Awakening the American Spirit

Thesis Statement

The Great Awakenings, both the first and second, heavily influenced American religion, independence and brought about self awareness to the benefit of American society. Both the awakenings had a lot of importance during different times in the American history.

Introduction

The First and Second Great Awakenings were Evangelical spiritual revivals that swept the colonies. The First Great Awakening revived the tired rituals of the Protestant religion and focused on bringing people closer to God and encouraged the people to hear powerful sermons. Ultimately, the first great awakening challenged the English Monarchy which helped to shift the colonist's loyalty from England to America. The Second Great Awakening was a movement focusing on religious commitment and inspired a new wave of social activism. This revival inspired care for the mentally ill and handicapped and abolition-of-slavery groups. Therefore, all the issues related to Awakening of the American Spirit will be discussed in detail.

Evidence

The First Great Awakening launched the Evangelical Christian movement in America. The most noted leaders were Jonathan Edwards, George Whitfield and Gilbert Tennent. J. Edwards' sermons, “A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God” of 1737 and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” of 1741 were typical Great Awakening sermons which emphasized Hell and the chance to rectify past sins. The Fist Great Awakening focused on the people already in attendance at church unlike the second which focused on those not attending church or “unchurched”. The Great Awakening encouraged people to live Christian lives which instilled Christian values that encourage hope and love.

Discussion

The roots of the Seventh Day Adventist Church are in the Protestant revival movement of the XIX century (the "Second Great Awakening") in North America. The emphasis on the imminent return of Christ and the proclamation of the immutability of God's commandments carries immense value. Adventists celebrate the biblical Sabbath as a day of rest instead of church on Sunday is fundamental in the teachings of the Protestant denominations and is reflected in its title, which she wears with the 1860 practice of adult baptism of believers. This factor involves a conscious and the free decision of faith, an emphasis on complete separation of church and state, allowing the true religious freedom and religious equality, and strongly expressed and charismatic missionary orientation, further characteristics of Adventists. The first Seventh-day Adventists in Europe appeared in 1864. Today, the number of baptized members of the church worldwide is more than 12 million people (Ahlstrom, 157).

Of all the doctrines that give the Seventh Day Adventist Church is unique, its position is non-military violence, and thus to participate in military operations as opposed to absolute pacifism that has brought fame denomination, and external recognition. Staying true to the sixth commandment "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20.9), members of the church tried to do everything to prove their loyalty to the government, without taking a position of absolute rejection of military service on grounds of conscience. Instead, Adventists believed it was possible to perform military ...