The Second Awakening

Meeting the Challenges of Nationhood

Cultural Challenges: The Post-Revolutionary War Period

Democracy: Majorities and minorities?

n The “Jeffersonian Revolution” – 1800 – self-government by common man v. the wealthy and well-born

n The “Jacksonian Revolution” – 1828 – enterprising individualism; “Can do Spirit” – will of the common “man”

n Property v. power – African Americans, women, children, slaves are marginalized

Cultural Challenges

Religious Denominations on the rise:

Methodists

Baptists

Presbyterians

Religious Denominations on the decline:

Congregationalists

Episcopalians

Importance of Voluntary Associations

n Examples = Temperance Crusade, Public School Movement, prison reform, women’s rights, abolition, etc.

n Support participation in political power

n Broke down sectional rivalries

n Provided opportunities for the average citizen to get involved in the democratic process – the little man’s America

Cultural Challenges

n What role will religion play in supporting mass participation in the democratic process?

n A deep connection between Religion A and Religion B develops

n Religious sentiments, convictions and commitments permeate public life

n Alexis de Tocqueville visits in the 1830s; writes that America is very religious

Setting the Stage for the 2^nd Awakening

n The reality of religious freedom

n Separation of church & state

n Denominationalism = no single religion has power or privilege

n Voluntarism in matters in church membership and support

n Steady advance of patriotic piety

Setting the Stage for the 2^nd Awakening

n “religion of the republic” declares the Divinely appointed mission of the American nation

n The great tradition of American churches develops

n A time of enthusiasm and idealism

n People = evangelicals, pioneers, sectarians, Utopians

Liberal Religious Ideas: New Religious Perspectives

n God as governor or architect of the world

n God is not wrathful but benevolent and kind

n Human beings are free agents able to work out their own salvation

n American “man” = new “Adam”

Key Christian Evangelicals

n American: the opportunity to achieve spiritual “perfection in paradise”

n Timothy Dwight; Yale University theologian defines “New Divinity”

n Charles Finney; evangelical preacher brings “new measures” and “Can Do Spirit” to church services

n Peter Cartwright; circuit rider on the frontier; brings ‘ole time religion to the wilderness

2^nd Awakening: The Process of Culture Core Redefinition

n Revivals: “Can Do” redemption; getting right with God by making a nation

n Northeast: liberal theologians cut the chains of Puritan fear and insecurity regarding the process of salvation

n Midwest: Charles Finney’s new measures spark major revivals

n Frontier: Cane Ridge Revival; “more souls are made than are saved” – circuit riders, competition between Methodists & Baptists

Culture Core Redefinition

n Voluntary associations and societies cross geographic and denominational lines:

n American Bible Society

n American Temperance Society

n American Peace Society

n Abolitionism

n Religiopolitical social structure thrives

Culture Core Redefinition

n God looks down with “disinterested benevolence” – after conversion, make your way in the world = work ethic

n Churches save souls but remake society = post-millennial mission

n Education; the public school system becomes America’s established church

n Democratized-theology/Romantic nationalism combine to make a very potent and powerful “religion of the republic”

Four Key Unifying Characteristics

n Perfectionism = perfection is attainable here and now on the social and spiritual levels. Religious organizations:

n Holiness movement out of Methodism

n Roots of Christian Science and New Thought groups, later in the century

n Inspires various utopian leaders

Four Key Unifying Characteristics

n Millennialism = the creation of the United States makes the final stage in God’s plan for human beings

n Post-millennialism = build God’s kingdom so Jesus will return

n Pre-millennialism = apocalyptic, “The End is Near”

n Roots of Adventist churches

n Jehovah’s Witnesses

Four Key Unifying Characteristics

n Universalism = everyone can be saved; no predestination to heaven or hell; Unitarian Universalism grows

n Illuminism = “new light,” new revelations pour down on the nation;

n Mormons = “the latter day saints”

n Spiritualism

n Alternative religious movements abound!

Other Characteristics

n Pilgrim-ism = spiritual pioneers become cultural pioneers

n Evangelism/proselytism = religious revivals created a new social revivalism

n Social experimentation meets religious experimentation

n The 2^nd Awakening is a time of social and spiritual enthusiasm & idealism

ALTERNATIVE RELIGION PROCESS

1. Prophet

2. Promise

3. Plan

4. Possibility

5. Place

…all “5 Ps” are needed for the creation of a NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT

The Pioneer Spirit: Sectarianism & Utopianism

n Sectarianism = the development of new religious movements called sects

n Utopianism = the development of new religious/social movements called cults

n Sects = renew the true faith

n Cults = try new, innovative ways of defining and living in the world

n Both groups are part of the 2^nd Awakening

THE SOCIAL DIMENSION
Religious Freedom in America

1st Amendment to the U. S. Constitution:

“Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

THE SOCIAL DIMENSION
Religious Freedom in America

n 1st Amendment:

TWO CLAUSES:

1. NO ESTABLISHMENT

2. FREE EXERCISE

RELIGIOUS ECOLOGY

n Religious freedom, immigration, prosyletization, and denominationalism make for a diverse, lively, and dynamic religious ecology!

n Religious Contours of Illinois Slide Presentation

RELIGIOUS ECOLOGY

n Each religious organization is successful in handling the dilemmas of institutionalization by adapting to their respective social environments

DILEMMAS OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION

n Mixed motivation of members over time

n maintaining the vitality of the symbol system (myth and ritual)

n organizational elaboration vs. movement effectiveness

DILEMMAS OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION

n Need for concrete definition (doctrine) vs. legalism

n balancing power factions within and without the organization

All institutions in society face the dilemmas of institutionalization : WIU, the U.S. Govt., Greek organizations, the Chicago Bulls, etc.

INSTITUTIONAL DILEMMA:
Religion and Education

n Religion = identity and relationship

THE HUMAN QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE

n Education = identity and relationship

INSTITUTIONAL DILEMMA:
Religion and Education

n Religion, like education, is, at the same time, an institution of stability (control) and change (progress and evolution) in society.

INSTITUTIONAL DILEMMA

n CULTS and SECTS are “institutional mutations,” sometimes dangerous, often beneficial, but always part of the process in the religious ecology of a free society.

THE FORMATION OF NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS

n The process of SECULARIZATION:

n The dilemmas of institutionalization force religious organizations into a more secular stance.

n They must spend more energy (time, money) dealing with worldly concerns rather than concentrating on religious concerns.

THE FORMATION OF NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS: SECULARIZATION

n Occasionally, members who no longer feel that their spiritual needs are being met leave the religious organization and start a new religious movement:

n Sect = renews the true faith

n Cult = innovative; does not share the symbol system of the dominant religions in a given social environment

RELIGIOUS ECOLOGY:
Established Species

n Established species = religious organizations that have successfully handled the dilemmas of institutionalization:

n Church = a dominant religious organization in a given society

n Denomination = one of many religious organizations in a diverse social environment; voluntary attendance

RELIGIOUS ECOLOGY:
Institutional “Mutations”

n SECT: a splinter group the forms to RENEW the true faith; breaks off from an “established species” but maintains the same basic symbol system.

n CULT: a splinter group that is INNOVATIVE; a new religious movement that shares little connection to the “established species” of religion in a given cultural environment

CHRISTIANITY: sect, cult, church, denomination

n A historical approach:

n 1st century = Jewish sect

n 2nd - 4th century = Christian cult

n 4th - 16th century = Christian church

16th century - present = Christian denomination(s) (at least in the USA)

…Christian sect formation continues today!

“FIRE ANALOGY”

n Education is to Knowledge as

Religion is to Spirituality

n Spirituality and knowledge are like fire

n Both are very powerful and potentially very destructive

n Humans create educational institutions and religious institutions to control this fire

“FIRE ANALOGY”

n Churches and denominations are like finely -tuned, “family cars” -- lots of control of the “fires of combustion.”

n Sects and cults are like “hot-rods” or liquid nitrogen dragsters -- pretty exciting, but the “fire” can blow you up!!

n The world needs both types of vehicles!

RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS
Example of Sect and Cult

n SECT = the Mormons, Millerites, or Christian Science

n CULT = Spiritualism, the Oneida Community, Transcendental groups like Brook Farm

KEY POINT: Yesterday’s cults and sects may turn out to be tomorrow’s churches and denominations in the religious ecology of a free society.

2^nd Awakening Sects

n Methodists to Holiness Movement to Church of the Nazarene to Pentacostalism

n Mormons = Joseph Smith links biblical history with the creation of the United States

n Millerites = William Miller; March 21, 1844, Christ will return! …paves the way for the Seventh Day Adventists and later the Jehovah’s Witnesses; premillennial

2^nd Awakening Cults

n Perfectionist, Millennial, Communal

n The Oneida Community = John Humphrey Noyes

n Conversion means total freedom from sin

n Practiced communitarianism and “complex marriage”

n Established community at Oneida, NY

n Accused of “organized free love”

2^nd Awakening Cults

n Transcendentalism – Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson

n Social and Religious utopias

n Harmony

n Zoar

n Bishop Hill

n Icarians

n Amish

Amana Society: The Church of the True Inspiration

n A sect of Lutheranism founded in 1714 by Eberhard Gruber and Johann Rock

n 1842 – Christian Metz establishes Ebenezer Community in New York

n 1855 – Metz establishes the Amana Society in east central Iowa

n 1932 – communal life style abandoned

n Still exists today in Iowa