 the term great awakening can refer to several periods of religious revival in american religious history. historians and theologians identify three or four waves of increased religious enthusiasm occurring between the early 18th century and the late 19th century. each of these "great awakenings" was characterized by widespread revivals led by evangelical protestant ministers, a sharp increase of interest in religion, a profound sense of conviction and redemption on the part of those affected, an increase in evangelical church membership, and the formation of new religious movements and denominations. == first great awakening ==   the first great awakening began in the 1730s and lasted to about 1743, though pockets of revivalism had occurred in years prior especially amongst the ministry of solomon stoddard, jonathan edwards's grandfather. edwards's congregation was involved in a revival later called the "frontier revivals" in the mid-1730s, though this was on the wane by 1737.ahlstrom, sydney e., a religious history of the american people, yale university press, 1972, p. 283 but as american religious historian sydney e. ahlstrom noted the great awakening "was still to come, ushered in by the grand itinerant", the great british evangelist george whitefield. whitefield arrived in georgia in 1738, and returned in 1739 for a second visit of the colonies, making a "triumphant campaign north from philadelphia to new york, and back to the south." in 1740, he visited new england, and "at every place he visited, the consequences were large and tumultuous." ministers from various evangelical protestant denominations supported the great awakening.thomas s. kidd, the great awakening: the roots of evangelical christianity in colonial america (2007) in the middle colonies, he influenced not only the british churches, but the dutch and germans.ahlstrom, p. 285 additionally, pastoral styles began to change. in the late colonial period, most pastors read their sermons, which were theologically dense and advanced a particular theological argument or interpretation. the leaders of the great awakening, such as james davenport, jonathan edwards, gilbert tennent and george whitefield, had little interest in merely engaging parishioners' intellects; rather, they sought a strong emotional response from their congregations that might yield the workings and experient
Christian_revivals History_of_Christianity_in_the_United_States