Editing First Great Awakening (section)

{{Short description|Christian revivals in Britain and the Thirteen Colonies in the 1730s–1740s}}
[[File:Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards 1741.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|[[Jonathan Edwards (theologian)|Jonathan Edwards]]' 1741 sermon "[[Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God]]"]]
{{Great awakenings}}
The '''First Great Awakening''', sometimes '''Great Awakening''' or the '''Evangelical Revival''', was a series of [[Christian revival]]s that swept [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]] and its [[Thirteen Colonies|thirteen North American colonies]] in the 1730s and 1740s. The revival movement permanently affected [[Protestantism]] as adherents strove to renew individual [[piety]] and religious devotion. The Great Awakening marked the emergence of Anglo-American [[evangelicalism]] as a trans-denominational movement within the Protestant churches. In the [[United States]], the term ''Great Awakening'' is most often used, while in the United Kingdom, the movement is referred to as the ''Evangelical Revival''.<ref name= quote/>

Building on the foundations of older traditions—[[Puritanism]], [[Pietism]], and [[Presbyterianism]]—major leaders of the revival such as [[George Whitefield]], [[John Wesley]], and [[Jonathan Edwards (theologian) |Jonathan Edwards]] articulated a theology of revival and [[Salvation in Christianity |salvation]] that transcended denominational boundaries and helped forge a common evangelical identity. Revivalists added to the doctrinal imperatives of [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation Protestantism]] an emphasis on [[Divine providence|providential]] outpourings of the [[Holy Spirit]]. [[Extemporaneous preaching]] gave listeners a sense of deep personal conviction about their need for salvation by [[Jesus Christ]] and fostered introspection and commitment to a new standard of personal morality. Revival theology stressed that [[Conversion to Christianity|religious conversion]] was not only intellectual assent to correct Christian doctrine but had to be a "[[new birth]]" experienced in the heart. Revivalists also taught that receiving [[assurance of salvation]] was a normal expectation in the Christian life.

While the Evangelical Revival united evangelicals across various denominations around shared beliefs, it also led to division in existing churches between those who supported the revivals and those who did not. Opponents accused the revivals of fostering disorder and fanaticism within the churches by enabling uneducated, [[itinerant preacher]]s and encouraging [[religious enthusiasm]]. In England,[[Evangelical Anglicanism| evangelical Anglicans]] would grow into an important constituency within the [[Church of England]], and [[Methodism]] would develop out of the ministries of Whitefield and Wesley. In the American colonies, the Awakening caused the [[Congregationalism in the United States|Congregational]] and [[Old Side–New Side Controversy|Presbyterian]] churches to split, while strengthening both the Methodist and [[Baptist]] denominations. It had little immediate impact on most [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]], [[Quakers]], and non-Protestants,{{Sfn|Ahlstrom|2004|pp=280–330}} but later gave rise to a [[history of the Quakers#Theological schisms|schism among Quakers]] that persists to this day.

Evangelical preachers "sought to include every person in conversion, regardless of gender, race, and status".{{Sfn|Taylor|2001|p=354}} Throughout the North American colonies, especially in the [[Southern Colonies |South]], the revival movement increased the number of [[Slavery in the United States |African slaves]] and [[Free negro |free blacks]] who were exposed to (and subsequently converted to) Christianity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Slavery and African American Religion {{!}} Encyclopedia.com |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/slavery-and-african-american-religion |access-date=2023-05-11 |website=www.encyclopedia.com}}
</ref> It also inspired the founding of new [[Christian mission|missionary]] societies, such as the [[Baptist Missionary Society]] in 1792.{{Sfn|Bebbington|1989|p= 12}}