The Great Awakening and the American Revolution

Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth for the Colson Center. I'm John Stone Street. 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 supercentennial, will be resurfaced various arguments about whether the founding of the country was a product of Christianity or of Enlightenment deism. Among the best answers to this question is given by Michael Novak in his book On Two Wings.

The title itself is a way to summarize Novak's assertion that the American eagle flies on both the empirical tradition of John Locke. And Christian faith. A good example of the role that 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 the New England Puritans.

However, the awakening reached throughout the American colonies, especially through the work of itinerant preachers, most notably George Whitfield, a man who was 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 the conversion experience. For example, Presbyterian minister Gilbert Tennett 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, regenerate beggar was better than an unholy, unregenerate prince. In the hierarchical world of the 18th century, these ideas were revolutionary and helped shape a mindset that inspired the founding fathers.

Most importantly, the awakening challenged existing authority structures in both the church and the state. If a regenerate layman is superior to an unregenerate bishop, then the ecclesiastical hierarchy is no guarantee of spiritual legitimacy. The same thinking was applied to the state. A king who is unregenerate and who ruled unjustly is no better than a beggar and no more legitimate than the 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 throughout the colonies. This resulted in the power of the people. in interconnected networks and a common sense of purpose among evangelical Protestants.

And that became a core constituency for the Patriots in the Revolution. Their common experience contributed to an emerging sense of American identity, one that was distinct from England. And those affected by the Awakening saw it as evidence of God's active role in history. That aligned with earlier Puritan ideas about the colonies being a city on a hill and a sense that they were on the cusp of a new historical era. It's no accident that the 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 of John Locke that so influenced Thomas Jefferson and other founders. The egalitarian ideas of the Awakening were consistent with a Republican form of government and the idea of the consent of the governed. That was 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 that was promoted by John Locke. The idea of limited government is consistent with Augustine's articulation of the doctrine of original sin. and its implication that no one and no group should be trusted with absolute power. That idea passed from Augustine to Calvin and the Reformed tradition to the Puritans and then to the preachers of the Great Awakening. Without the cultural foundations that were laid by the Great Awakening, the Revolution would likely have lacked moral justification and certainly 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. And throughout this year, we'll examine other parts of the American story through this lens of a Christian worldview. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

Today's Breakpoint was co-authored by Dr. Glenn Sunshine. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download your podcast. Find more resources like this and share this commentary with others by going to breakpoint.org.