Spiritual Awakening

 In the early 1740s a young printer in Philadelphia reached an agreement with an itinerant preacher from England to print his sermons and journals. With Benjamin Franklin’s assistance in the printed word, George Whitefield’s preaching sparked a spiritual flame that ignited Colonial America.  In his autobiography, Franklin noted he could not walk down the streets of Philadelphia in the evening without hearing families singing Christian hymns. Whitefield joined John and Charles Wesley as leaders of the Great Awakening.

 At noon on September 23, 1857, a businessman named Jeremiah Lamphier waited for others to join him for prayer in a room on Fulton Street in New York.  Six people showed up. The next week, 20 came.  Then 40.  They started meeting daily. The crowd swelled to more than 3,000 following the financial panic of October 14.   In less than 6 months, 10,000 businessmen were attending daily prayer meetings in New York. More than 10,000 came to faith in Philadelphia, 5,000 in Boston. At its peak, 50,000 people a week were professing faith in Christ.  In Bethel, Conn. businesses closed for prayer.  Led by laity and crossing denominational lines, the movement swept more than one million people to faith in Christ leading up to the Civil War.

 During the Civil War a little-known shoe salesman from Chicago ministered among the Union troops.  Afterward, he gave up selling shoes to win souls.  In the last half of the 19^th century, Dwight L. Moody preached to over 100 million people in the United States and the U.K.   On one occasion more than 130,000 people assembled to hear him preach.

 A tent was erected in Los Angeles in 1947 following WWII and an unknown evangelist named Billy Graham was invited to preach. The three-week revival stretched into 8 and launched Graham’s career.  For the next 50 years Billy Graham preached to over 210 million people in more than 185 countries.  He became close friends with Martin Luther King, Jr in the 1950s and supported the Civil Rights movement.  Graham became a spiritual advisor and confidant to every President from Truman to Barak Obama.

 In the 20^th century the Christian faith exploded in the Southern Hemisphere.  The number of Christians in Africa grew from 9 million in 1900 to 350 million in 2000. According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, “global Christianity is experiencing remarkable growth, defying expectations and surpassing population rates.”  According to studies at Boston University School of Theology “over the last 40 years, Christianity has grown faster in China than any other place in the world. It’s gone from approximately 1 million Christians to around 100 million.”

 But what about the 21^st century in the United States? In an era dominated by violence, prejudice, corruption, rising rates of suicide and addiction, this generation has been adrift without a moral compass. But there is hope. USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and the Barna Group all indicate there is a growing interest in Jesus among the young, specifically among Gen Z men.  The American Bible Society “found an increase in Bible use and engagement.”  The New York Times reports that “Bible sales have spiked, driven largely by first time buyers.”

 When Jesus came, John preached to huge crowds calling for repentance.  Anna prayed (Luke 2:36-38), as did Simeon (Luke 2:25-35).  Each of us can encourage moral and spiritual renewal.  With every honest decision, with every generous action, every kindness, every act of forgiveness, with every prayer, with faith in Jesus we can see our world transformed.