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THE GREAT AWAKENING (PART1)
Despite the negative connotations associated with religion, especially Christianity (which I contend should never be classified as such), it is the one thing that draws people during catastrophes. Whether wars, earthquakes or planes flying into the World Trade Centers, people instinctly seek out religious institutions for answers and comfort in these situations. Conversely, when times are good and prosperous, religion becomes less important because man cannot see his need for God. I suspect this is contributable to the fact all religions lay claim to a belief system that governs their lives. The Christian faith is no different. Regardless of our denomination, we believe in the One God who saves us through His Son and unites us by the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit Who keeps us. As Paul declared on Mars Hill, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Such awareness and conviction to God’s word were paramount in sustaining and spreading the Baptist denomination (and all others), during its infancy. However, it is the nature of succeeding generations (even Christians), to lose the zeal and fire experienced by their fathers. This was the case in the latter part of the seventeenth century, so much so that church membership saw a drastic decrease by the start of the eighteenth century. This was due largely to better living conditions and increased wealth. Thus, people’s interests shifted from spiritual to material possessions. This and all the pangs associated with the birth of a new nation preoccupied the people’s minds. To add to these distractions, the more dominant churches grew lax in their pastoral duties. Fewer men felt the call to go into the ministry of preaching. Without preachers proclaiming the good news, people turned away from the church (The Baptists, Anne Devereaux Jordan and J. M. Stifle, Hippocrene Books). This void made way for a new and dangerous teaching called Latitudinarianism. This movement began with a group of men in England towards the end of the seventeenth century. They promoted the “use of reason in reading the Scriptures” (The Baptists). The Philosopher John Locke adopted and expanded on their ideas the teaching that most of Christianity is explainable either rationally or “as being the invention of superstitious or power hungry priests” (The Baptists). Locke’s idea of God and Christianity made way for Deism. The danger of Deism lies in its likeness to Theism. The god of Deists is one who has no self-revelation or relation to the world. They agree that He is Creator, but that’s the extent of His involvement in this world. In a sense, Deists accepts the transcendence of God but excludes His immanence (Practical Christian Theology, Examining the Great Doctrines of the Faith, 3rd Edition, Floyd H. Barackman, Kregel Publication). Thus, man controls his own destiny as God stands on the sidelines as an unconcerned and uninvolved spectator (The Baptists). On the other hand, Christian Theists believe in the One God as he has revealed Himself in Scripture, Jesus Christ and nature. Without committed preachers, this truth became lost in an age of so-called “enlightenment”. Men’s minds were transformed by the philosophy of men such as Voltaire who viewed the world as one big brotherhood and believe in the universal morality of man. One might believe the period in time when man tried to build a tower to heaven was the height of man’s pride and arrogance. As bad as that time was, I believe the Age of Enlightenment was worse because it put legs on humanism. At the tower of Babel, man at least recognized the existence of God. In humanism, man not only does not recognize God, he believes he does not need him. A mind enlightened with truths such as these can only lead to disaster. Just to be fair, I need to point out that not all philosophers and theologians were humanists during the Age of Enlightenment. Men such as David Hume and the teachings of Blaise Pascal served to balance the teachings of Voltaire and others. But this is not a segment on the Age of Enlightenment in Europe and early America. However, it was necessary to paint a picture of the circumstances and condition of the country during the latter portion of the seventeenth century and the impact it had on all denominations. A time when the pure word of God had become polluted with the “vain philosophy of men.” Although no specific denomination’s light shone brightly during the Age of Enlightenment, the Gospel had not died! God would not send just one man to awaken His people; but several. Men whose passion and fire for God brought about nothing less than a “Great Awakening.”
In Christ, Minister John Cobb
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