Preaching the Word of God Amidst the Second Great Revival

Many religious peoples were being persecuted, and they were looking for a new place to put down their roots. Others fled the poverty of Europe to search for a better life in the Americas. No matter their reasons for leaving, people of all different backgrounds, origins, and religions came to the New World bringing with them their social and cultural traditions. The New World created a unique opportunity for people who used to be adversaries to come and coexist with the hope of a better future just as the Huguenots and English Catholics did. Seventeenth and Eighteenth century America was already showing signs of becoming what they would later be known as “the Great American Melting Pot”. Cultures from all over merged together, creating a uniquely American culture- taking influences from all the different colonists that settled there. There was no longer the Quakers, the Germans, or the Huguenots, they were all just American, and that’s what drew people to the New

Counties were calling for a moratorium on western missionaries. It is only obvious why this occurred. The issues once again stemmed around many of the western missionaries attitudes that their ways were the ways for all. The young churches in some of the areas such as Asia, African and Latin America wanted to develop their own ways of doing things. The “missionary go home” movement included receiving money from western cultures. These churches that wanted to venture out on their own without the western control put blame on “missionary racism, paternalism, and colonialism.”

Most colonists that came in the early 1600’s were Christians, a religion that has very specific rules and rigid regulations that must be followed to be a “saved” person destined for a paradisiacal after life. Within these restrictions were the directions to “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). It seems clear that from the first the Christian religion was telling the colonists to “help” the natives by making them conform to the culture of the colonists and destroying their own. This was always done with a sense of Native American natural inferiority. In most cases, the Native Americans were not told the entire nature of their conversion. A Jesuit described the tactics used in converting Native Americans, “The outward splendor with which we endeavor to surround the Ceremonies of the Church…with a magnificence surpassing anything that the eyes of our savages have ever beheld – all these things produce an impression on their minds” (Le pays reneverse by denys delage 168). For those truly religious souls, coming to the New World meant a chance to bring salvation and Christianity to new

Europeans attempted to forcefully assimilate the native Americans to Christianity. Spanish missionaries preached the words of God to the Native Peoples who listened out of fear.(Doc.2A) The Europeans viewed them as a barbarous people without the knowledge of God refusing to acknowledge their religions.(Doc.4B)Partly due to the fact the Natives were not Christian the Europeans felt justified in enslaving them.

The Second Great Awakening was a movement that centered around religious revivals, much like the Great Awakening that happened before it in the 1740’s and 1750’s. But, unlike the first Great Awakening, the second Great Awakening would have more youths join than the first Great Awakening, according to Burg, “Conversion occurred with adolescents as young as 7 to 13, although most of the converts were older than 13 and the majority were girls” (Burg, 1998). These youths, particularly students, would eventually become inspired to do missionary work, this trend emerging around 1808. This wish to do missionary work, and particularly missionary work overseas, would eventually lead to the formation to a new regulatory board, according to Burg, “In response to their request, the association appointed the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to provide support” (Burg, 1998). But the Second Great Awakening not only sparked religious movements, but it sparked other movements that are well known today, such

Those who moved to the new world had one of two motivations: the hope of free worship or to gain profit through the New World’s untapped resources. With the religious persecution of

They saw themselves as acting in the best interests of these people, bringing them Christianity and civilization. This attitude destroyed traditional beliefs and social values, however, and had a negative effect on colonized populations.” European explorers such as the Conquistadors wanted to convert the indigenous people to Christianity and by doing this they destroyed the culture of the native americans. If you did not convert you were killed and if you chose to convert then you lost touch with your original religion and traditions. Due to the uncompromising behavior of the conquerors religions, traditions and social values of the indians have been lost. European explorers viewed themselves as superior to the indigenous people and by thinking this way they ended up eradicating the diversity of

It not only played a major role in the workings of the individual household but it also heavily influenced the political and economic expansion of European settlements into Native American territories. The idea that God had bestowed upon the colonists the mission to spread the word of the Bible ties into the concept of “manifest destiny” as seen in 19th Century America. The rapid series of conquests and territorial expansion that the United States enjoyed during this period is a reflection of this idea. From the settlement of Jamestown in 1607 to the American colonization of the Pacific Coast in 1819, religion was a driving factor in the expansion of the European frontier. The horrible atrocities committed against the Native Americans in the last few centuries is a cautionary tale to our generation. Throughout human history, men have killed each other, burned cities to the ground, all in the name of religion. By admitting to the mistakes of the past, we can build a brighter

2) America saw their religion as an approach to cultivate the general population like the way they tried to edify the Native Americans. They saw indigenous individuals as a gathering of individuals who still live before the cutting edge age, individuals who needed an awesome change in their general public. Subsequently, Protestant teachers manufactured houses of worship in vanquished regions trying to humanize its indigenous individuals. Additionally, America did not have any desire

An example of this is when conquistadors such as Hernando Cortez conquered the Aztecs, and forced them to adopt Spanish traditions and customs, starting with their language. Also, the Spanish converted a large amount of Natives to Christianity, which spread a European religion to the New Land. Conversion also occurred in the Ottoman and Safavid Empires when they established the devshirme system. These two empires forcefully converted conquered peoples of Christian territories, especially Christian kids, to Islam and the Shah’s personal army. These janissaries resulted in a more diverse army and after their service, they could enter high ranking positions of the Islamic government which integrated Christian ideas in Islamic policies. Over time, this resulted in Christian families willingly giving up their kids for the janissary army because it would result in more opportunities and they could live more prosperous lives. Another change of religion between societies happened during the Reformation, when people separated from the Catholic Church and converted others into their own denominations. This led to the creation of new denominations which brought their own new ideas, such as the Presbyterian and Anglican denominations. This would also result in the Counter-Reformation and the forming of the Society of Jesus and the Jesuits, who were religious missionaries. Under the lead of Ignatius of Loyola, the Jesuits converted numerous Protestants back to Catholicism. They also sent missionaries to places such as the New Land and Asia, spreading Christianity to other societies. However, these missions were usually dangerous, and many missionaries died as other societies rarely accepted their ideas. But more often than not, interactions with other societies are successful in exchanging goods and

The two groups who were especially important to this era were the women and followers of the Social Gospel Movement. A group Protestant ministers who later became known as the Social Gospel Movement fought for justice in society and ending prostitution and poverty encouraged middle class citizens to join the fight for Progressive reform. The middle-class women of the late nineteenth century who were first generation college graduates who worked outside the home in the few professional jobs available for women. Most of these men and women were brought up in deeply religious families so they had a zeal for pursuing social reform.

On the European front, Christianity itself changed significantly during the colonization of the Americas through evangelicalism. The English colonies, being host to a wide variety of Christian denominations, experienced an extreme amount of religious revivals that worked to alter European American society by breaking down social barriers of age,

Some people regard the Victorian Era as a wondrous period of time in which there were only grand balls, silk hoop skirts, and lots of money. This is not the case. Although the British were in the beginning of an Industrial Age, and well into a period of peace and prosperity, there were still many problems with society. They were coming to realize strict morality, and political/societal reform with their acquisitions of countries, totaling about one quarter of the world’s population. British missionaries traveled to foreign lands (such as India and Polynesia) to convert the natives to Christianity. With this superior and empirical mindset came

The Great Revival Movement occurred during one of the darkest periods in Korean history. Politically, there were continual wars for territorial authority over Korea between Japan and China and between Japan and Russia. Eventually Japan was victorious over both countries. Western countries such as Great Britain, France, and America also played an influential political role in Korea. Under this oppression, Korea was extremely weak socially, economically, and politically. After Japan was successful in defeating China and Russia, Japan forced Korea to sign a treaty in 1904 that resulted in the loss of freedom in all aspects of Korean life. As a result of Japanese aggression and oppression, Koreans were devastated by war and suffered from extreme

Matthew 9:35-38 (NIV) reads, Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Through the lens of this text God reveals to us the heart He has for His people in a lost and suffering world. Jesus points out to his disciples what we should find significant today, and that is