Edwards and Whitefield’s Role in the First Great Awakening Research Paper

Introduction

The First Great Awakening was an evangelical movement that spread throughout the colonies after the seventeen century¹ the past few decades have seen a revival of interest in evangelicalism, and many people today wonder what this historical event was like. It began as a grassroots movement with passionate preaching, new hymns, communing with God through prayer or singing, and great revivals sparked by these new emotions.

The eighteenth century was a time of tremendous economic growth as well. With the increase in wealth came an increase in churches and a higher standard of living. The religious leadership did little to respond to these changes, and many people began to feel religious leaders were out of touch with ordinary people. This paper scrutinizes two masterminds, Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, who brought about significant changes in the First Great Awakening. It also examines their contributions and comparison with other lesser leaders in the First Great Awakening and a deeper understanding of evangelicalism revolution.

Biographies of Jonathan Edward and George Whitefield

Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield were the two most influential leaders in the First Great Awakening. George Whitefield was born on November 30, 1714, to a working-class family on a farm in Gloucester, England. When he was eight years old, he moved with his family to Oxford, England, where they believed they would have more opportunities. Whitefield joined Oxford University when he was 14 and attended until he was 19.²

At Age 25, George began evangelizing, having been known as a charismatic orator and handsome young man. George Whitefield’s biography explains that he was primarily an evangelist and preacher – which is remarkable for not only his time but also for today’s culture and society because of how much our culture values celebrity status over basic service. One characteristic of George Whitefield that remains relevant today is his adamant on social justice and belief in equality and fairness amongst all people despite their social status. This can be found in his interactions with customers and his efforts to help the poor. Whitefield believed that everyone deserved equal treatment under Christianity.

On the other hand, the biography of Jonathan Edwards is very different.He was born in 1703 in Northhampton, Massachusetts and later went to Yale College at the age of eleven in 1720.³ He as well joined Harvard College for theology course, where he studied under Jonathan Edwards and became one of the most influential and vital preachers. Later on, he joine Yale College for an English translation of The Sacred Relation of Man by Francisco Suarez, a Jesuit priest.⁴

The latter believed that there are innately good and evil tendencies within people and throughout nature. This is where the idea that people are born innately good, and evil originated. However, Edwards used this idea to his advantage by arguing that if people were born this way, there was no need for God to be involved in man’s salvation. He saw it as man’s power that would get him to heaven and not God’s doing. He wrote: “Every morning as I rise, I say to myself, no doubt some god is stirring in his grave.”⁵ This quote shows how he thought religion should be conducted in the churches.

Comparing George and Edwards’ contributions and leadership styles.

George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards were preachers, and their contributions to the revival were significant. George Whitefield was among the first evangelicalism preacher in America. He set out on his missionary trips preaching the gospel in the colonies, but he was not sitting around for three months hitting people with a whip-like some preachers do today. He often traveled by horseback and had a wagon full of supplies he needed to take care of as he went through the countryside. After two months of traveling, Whitefield arrived at what is now called Whitefield’s Folly, where he built his first church in America.⁶ It is said that before his arrival, there was nothing but a few haystacks with a small barn in sight and no houses or trees. He preached near the church, and his presence attracted town citizens, some of whom were so moved by his preaching that they traveled with him to other churches on Sundays. He inspired many to an extent that there were over two hundred churches established in the 1740s.

Jonathan Edwards’ contribution to the First Great Awakening was the most important. He preached throughout New England, where he established churches and brought many people to Christ. Several men from that era were affected by his preaching and became pastors. Jonathan Edwards was one of the greatest minds America has ever produced. He had written a book called The Life of David Brainerd about a missionary who lived during the American Revolution in 1745.⁷ After having read this book, President John Adams declared Brainerd to be the greatest American who had ever lived. The Puritans did not like this because they thought he was too emotional, so Edwards never became a minister for their church and instead worked for another group of Christians called the Presbyterians.

Jonathan Edwards also wrote several books like The Great Awakening and Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, two of his most important contributions to the First Great Awakening, and thought that his most important book was The Freedom of the Will which was one of his greatest works.⁸ This book, in which he first attempted a defense for Calvinism, laid out what many people think is his most significant contribution to America as he tried to convince others to accept this doctrine.

Discussion of other leaders who played a lesser role

John Witherspoon and James O’Kelly were among the lesser leaders who significantly contributed to the First Great Awakening from the Presbyterian Church. John Witherspoon was the President of Princeton University in that era… He was a Scottish minister who had been active in the Scottish Reformation in 1738 and then traveled to America, where he taught Calvinist theology.⁹ He wanted Americans to have an educated ministry because he did not think that the Americans had enough learning to keep up with the Protestant Church’s strict standards of religion. So he traveled from town to town, teaching people how to read and write and providing education for those who wished to enter college. His most important contribution was when he helped form the Synod of Philadelphia, which set out official rules for Calvinistic thinking.

Another mastermind was James O’Kelly, a Scottish Presbyterian minister in America who wrote several books. He believed strongly in the revival and played a significant role in it.¹⁰ He also wrote the first book written by an American that dealt with religious beliefs and how to conduct yourself as a member of the church, which consisted of 40 rules he had laid out.

Definition of evangelicalism

Evangelicalism refers to concepts of a personal conversion experience, biblically-based preaching, and a commitment to spreading the gospel to others. It is closely connected to the Great Awakening. The Great Awakening challenged traditional churches by spreading new ideas about individualism and democracy. It emphasized conversion or a change from sinfulness to goodness through accepting Christ as one’s savior.

The origin of evangelicalism

Evangelicalism began in the First Great Awakening as an individual conversion. The Great Awakening challenged traditional churches by spreading new ideas about individualism and democracy.¹¹ Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield were two of the most influential leaders during the First Great Awakening. Edwards was a Congregationalist, while Whitefield was an Episcopalian. George and Whitefield had a personal experience with conversion and used this experience in their sermons and writings to get their message across to the people of New England.¹² They influenced many eighteenth-century ministers, especially after they began to preach together in 1743.

The uniqueness of the First Great Awakening, and its contribution to evangelicalism

The challenge to accept Christ and repent of sin was unique during this First Great Awakening that brought about evangelicalism. Many ministers believed the only way to be saved was through faith in Christ and repentance from sin.¹³ This is not to say that without the Great Awakening, there would have been no evangelicalism. Still, this period is more significant in promoting evangelicalism than any other period because it changed people’s views and attitudes toward religion.

Conclusion

The First Great Awakening was unique in promoting evangelicalism. It is still a strong belief within Christianity today and is one of the reasons that it continues to be so prominent in America. Applause to Jonathan Edwars and George Whitefields who became the fathers of evangelism that we are still cherish today. The history of Whitefield and Edwards ought to inspire us at all orders to bring about changes in the Christian life where possible for the betterment of tomorrow.

Bibliography

Dugin, Aleksandr. “The Great Awakening vs the Great Reset.” London: Arktos Media Ltd. Search in (2021). 13-22

Khruleva, Irina. “Colonial American Newspapers about Events and Religious Debate of the First Great Awakening of 1730s—1740s.” Novaia i noveishaia istoriia 1 (2019): 25-36.

Maze, Scott. Theodorus Frelinghuysen’s Evangelism: Catalyst to the First Great Awakening. Reformation Heritage Books, 2020. 56-59.

McCracken, Matthew C. “Review of George Marsden, A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards.” Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History 5, no. 1 (2022): 5.

Pranger, Gary K. “The First Great Awakening.” ORU History & Humanities Modern World-Reader I 1600-1850: 152.

Smith, William R. “The Great Awakening as an Epistolary Event.” In Benjamin Colman’s Epistolary World, 1688-1755, pp. 205-258. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2022.

Footnotes

1. Gary, the first great awakening, 152.
2. Irina, Colonial American Newspapers about Events and Religious Debate of the First Great Awakening of 1730s—1740s, 28.
3. Aleksandr, The Great Awakening vs the Great Reset, 17.
4. Gary, The First Great Awakening, 152.
5. Matthew, Review of George Marsden, A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards, 5.
6. William, The Great Awakening as an Epistolary Event, 209.
7. William, The Great Awakening as an Epistolary Event, 209.
8. William, The Great Awakening as an Epistolary Event, 209.
9. Scott, Theodorus Frelinghuysen’s Evangelism: Catalyst to the First Great Awakening, 56.
10. Irina, Colonial American Newspapers about Events and Religious Debate of the First Great Awakening of 1730s—1740s, 28.
11. Scott, Theodorus Frelinghuysen’s Evangelism: Catalyst to the First Great Awakening, 56.
12. Irina, Colonial American Newspapers about Events and Religious Debate of the First Great Awakening of 1730s—1740s, 28.
13. Gary, The First Great Awakening, 152.