Page 44 - History of Christianity II- Textbook

Whitefield and Edwards believed churches should be organized to be entirely distinct from New England
governments. They preached that salvation was only of God and that humans did not possess any ability
whatever toward salvation; it came only as a result of God’s saving call. In other words, man’s
“righteousness” would not save him no matter how many good deeds he has done. Furthermore, the
doctrines of predestination and election (Romans 8:28-30) were regularly espoused, which upset many
as well as drew in many, for God’s decreeing from eternity past who would be saved and who would not
was an electrifying concept to them. Edwards’ propounding of these biblical truths as he saw them was
the longest-lived theological result of the First Great Awakening.

The Second Great Awakening gained much interest by its support of important theological themes such
as salvation and the church’s role in society. Nathaniel Taylor moved away from the beliefs of Whitefield
and Edwards, maintaining that man possessed a “power to the contrary” when faced with moral
choices, which strengthened the belief that man had a free will and therefore did play a part in his own
salvation.

At the same time, “voluntary societies” sprang up, which were separate from church denominations;
they were formed to help Christianize and reform America. Their successes moved many people to great
feats of Christian service. In turn, this overall atmosphere caused many to believe that the end of the
age was approaching, which generated even more good works and seemed to validate the concept of
these societies even more.

Both Awakenings (revivals) have provided an enduring legacy for modern evangelicalism.

Declaration of Independence in United States, 1776 –

The colonies of the Americas declared their independence from Britain
in 1176. Over the next four years, the “patriots” fought the greatest
army in the world at the time and by the grace of God, were able to
defeat the British through their tenacious faith in God and with great
and godly leadership.

French Revolution in France, 1789 – 1799

In 1789, food shortages and economic crises led to the outbreak of
the French Revolution. King Louis and his queen, Mary-
Antoinette, were imprisoned in August 1792, and in September
the monarchy was abolished. The major difference between the
American Revolution and French Revolution was that the Americans
believed that their rebellion against England was justified in
Scripture and their dependence was upon God’s providence. The
French Revolution was founded in humanism, where God was
minimized, and man’s rights were maximized. It was a revolution
against the monarchy in France, void of God’s dependence.

As a result of the godless revolt, a Committee of Public Safety was created in 1793. Maximilien
Robespierre, the architect of the French Revolution's Reign of Terror, was the leading member of the
Committee of Public Safety from 1793, Robespierre encouraged the execution, mostly by guillotine, of

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