The First Great Awakening (1730s–1740s)

The early eighteenth century was a time of religious coldness. Churches in Europe and the American colonies had grown formal and lifeless. Faith had turned into ritual, and the fire of devotion had dimmed. Yet God was preparing a shaking. Across England, a group of young men at Oxford, later called the Holy Club, began to pursue holiness and prayer with unusual discipline. Among them were John and Charles Wesley. In New England, Jonathan Edwards longed for a faith that transformed hearts rather than merely instructing minds. They were not aware that their prayers and hunger would soon awaken nations.

The awakening began quietly but soon spread like fire. Jonathan Edwards preached with deep conviction and unflinching truth. During his message ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,’ the congregation wept aloud and clung to the pillars, crying out for mercy. ‘The congregation was in tears all over the house,’ he wrote, describing the power of God that descended upon Northampton. In England, George Whitefield preached to crowds of thousands in open fields, often with tears running down his face as he proclaimed the new birth through Christ. John Wesley traveled on horseback for years, preaching in towns and villages and forming societies for spiritual growth. The revival broke denominational barriers and reached the poor, the imprisoned, and the forgotten. The Spirit of God stirred repentance and awe everywhere the Gospel was preached.

The First Great Awakening emphasized conversion, conviction, and the necessity of personal faith. It restored the message of being born again by the Spirit and not by tradition. The movement called people to heartfelt repentance and obedience to Scripture. Prayer meetings multiplied, hymns filled the streets, and the fear of God returned to the hearts of believers. The awakening was not marked by noise but by depth—men and women knew that eternity had drawn near.

The awakening transformed both England and America. It broke the moral indifference of a generation and united the colonies through shared spiritual experience. Schools, missionary movements, and Bible societies were born out of its fire. The message of salvation by grace through faith became the foundation of evangelical Christianity. The revival also inspired future awakenings and helped shape the Great Commission spirit that sent missionaries to the nations. The First Great Awakening stands as a reminder that one generation of intercession can alter the destiny of entire continents.