The Second Great Awakening, Asbury University, and The Jesus Revolution Movie
The Second Great Awakening, Asbury University, and The Jesus Revolution Movie
Ronald W. Mitchell
The story of Nabby Frothingham is the story of the Second Great Awakening. Nabby, a young woman who traveled a great distance with her family to participate in a multi-denominational, camp meeting revival, returned home a changed person. Over the course of several days at the revival, she witnessed men, women, and children respond to the conviction of sin and the overwhelming mercy of God. She observed people prostrate on the ground as they humbled themselves before a holy God, crying out to God for rescue from their sin, shouting and rejoicing for the forgiveness of their sin, singing, praying, preaching, and exhorting others to be done with sin and come to Christ. At the conclusion of those days of camp meeting, Nabby, both seeing and hearing the gospel of Jesus, experienced her own conversion. With “shouts of joy, wondering why believers did not tell her more of the sweetness of pardoning love, traveled home and joined the Methodists.”[1]
As the 1700’s concluded, there were evident signs of a fresh move of God in many regions of the states. These pockets of revival were but the beginning. Those small flames would soon become a massive fire of spiritual awakening that would sweep across the North, South, East and West of the country. In 1802, Francis Asbury, leaders of the Methodist, would write, "I have a variety of letters, conveying the pleasing intelligence of the work of God in every State, district, and in most of the circuits in the Union. The Lord appears glorious upon our continent.”[2]
One cannot study the Second Great Awakening without recognizing the prominent role camp meetings played in the spread of the revival. Lester Ruth indicates that the connection between camp meetings of the early 1800’s and the awakening cannot be overstated. Ruth writes, “the story of the Second Great Awakening seems at times synonymous with the story of camp meetings.”[3] History seems to indicate the term “camp meeting” originated in the south and particularly associated with the year, 1802. Within five years, camp meetings were functioning as far north as Canada and across the expanse from East to West. Camp meetings attracted large masses of people, both young and old, rich and poor, white and black. Some traveled short distances while others traveled days to get to the camp meeting. They came on horseback, buggies, wagons, or by walking. Upon arrival, each person or family would set up their personal encampment for the duration of their stay. Tents could be seen in all directions as the air was filled with smoke from campfires.
Perhaps one of the most discussed camp meetings took place in August 1801. Cane Ridge, Kentucky became the site of one of history’s most remarkable moments of spiritual awakening. Various accounts place 10,000 or more people gathering around a small Presbyterian meetinghouse. Michael McClymond writing in the Encyclopedia of Religious Revivals in America, Volume 2, says, “The spiritual outpouring, according to witnesses, was phenomenal. Joining Cane Ridge’s pastor, Barton W. Stone (1772–1844), in presiding over the meeting were 18 Presbyterian ministers, at least four Methodists, plus several Baptist elders. Preaching at the meetinghouse began on Friday night and continued almost without interruption over the next several days.
Other preaching was done from improvised pulpits outdoors. The administration of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper on Sunday afternoon was one of the central events of the revival, but the passionate exhortations to sinners rivaled it for dominance. The preaching continued after sundown and stricken sinners were visible by torchlight. On Monday morning, the crowds began dispersing for home, but some people lingered into Tuesday.”[4] The sights and sounds experienced in revival at camp meeting were, to put it mildly, impressionable. Richard M’Nemar’s firsthand account of the events at the Cane Ridge are riveting. He says, “They (the meetings) were generally opened with a sermon; near the close of which, there would be an unusual out-cry; some bursting forth into loud ejaculations of prayer, or thanksgiving for the truth. Others breaking out in emphatical sentences of exhortation: Others flying to their careless friends, with tears of compassion; beseeching them to turn to the Lord. Some struck with terror; and hastening through the crowd to make their escape; or pulling away their relations. Others, trembling, weeping; crying out, for the Lord Jesus to have mercy upon them: fainting and swooning away, till every appearance of life was gone; and the extremities of the body assumed the coldness of a dead corpse. Others surrounding them with melodious songs, or fervent prayers for their happy resurrection, in the love of Christ. Others collecting into circles, around this variegated scene; contending with arguments, for and against. And under such appearances, the work would continue for several days and nights together.”[5]
As camp meeting participants returned to their homes, they became carriers of the revival fire. The Awakening was now fiery hot and spreading. Camp meetings became more popular and frequent. One of the prominent voices of revival was Charles G. Finney. By most accounts, Finney is considered the most famous revivalist of the Second Great Awakening. His influence was wide and deep. Mark Noll describes Finney as having had “a greater impact on the public life of antebellum America than any of the nation's politicians."[6] Interestingly, Finney’s early education was in the practice of Law. It was not until 1821, at the age of 29, that Finney was converted to Christ. As a result of his own conversion, he began to pursue ministry as a Presbyterian minister. Within three short years Finney was ordained and on the revival circuit. As a much in demand revivalist, he was out-of-step with his Presbyterian brethren. Most Presbyterians distained the emotionalism, enthusiasm, and demonstrations often associated with revival meetings. Perhaps it could be said of Finney, that order and balance should always be within reason while God remains bigger than denominational boxes. Finney certainly demonstrated and modeled the character and ability to minister with multiple denominations.
Finney’s contribution to the Second Great Awakening was not limited to his preaching. He implemented new methods of doing revival services. Finney introduced:
“The “Anxious Bench”: Finney placed a pew in the front of the worship service where would-be converts could sit during a sermon. While he did not originate the idea, borrowing it from Methodists, he popularized the idea of coming forward to become a Christian. Later this idea morphed into the altar call.
Protracted meetings: Meetings in churches lasted many days to weeks in length and late at night.
Promoted revivals: Prayer meetings were held before a Finney revival.
Encouraged women to speak and pray in public: Men and women attended the prayer meetings, and Finney encouraged women to speak at the mixed meetings. He also invited women to pray in public.”[7]
Charles Finney later served as President of Oberlin College where he taught on revival and theology. It was during this time that he published Sermons on Various Topics, Lectures on Revivals of Religion, and Lectures on Systematic Theology.
Finally, I want to cite a significant consequence of the Second Great Awakening upon the religious landscape of America. Before this fresh wind and fresh fire of God in the Second Great Awakening, the Methodists and Baptists were the two smallest (in number) denominations. On the heels of the Second Great Awakening the same two were the largest. It begs that question, why? Why were the Methodists and Baptists able to realize unprecedented growth (for that time)? I believe the answer rests in their ability to adapt to the times by embracing the new expressions of faith manifested in behaviors. The loud and enthusiastic expressions of the converted or sanctified were such, that some had no reference for, and as a result were dismissive of such displays. Not so the Methodists and Baptists. As a result of not merely tolerating, but embracing such displays, these two denominations flourished.
History is replete with unusual movements of God. Events that defy the routine and regular activities of life. I believe that same history reveals passionate intercession as a type of forerunner of revival. Look closely enough and you will see pockets of clouds, that from time to time, burst open like a mighty wind of spiritual renewal and awakening. But is it enough? Is it sufficient to satisfy a generation’s hunger for God? And if it can occur in some far-flung place of the world, why not here and why not now? Some intercessors have prayed with this kind of desire for decades. Intercessors who declare with the prophet Habakkuk:
“I have heard all about you, Lord. I am filled with awe by your amazing works. In this time of our deep need, help us again as you did in years gone by. And in your anger, remember your mercy.”[8]
I recently visited the campus of Asbury University in the wake of a revival (outpouring, awakening, etc.) that started on February 8, 2023. Call it whatever you choose, one thing is crystal clear, the events and behaviors of those affected by the events that unfolded over hours, then days, then weeks, were not routine. They were extraordinary. I have read and listened to multiple pastors and religious pundits provide commentary on this moment from afar. What is occurring at Asbury, and now many university settings across the country, seems to bear a resemblance of previous awakenings. I refer to stories of conversion of the lost; dying to self as believers in Christ are more fully sanctified; constant expressions of the mercy and grace of God; the declaration of God’s Word in preaching, exhortation, song, and personal testimony.
But these days also bear resemblance to previous awakenings in the critiques of fellow Christians. Why is it, that some who profess faith in Christ are always (okay, that’s extreme, maybe not always but far too often) at the forefront of debunking something new God may be doing? Yeah, I agree that we are to be discerning, but my discernment is that some of our Christian watch dogs bite at anything that doesn’t fit their religious narrative. This is the church that many have witnessed. The fault-finding, the need to put people in their place, criticism, and in-fighting. If you have spent any amount of time in or around the church in America, my guess is you’ve seen and heard some of the same things. Is it any wonder that so many in our day have written off the church? Barna Research indicates that as large numbers of Gen Z have left the church, they have not left Jesus. So, IS IT ANY WONDER, THAT WHERE THERE IS THE SIMPLE EXHALTATION OF JESUS, THERE IS AN ATTRACTION THAT IS MAGNETIC.
One of my personal observations of my time at Asbury was the strong sense of UNITY around the redemptive power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The “oneness” in worship with those I did not know and who came from all corners of the world, was a small taste of heaven. There was remarkable diversity of races, cultures, ethnicities, denominations, ages, and yet, there we were, as one, worshiping and soaking in the holy presence of Jesus. As I sang, worshiped, prayed, and invited my Lord to show me what attitudes and actions I continue to hold on to, hoping they will give me something that Jesus isn’t sufficient for, He gently and firmly showed me a personal indulgence. There, in an ever increasingly crowded auditorium, Holy Spirit compelled and convinced me again to trust Jesus for my every need.
Currently, The Jesus Revolution movie is showing in theaters across the country. It’s a story of a previous generation’s search for meaning and significance with a particular focus on the hippie movement of the late 1960s and 70s. Large numbers of teens and young adults were escaping life through drugs, sex, and rock n roll. But every drug induced “carpet ride” eventually returned to the same reality they were seeking freedom from. The movie centers around the story of broken and flawed people, who discovered the life they were hungry and desperate for. And where did they find it? In a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Like the waves of the Pacific Ocean where countless baptisms occurred, so too were the powerful and sweeping waves of revival that started along the west coast of California and flowed east through other parts of the country. It was a time when God again, was doing something new. The movie seems to accurately and authentically tell the story that mimics the Baptists and Methodists of the Second Great Awakening. It’s a story of personalities and churches that either adapted to the new thing or were left on the outside looking in with their narrow theological assessments of what God can or can’t do and how God can do what He does.
Pastor Greg Laurie, one of those young adults who was searching for meaning in the 1970s, said yes to faith in Christ and experienced life transformation. His experience is prominently featured in the movie. In a recent interview with Fox and Friends, Laurie couldn’t miss what seemed to him so obvious, the Asbury outpouring and the release of the movie. Laurie said, “You see, here’s the problem [teen despondency], here’s a solution [relationship with Jesus], and it was a parallel time when this movie was happening.”[9] Jon Erwin, Co-Director of The Jesus Revolution, noted “there was a desperation among young people in the ’60s and ’70s and that we’ve come into another season in which it’s a similar time. We’re desperate again.”[10]
Are we desperate? I mean the kind of desperation born out of frustration and experimentation with all the world has to offer, only to come up empty. Is God doing something new in this time? Time will tell, but I sure hope so. I believe we are seeing the beginning of clouds forming on the horizon; like the small cloud Elijah’s servant saw that became a great and awesome manifestation of God’s power (see 1Kings 18). I invite you to join me in praying for revival. Revival to come to our nation, from the North to the South and the East to the West. “Oh God, rend the heavens and come down…”[11] May the church, the ecclesia of Christ, be wise and discerning and adaptable like those of old, to accommodate the new wine that comes with the new thing God does. Jesus, help us be the kind of people that embrace with faith the redemptive work you bring to mankind.
Luke 5:37“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. 38 New wine must be stored in new wineskins.
Footnotes:
[1] Lester Ruth. Reconsidering the Emergence of the Second Great Awakening and Camp Meetings Among Early Methodists, Worship 75, no. 4 (July 2001): 334. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a6h&AN=ATLA0001259986&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
[2] Lester Ruth. Reconsidering the Emergence of the Second Great Awakening and Camp Meetings Among Early Methodists, Worship 75, no. 4 (July 2001): 346. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a6h&AN=ATLA0001259986&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
[3] Ibid. 336.
[4] Michael McClymond. "An Eyewitness Account of the Events at Cane Ridge, Kentucky." Encyclopedia of Religious Revivals in America: Volume 2, (Greenwood, 2006), 77. ABC-CLIO eBook Collection.
[5] Michael McClymond. "An Eyewitness Account of the Events at Cane Ridge, Kentucky." Encyclopedia of Religious Revivals in America: Volume 2, (Greenwood, 2006), 78. ABC-CLIO eBook Collection.
[6] Mark Noll. A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada (Grand Rapids, MI, 1992), 170.
[7] Mark Nickens. A Survey of the History of Global Christianity, Second Edition, (Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Academic, 2020), 174.
[8] Habakkuk 3:2.
[9] Elizabeth Delany. Pastor Behind Hit Jesus Movie Reveals How God’s Hand Has Been On It From the Beginning (March 3, 2023). https://www.westernjournal.com/pastor-behind-hit-jesus-movie-reveals-gods-hand-beginning/
[10] Ibid.
[11] Isaiah 64:1
