The Great Awakening was a revival that swept through the American colonies roughly from the 1730’s through the 1760’s. While it brought thousands of new souls into the Kingdom of God, it also altered the religious, social, and political landscape of Colonial America.

At its core, the movement shifted the focus of faith away from rigid church doctrine, formal rituals, and intellectualism, placing it instead on personal submission to the Sovereign God and a felt experience of salvation, often referred to as being “born again”.

Driven by orators like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield,

the Awakening preaching emphasized individual sinfulness and

the necessity of personal repentance leading to conversion.

By breaking down traditional denominational barriers and challenging the authority of established clergy, the Great Awakening fostered a unique sense of shared inter-colonial identity and a democratic spirit. It taught ordinary individuals that they had the spiritual authority to make their own religious choices—an egalitarian mindset that helped pave the philosophical way for the American Revolution.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, June 14, 2026. It is part of a series called From Reverence to Revival to Revolution: The Influence of Christianity and the Great Awakening on the Founding of The United States of America. Handouts with class presentation content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com .

Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


Website – FromTheBackPorch.org
Facebook – From the Back Porch in Texas

YouTube – youtube.com/@fromthebackporch

X – FromtheBackPorch@nationalfast

TikTok – tiktok.com/@fromthebackporchintexas
Email – fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com