you of mp3 downloads from the Angel Tree Children's Choir CD of Christmas Carols. They are the most angelic voices you will ever hear. 
Give it a thought!
Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Angel Tree Promo Video
Angel Tree website 

Something to think about...

Here is a little something to think about. It is one of my all-time favorite quotes and is found in Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail :


"Right defeated is stronger than evil triumphant."