The sermon explains in detail of the wrath God has and what Hell has in store for the non-believers. It is very clear from this document religion was a very important part of people’s lives during colonial times. “The Great Awakening” was a spiritual movement in the 18th century for the English colonies. The Great Awakening was caused because of the growing number of disbelievers of Christianity, and from a political point of view, it was weakening the colonies government’s steadiness. In order for political power to not decrease, since religion and government went together, the colonists started The Great Awakening.
They had a long wait until 1840 to see the tax-supported status of the Anglican Church be removed, making them equal once again. Not only did the friction between Anglicans and Catholics grow before and while the era, but the tyranny of the Church of England also gave reason to former believer to dissent and form new groups such as Presbyterianism (who did not agree with the order of
In the middle of the 18th century the American colonies experienced two major revivals that had lasting effects on the country regarding religion, government and society. The First Great Awakening was a Christian revitalization movement that swept first European countries and then, in the 1730s and 1740s, the colonies in America. Church leaders, such as Jonathan Edwards or George Whitefield, got concerned that the colonists lost their religious zeal and preached in a dramatic and emotional style, attracting a large following. The new faiths that emerged were much more democratic in their approach and they lessened the hold of the Anglican Church which was later applied to a political field. Through the Awakening, the Colonists realized that religious power resided in their own hands, rather than in the hands of the Church, or any other authority.
In the 1960’s the traditional Christian Church was going through massive change. Society was dealing from post WW2 feminism, Vietnam War, civil rights, teenager and hippy culture, sexual liberation and a rejection of traditional sources of authority, for example church teachings. Martin Luther King’s legacy in the 1960’s set the scene for a revolution in civil rights and sexual freedom and therefore challenging the traditional legalist approach. This radical change in society underlies Situation Ethics which was part of a general move for people to have greater autonomy and freedom. The concept of situation ethics was first introduced by Fletcher in 1966, in his book ‘Situation Ethics’, expressing his beliefs against antinomian and legalism approaches.
There was some friction in the economic relationship between Britain and its American colonies. After the war, the British were left in a large debt. This caused them to strictly regulate trade and put taxes on commonly used goods, like playing cards and paper for the Stamp Act, as well as sugar importations for the Sugar Act. The colonists protested against these acts, leading them to begin a non-importation movement in which they would stop buying goods from Britain. The British were pressured into
Critical Analysis 1: The Great Awakening By: Chris Naylor The Great Awakening was a Christian revitalization movement that swept Protestant Europe and British America, especially the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American religion. It resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of deep personal revelation of their need of salvation by Jesus Christ. Pulling away from ritual and ceremony, the Great Awakening made Christianity intensely personal to the average person by fostering a deep sense of spiritual conviction and redemption, and by encouraging introspection and a commitment to a new standard of personal morality. It brought Christianity to African slaves and was a monumental event in New England that challenged established authority. It incited rancor and division between old traditionalists who insisted on the continuing importance of ritual and doctrine, and the new revivalists, who encouraged emotional involvement and personal commitment.
For instance, “the sale of indulgences for the benefit of the church of Rome specifically for the rebuilding of St. Peters Cathedral provoked harsh criticism, especially by those who saw the luxuries of the papacy as a betrayal of apostolic ideals ” (Fiero 119). Martin Luther stated a list of objections, called the Ninety-Five Theses, against the Roman Catholic Church. The Protestant Reformation changed the course of Western civilization for the long term which led to the impact on the arts using Northern Renaissance art, music and literature. Protestant reformers made two new printmaking processes, which were woodcut and engraving. Compared to the too expensive hand-illuminated manuscripts, books with printed pictures became an inexpensive option for all (Fiero 127).
They broke away from the persecution of church leadership and the King to come to America. The immigration of the Pilgrims to New England occurred in stages. The Pilgrims, fleeing religious persecution, broke away from the Church of England because they felt the Church violated biblical principles of true Christians. ‘Opposed to the Episcopal jurisdiction and the rites and discipline of the Church of England, the group had formed as a separatist church by 1606’, Pilgrims (2008) They committed themselves to a life based on the Bible. Evangelical Christianity in the 18th century represented something new but not in the sense of a creation out of nothing.
The American Revolution was a result of the colonists unrest caused by their abhorrence towards their British Mother Country. For several centuries the colonies had been subject to rule by the English Crown and it’s Parliament. They no longer wanted to be controlled by a country an ocean away, and in turn sought independence. A huge factor in the start of the American Revolution was the French and Indian War that changed the age-old bond between the colonies and England. Decades of conflict followed, starting with the revolt as a result of the Stamp Act in 1765, leading to the eruption of war in 1775.
Further, due to development of trade and commerce craftsmen, merchants and cultivators became much richer while the feudal lords couldn’t increase their income. The Church which dominated the medieval society suffered a set back in the 13th and 14th centuries. The power of the Church was challenged by a number of strong monarchs, which led to a great loss of prestige of the Church. Even the common people lost faith in it. They preferred to pay greater attention to the present life rather than the life after death.