Awakenings
The Great Awakening (in the 1740’s-1760’s) was among the most significant periods of religious change in American history. Two of the great preachers in this era were George Whitefield and Gilbert Tennent. They sparked controversy with almost every word that they spoke, and their sermons deserve a critical reading. In looking at them we can better appreciate the preaching that we hear every Sunday.
Below are some links to their sermons on-line. I’d encourage you to browse them—not to agree with their convictions entirely but to see their outlines, the topics they spoke about, and the overalll calling that they made to their audiences.
How are they similar and different from what you hear on Sundays?
George Whitefield’s Selected Sermons at Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org)
Gilbert Tennent’s The Danger of an Unconverted Ministry (1740)
Two other good on-line sources are Thomas Kidd’s Great Awakening A Brief History With Documents and Christian History.net’s brief biography of George Whitefield.
