Puritanism and the Great Awakening

Before we start Americans’ view of God has changed over the years. On a piece of paper, I want you to write how you believe Americans’ view God today. Who is He? What is His job? What does He have to do with Americans’ daily lives?

Before we start Now, on the other side of your paper, I want you to draw a picture that illustrates how most Americans see God.

Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel- Michelangelo Conceptions of God

Creation of the Sun, Moon, and Vegetation- Michelangelo Conceptions of God

The Hand of God- Roy Haddad Conceptions of God

God Creating the Universe- William Blake Conceptions of God

Early American Religion In America during the seventeenth century, Pilgrims and Puritans had a very different view of God. Remember: why had they come to the new world in the first place?

God Puritans believed that God was a disciplinarian. He demanded that His followers live strict, pious lives that were free from sin, and if they didn’t, He was ready to punish them. Puritan writing often emphasized God’s wrath before describing God’s love.

God Originally, Puritans were a part of the Anglican Church, or the Church of England, but they believed that the church had become corrupt, so they decided that the church needed to be purified.

God Those who stayed in England to do this were named “Puritans.” Those who decided to leave and start over were called “Pilgrims.”

God These pilgrims decided that the new world held the possibility of building a “Utopia,” or, as they put it, the possibility of creating “God’s kingdom on Earth.”

Heaven For puritans, Heaven was a place reserved for the Elect, a group of people whom God had hand-chosen to go to Heaven. No one knew if they were a part of the Elect or not until after they died, so everyone was expected to live like it, just in case.

Hell If you were not a part of the elect, you were a part of the damned, that group of people destined to go to Hell, regardless. This could be anyone, but especially included those who did not bow to the authority of the church (the educated, the partiers, witches, etc.)

Hell The Puritans believed that the Devil is a real person, and wandered the earth trying to tempt people away from God.

Hell

Sin To Puritans, everyone was born a sinner. This doctrine is called Original Sin, the belief that because Adam sinned, and we are all descended from him, that we are all also sinners when we are born.

Sin To be absolved of this sin, Puritans believed people had to accept Jesus as their Savior, and hope that they had been selected to be a member of the Elect.

Salvation The belief that some are destined to go to Heaven while others are destined to go to Hell was strongly influenced by the teachings of John Calvin.

Salvation (write this down!) The five tenets of Calvinism: T: Total depravity: No one can save themselves. U: Unconditional Election: God chooses who will be saved and who won’t. L: Limited Atonement: Not everyone will be saved and go to Heaven, only the Elect. I: Irresistible Grace: If you are destined to be saved, you have to be. P: Perseverance of the Saints: Once you are saved, you can never be “unsaved.” This means that you will NEVER depart from the path of God.

Society Puritans believed that marriage is the foundation of society. The husband is the unquestioned head of the family and is responsible for working to provide for the family.

Society This gave rise to the “Puritan Work Ethic,” the belief that a man’s highest honor is to work and not be idle. (After all, as the verse goes, “Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece.”- Proverbs 16:27)

Society Finally, Puritans made church attendance mandatory. After all, if you are a member of the Elect, where else would you want to be besides church?

Society Churches were not decorated and were simple. Pews were wooden and uncomfortable. (no going to sleep!) Visitors to the church were expected to provide proof of church membership or to confess their sins to the church

Society Once the service started, the minister would read a chapter of the Old Testament. The congregation would sing one song then settle in for the sermon, which would typically last two or three hours, in which the preacher would read his sermon straight from his notes.

Society Churches anchored society in Puritan America. Everything in town was built around them, and they were usually the biggest buildings in town and were called “meeting houses.”

Society

Early American Religion By the time the colonies finally got settled and established, many preachers thought that people had forgotten about the religious beliefs that brought them to the country in the first place. Hence, we have…

The Great Awakening The Great Awakening was a series of revivals that took place in the colonies between 1730 and 1740. Ministers urged congregants to repent of their sins and turn back to Christ.

The Great Awakening “Sinners” was first delivered in 1741 and then went on a colony-wide tour. It is an example of one of the sermons that fueled the Great Awakening.