By Ron Edwards
Throughout American history there have been a number of significant Great Awakenings. The Great Awakenings first came about during the days prior to the formation of this republic. The Great Awakenings I am referring to are what are known to be when people grew tired of moral depravity and sought to reconnect with our Heavenly creator and seek Providential guidance. The American colonial period could easily have been characterized as a time of ebbs and flows back and forth between a close relationship with God and periods of withdrawal from Him. That led to extremely low moral conditions. In 1734, the colonies were besieged with many evidences of a prevalently immoral period. But that did not deter minister Jonathan Edwards from preaching, beginning in Northampton, Massachusetts. Under his preaching that stressed the importance of an immediate, personal spiritual rebirth, a revival began in his church among the youth and then spread to the adults.
Edwards wrote that “In The Spring and summer following, 1735, the town seemed to be full of the presence of God; it never was so full of love, nor of joy and yet so full of distress, as it was then.” In two years, 300 converts were added to the church, and the news of the revival spread throughout New England. The British Methodist Preacher George Whitfield continued the movement, making seven separate trips to America and spending nine years preaching across the colonies. He preached to five thousand on the Boston Commons and eight thousand at once in the open fields. Between 1740 and 1742, an estimated 25,000 to 50,000 people were added to the New England Church, changing the region’s moral tone and gaining the name of a “Great Awakening.”
The revival spread into the Middle Colonies, beginning in New Jersey, largely among the Presbyterians trained under William Tennent, including his son Gilbert, who became the leading figure in the Great Awakening of the Middle Colonies. The revival spread into the South via the preaching of the Samuel Davies
Additionally, there was the rapid spread of Methodism shortly before the American Revolution. Because the First Great Awakening served to build up interests that were intercolonial in character and increased opposition to the Anglican Church and the royal officials who supported it. Many historians say it helped set in motion a democratic spirit, (not form of government) that eventually brought America it’s political freedoms. It also resulted in an outburst of missionary activity among American Indians by such men as David Brainerd. Also, it was the impetus to the first movement of importance against slavery.
In education, it led to the founding of a number of academies and colleges, notably Princeton, Brown, Rutgers, and Dartmouth. By the year 1800, nearly a million people had made their way west. They settled in the area west of the Blue Ridge in Virginia, in Kentucky, Tennessee, the Northwest, and in the Indian territory. Most did not have access to the word of God, and moral conditions once again went into decline. However, a second great spiritual revival began that continued well into the 1830s. Many historians refer to Logan County in Kentucky as it’s starting point, where several Methodist and Presbyterian ministers joined efforts in 1799; and visitors to the camp would camp out for two or three nights. One such gathering was held at Cane Ridge, Kentucky in 1801 and drew perhaps as many as 15,000 to 20,000 people. More than 10,000 people were swept into the Kentucky churches between 1800 and 1803. The great revival quickly spread throughout Kentucky, Tennessee, and much of Ohio. It was later in the early part of the twentieth century, that those promoting communism would sarcastically label that part of the United States, the Bible belt.
Those communists along with many democrats set out on a long term goal of extracting Americans away from their fervent belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Their goal was to fundamentally transform America, a goal restated by former president BarachHusein Obama. Over time the church became lazy in it’s fundamental mandate to be the moral compass and encourager of the nation. As generation after generation of young Americans were gradually weaned from the higher moral principles of there forebearers, they systematically diminished the very principles that were the very backbone of American greatness. The Founding Fathers often warned that if America were no longer a moral republic, she would cease to be blessed and powerful.
America’s moral depravity was so pronounced, that by the early 2000s, our republic was on a speedy road to literal oblivion. The judgement and wisdom of American voters was so compromised, they literally chose an avowed enemy of the United States of America to be president. But as I predicted in my radio commentary “The Edwards Notebook” and on various talk shows and to whoever would listen, aliObama was so bad, he served as a literal slap across the face of America that woke up multitudes of sovereign citizens. Even a significant segment of the Christian church awakened out of it’s slumber and sense of cowardice. One by one, American Christians began to once again care about America the beautiful and prayed to our Creator. They sought forgiveness for sleeping at the switch and not being a bull work against evil. While others sought redemption for not caring about our republic and buying into the fly away doctrine, instead of obeying the admonition of Jesus Christ, who told us to occupy til He returns. 2nd Chronicles 7:14 states “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin, and will hear their land.
I believe America is now in the beginning of not only a revival, but a refounding of our beloved republic land of liberty. Yes there is a push from those on the leftist dark side to derail America, but if we will heed the warnings of the founders, and seek Providential guidance, the Great I AM will insure that “We the People” will keep America great. Don’t miss The Ron Edwards American Experience Fridays at 4:00 PM EST, 1:00 PM PT emanating from flagship station KCKQ AM 1180 Reno Nevada and around the world via americamatters.us.
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