Chapter III Awakening and Enlightenment大觉醒

1、Good afternoon. Today, I will talk about Chapter III Awakening and Enlightenment. This chapter contains four parts. I will introduce the first two parts: The surprising work of God and The Moral Sense in Virginia. My partner will talk about another two parts.As for the first part, I will introduce t

2、he Great Awakening. It refers 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. In the chapter III, I will introduce the

3、first Great Awakening and the second Great Awakening. Each of these “Great Awakenings” was characterized by widespread revival 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 i

4、n evangelical church membership and the formation of new religious movements and denominations.Now, the First Great Awakening, which began in the 1730s and lasted to about 1743. The leaders of this period were Solomon Stoddard, Jonathan Edwards grandfather, George Whitefield and so on. Joseph Tracy,

5、 the minister, historian and preacher who gave this religious phenomenon its name in his influential 1842 book The Great Awakening, saw the first Great Awakening as a precursor to the American Revolution. The evangelical movement of the 1740s played a key role in the development of democratic though

6、t as well as the belief of the free press. This contributed to create a demand for religious freedom.As for the Second Great Awakening, it was a religious revival that occurred in the United States beginning in the late 18th century and lasting until the middle of 19th century. This awakening was un

7、ique in that it moved beyond the educated elite of New England to those who were less wealthy and less educated. The centre of revivalism was the so-called Burned-over district in western New York. Named for its overabundance of hellfire and damnation preaching, the region produced dozens of new den

8、ominations, communal societies and reform.Now, I will talk about leaders of these movements and their ideas.The first leader: Solomon Stoddard, who was the pastor of the Congregationalist church in Northampton. (It was a town where there has always been a great deal of talk of conversion and spiritu

9、al experiences) He liberalized church policy while promoting more power for the clergy, decrying drinking and extravagance and urging the preaching of hellfire and the judgment. He was an influential religious leader in colonial New England who insisted that the sacrament of the Lords Supper should

10、be available to all who lived outwardly pious lives and had a good reputation in the community, even if they werent full members of the church. This was his attempt to save the church from a “dying religion” and was the cause of great theological controversy in 18th century New England. The Defects

11、of Preachers is one of his sermons, suggesting that learning and morality did not provide an adequate foundation for effective sermons. A minister must be inspired by its personal experience of grace. The second one: Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) He was a Christian preacher, philosopher and theologia

12、n who played a critical role in shaping the First Great Awakening. He delivered the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” which combines vivid imagery of Hell with observations of the world and citations of the scripture, emphasizing the belief that Hell is a real place. There is a sentence

13、in the sermon “There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of Hell, but the mere pleasure of God. “The underlying point is that God has given humanity a chance to rectify their sins. Edwards says it is the will of God that keeps wicked men from the depths of Hell. Edwardss aim was t

14、o teach his listeners about the horrors of hell, the dangers of sin and the terrors of being lost. A Treatise concerning Religious Affections It explains how true religious conversion to Christianity occurs. Edwards describes how emotion and intellect both play a role, but “converting grace "is

15、 what causes Christians to “awaken” to see that forgiveness is available to all who have faith that Jesus sacrifice atones for all sins. This salvation is not possible though believers imperfect good works which are simply evidence of faith, only through Christs sacrifice which is free to all. Edwar

16、ds describes the importance of testing new faith and discerning whether it is legitimate. He basically concludes that the fruit of the spirit are the religious affections, love being the chief affection and that all other fruit flow from this. The Freedom of the Will It examines the nature and the s

17、tatus of humanitys will. The book takes the classic Calvinist viewpoint on total depravity of the will and the need of humanity for Gods grace in salvation. The Nature of True Virtue Edwards describes his views on the different levels of virtue, specially “common morality” and “true(saving) virtue”.

18、 God, Edwards argues, had in mind as the end for his creation of the world his own glory and not human happiness. The virtue doesnt arise from self-love or from any earth-bound selflessness but from a desire to see Gods glory displayed above all. Love of self, family or nation is good to the extent

19、that it magnifies the glory of God Charles Chauncy(1705-1787)He was an American Congregational clergyman who distrusted emotionalism and opposed the revivalist preaching of the Great Awakening in his Seasonable Thoughts on the State of Religion in New England. He was the leading opponent of the Grea

20、t Awakening, the Protestant evangelical movement that swept through the British North American colonies between 1739 and 1745. Chauncy played a role in the major events of his time: not only the Great Awakening, but also the French and Indian wars, the controversy over the proposed establishment of

21、the Anglican episcopacy in America, political events from the Stamp Act through the revolution, the rise of Enlightenment, the growth of liberal Protestantism, social changes in Boston and the development of Unitarianism.(a Christian theological movement named for its understanding of God as one per

22、son)The Moral Sense in VirginiaHasidic JudaismIt is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality through the popularization and internalization of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspect of faith which was founded in 18th century Eastern Europe. Hasidic teachings cherished the sincerit

23、y and concealed holiness of the unlettered common folk and their equality with the scholarly elite. The emphasis on the Immanent Divine presence in everything gave new value to prayer and deeds of kindness.George WhitefieldHe was an English Anglican preacher who helped spread the Great Awakening in

24、Britain and especially in the American colonies, pervading a general awakening. One was the Reformed notion of “irresistible grace”: only God could determine to save human soul and when he made his choice, the force was overwhelming. Another was the importance of a “new birth”, an absolute transform

25、ation of human personality in the instant of grace. His ideas include democracy and advocacy of slavery. Democracy The First Great Awakening democratized religion by redressing the balance of power between the minister and the congregation. Rather than listening to demurely to preachers, people groa

26、ned and roared in enthusiastic emotion; new divinity schools opened to challenge the hegemony of Yale and Harvard; personal experience became more important than formal education for preachers. Such concepts and habits formed a necessary foundation for American Revolution. Advocacy of slavery George

27、 Whitefield campaigned for its legalization, claiming that the territory would never be prosperous unless farms were able to use slave labor. To help raise money for the orphanage, he also employed slaves at Providence Plantation. Whitefield was known to treat his slaves well; they were reputed to b

28、e devoted to him and he was critical of the abuse of slaves by other owners. Alexander GardenHe was a Scottish Episcopalian clergyman who was often remembered for its efforts to censor the evangelist George Whitefield and prevent his “enthusiastic "type of religious meetings from being held in

29、Charles Town. Garden said that Whitefield was a conveyor of “enthusiasm” hurrying folk into “fits of religion”. Garden identified conversion with the moral law of Gospel as reinforced by the sacraments of the church.BaptistsThey are individuals who comprise a group of denominations and churches that

30、 subscribe to a doctrine that Baptism should be performed only for professing believers and that it must be done by complete immersion. Baptists share Christian beliefs with most other moderate or conservative Christian denominations, including one God, the virgin birth, the sinless life, bodily res

31、urrection of Christ, the need for salvation and divine grace. They were considered a “melancholy people "because of their solemn talk, their austere appearance and their avoidance of horse races, cockfights and alcoholic revelry.Thomas Jefferson He was an American Founding Father, the principal

32、 author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States who was a spokesman for democracy and embraced the principles of republicanism and the rights of the individual with worldwide influence.(1)American Philosophy SocietyFounded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin, Jeffers

33、on was a member of the American Philosophical Society for 35 years who advanced the sciences and Enlightenment ideals, emphasizing that knowledge of science reinforced and extended freedom. During this time, he was compiling date for his Notes on the State of Virginia. Notes on the State of Virginia

34、 It is about the states natural resources and economy, and his vigorous and often eloquent argument about the nature of good society, which he believed was incarnated by Virginia. He expressed his beliefs in the separation of church and state, constitutional government, checks and balances and indiv

35、idual liberty. (2)Political Philosophy and ViewsJefferson idealized the independent yeoman as the best example of republican virtues, distrusted cities and financiers and often favored decentralized power. He believed that most of the tyranny and misfortunes that had played the common man in Europe were due to the inflated and corrupt political establishments and monarchies.(3)Slaves and SlaveryAlthough Jefferson owned many slaves during his li