Question

What were the main ideas of the second great awakening?

Answer 1

The Great Awakening is a period of religious awakening and reform that began in the 1800s. It was a spiritual renewal that swept the American Colonies, particularly New England. It sought to use the basis of religion to revive faith in members of the congregation and bring about social reforms. Its main ideas include: · The belief that every person could be saved through revivals · The belief that Christ would return to earth after the "millennium" and the purification of society in preparation for that return.

Answer 2

Main ideas of the Second Great Awakening were:

• The need for individuals to make a personal decision to follow Christ.
• An emphasis on preparing for the imminent Second Coming of Christ and the judgment of mankind.
• An emphasis on personal Bible reading and study of Christian truth.

Further details:

In the history of religious life in America, we refer to "the Second Great Awakening" when talking about the revival of energy in Protestantism that began as the year 1800 approached and continued into the 1820s. (The First Great Awakening had occurred some decades earlier, in the 1730s and 1740s.) The Second Great Awakening focused on each individual sinner coming to grips with their own unworthy condition before God and making a decision to give their lives over to the Lord in the name of Jesus Christ. They needed to be "born again," to experience personally a change of heart and move in the direction of Christ. This was needed to prepare for the Second Coming of Christ at the end of time.  The emphasis on personal salvation was a rejection of older Protestant concepts of predestination (the original Calvinist model). It also coincided with the mood in the country at the time that emphasized individualism and personal responsibility.

Along with outdoor revival meetings that were part of the Second Great Awakening, there was an emphasis on personal Bible reading and study. The American Bible Society was founded in 1816 as part of this movement, to make sure every Christian home had a Bible for reading and studying at home.  The American Tract Society was also established (1826) to distribute Christian literature that would teach Christian truths.