The religious zeal that marked the first Puritan colonies was destined to wane. As new generations were born, and new waves of settlers arrived, new priorities and visions of the good life began to take shape. Many professed a Christian faith and had connection to the church, but not with the same rigor as those at who first landed at Plymouth or Massachusetts Bay. This growing secularization caused great distress for church leaders, and thus the early 18th century saw the first calls for a return to the faith – the call for “revival.” In this episode we examine this particularly American dimension of Protestantism – the revival – and how it shapes our experience even today. We’ll look at famous personalities such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfiled, as well as the movement they inspired, known as The First Great Awakening.
