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93-592: Originally camp meetings were held in frontier areas, where people without regular preachers would travel on occasion from a large region to a particular site to camp , pray , sing hymns , and listen to itinerant preachers at the tabernacle . Camp meetings offered community, often singing and other music, sometimes dancing, and diversion from work. The practice was a major component of the Second Great Awakening , an evangelical movement promoted by Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and other preachers in

186-433: A Methodist camp meeting in 1873 and now a beach resort town. Its temperance fountain remains. Old Orchard Beach, Maine , similarly became a seaside resort. Preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who preach on the street , or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach components such as

279-603: A cult process since the revivalist movements tend to rise and fall. Others study it as minority discontent with the status quo or, after the revivalists gain wide acceptance, as a majority that tends to impose its own standards. The Grundtvigian and Home Mission revival movements arose in Denmark after 1860 and reshaped religion in that country, and among immigrants to America. Norway saw several prominent revival movements within Orthodox Lutheranism stemming from

372-558: A denomination of Conservative Anabaptist Christianity, holds its annual camp meeting at Roxbury Holiness Camp. Christianity • Protestantism Francis Asbury , the first bishop of the American Methodist Episcopal Church , was a staunch supporter of camp meetings. At Methodist camp meetings, which continue to occur today: ... both the Eucharist and Love Feast were celebrated. But the focus of

465-577: A greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit . In 1902 the American evangelists Reuben Archer Torrey and Charles McCallon Alexander conducted meetings in Melbourne, Australia, resulting in more than 8,000 converts. News of this revival travelled fast, igniting a passion for prayer and an expectation that God would work in similar ways elsewhere. Torrey and Alexander were involved in the beginnings of

558-585: A group of Anglican clergymen led by John Henry Newman and John Keble began the Oxford Movement . However its objective was to renew the Church of England by reviving certain Roman Catholic doctrines and rituals, thus distancing themselves as far as possible from evangelical enthusiasm. Many say that Australia has never been visited by a genuine religious revival as in other countries, but that

651-447: A marked characteristic of the camp meetings. Rough and irregular couplets or stanzas were concocted out of Scripture phrases and every-day speech, with liberal interspersing of Hallelujahs and refrains. Such ejaculatory hymns were frequently started by an excited auditor during the preaching, and taken up by the throng, until the meeting dissolved into a "singing-ecstasy" culminating in general hand-shaking. Sometimes they were given forth by

744-582: A million people were converted in Britain. Missionaries subsequently carried the movement abroad; it was especially influential on the Pentecostal movement emerging in California . Unlike earlier religious revivals that pivoted on powerful preaching, the revival of 1904–05 relied primarily on music and on paranormal phenomena as exemplified by the visions of Evan Roberts. The intellectual emphasis of

837-565: A moral or social worldview or philosophy . Preachers are common throughout most cultures. They can take the form of a Christian minister on a Sunday morning, or an Islamic imam . A Muslim preacher in general is referred to as a dā‘ī , while one giving sermons on a Friday afternoon is called a khatib . The sermon or homily has been an important part of Christian services since Early Christianity, and remains prominent in both Roman Catholicism and Protestantism . Lay preachers sometimes figure in these traditions of worship, for example

930-416: A more just conception of it, suppose so large a congregation assembled in the woods, ministers preaching day and night; the camp illuminated with candles, on trees, at wagons, and at the tent; persons falling down, and carried out of the crowd, by those next to them, and taken to some convenient place, where prayer is made for them, some Psalm or Hymn, suitable to the occasion, sung. If they speak, what they say

1023-517: A politically conservative Methodism forestalled revolution among the largely uneducated working class by redirecting its energies toward spiritual rather than temporal affairs. The thesis has engendered strong debate among historians, and several have adopted and modified Halévy's thesis. Some historians, such as Robert Wearmouth, suggest that evangelical revivalism directed working-class attention toward moral regeneration, not social radicalism. Others, including E. P. Thompson , claim that Methodism, though

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1116-663: A preacher, who had a sense of rhythm, under the excitement of his preaching and the agitation of his audience. Hymns were also composed more deliberately out of meeting, and taught to the people or lined out from the pulpit. Collections of camp meeting hymns were published, which served both to propagate tunes and texts that were commonly used, and to document the most commonly sung tunes and texts. Example hymnals include The Pilgrams' songster; or, A choice collection of spiritual songs (1828), The Camp-meeting Chorister (1830) and The Golden Harp (1857) Many of these songs were republished in shape note songbooks such as A Supplement to

1209-740: A proto-Romanticism that mixed with Christian worship to produce a tertium quid. The Methodist revival of John Wesley , Charles Wesley and George Whitefield in England and Daniel Rowland , Howel Harris and William Williams Pantycelyn in Wales and the Great Awakening in America prior to the Revolution. A similar (but smaller scale) revival in Scotland took place at Cambuslang (then

1302-470: A regular feature of Primitive Methodist life throughout the 19th century, and still survive today. The annual late May Bank Holiday weekend meetings at Cliff College are one example. A number of tents are set up around the site, each featuring a different preacher. The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection holds its camp meetings annually at Methodist Camp in Stoneboro, Pennsylvania . Each conference of

1395-417: A revival that was led primarily by uneducated laymen, the so-called "peasant prophets". During the 18th century, England saw a series of Methodist revivalist campaigns that stressed the tenets of faith set forth by John Wesley and that were conducted in accordance with a careful strategy. In addition to stressing the evangelist combination of "Bible, cross, conversion, and activism," the revivalist movement of

1488-630: A series of prayer meetings in New York. By the beginning of 1858 the congregation was crowded, often with a majority of businessmen. Newspapers reported that over 6,000 were attending various prayer meetings in New York, and 6,000 in Pittsburgh. Daily prayer meetings were held in Washington, D.C. at 5 different times to accommodate the crowds. Other cities followed the pattern. Soon, a common mid-day sign on business premises read, "We will re-open at

1581-511: A small movement, had a politically regressive effect on efforts for reform. Some historians question the Halévy thesis. Eric Hobsbawm claims that Methodism was not a large enough movement to have been able to prevent revolution. Alan Gilbert suggests that Methodism's supposed antiradicalism has been misunderstood by historians, suggesting that it was seen as a socially deviant movement and the majority of Methodists were moderate radicals. Early in

1674-664: A strong hold in the churches on the continent of Europe. In German-speaking Europe, Lutheran Johann Georg Hamann (1730–88) was a leader in the new wave of evangelicalism, the Erweckung , which spread across the land, cross-fertilizing with British movements. The movement began in the Francophone world in connection with a circle of pastors and seminarians at French-speaking Protestant theological seminaries in Geneva , Switzerland and Montauban , France, influenced inter alia by

1767-436: A tradition of music and hymn singing with strong oral, improvisatory, and spontaneous elements. Hymns were taught and learned by rote , and a spontaneous and improvisatory element was prized. Both tunes and words were created, changed, and adapted in true folk music fashion: Specialists in nineteenth-century American religious history describe camp meeting music as the creative product of participants who, when seized by

1860-601: A village), and is known as the Cambuslang Work . In the American colonies the First Great Awakening was a wave of religious enthusiasm among Protestants that swept the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American religion. It resulted from powerful preaching that deeply affected listeners (already church members) with a deep sense of personal guilt and salvation by Christ. Pulling away from ancient ritual and ceremony,

1953-598: A wide area. Some came out of sincere religious devotion or interest, others out of curiosity and a desire for a break from the arduous frontier routine; the structure of the situation often resulted in new converts. Freed from daily routines for the duration of the meeting, participants could take part in almost continuous services, which resulted in high emotions; once one speaker was finished (often after several hours), another would often rise to take his place. Several ministers, sometimes from different denominations, provided virtually nonstop preaching and hymn singing during

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2046-548: A year, but in that period 100,000 converts were made. Begun as an effort to kindle nondenominational, nonsectarian spirituality, the Welsh revival of 1904–05 coincided with the rise of the labor movement, socialism, and a general disaffection with religion among the working class and youths. Placed in context, the short-lived revival appears as both a climax for Nonconformism and a flashpoint of change in Welsh religious life. The movement spread to Scotland and England, with estimates that

2139-412: Is Solomon . Christian revival Christian revivalism is increased spiritual interest or renewal in the life of a Christian church, congregation or society with a local, national or global effect. This should be distinguished from the use of the term "revival" to refer to an evangelistic meeting or series of meetings (see revival meeting ). Proponents view revivals as the restoration of

2232-430: Is attended to, being very solemn and affecting – many are struck under such exhortations… Now suppose 20 of those groups around; some rejoicing, and great solemnity on every countenance, and you will form some imperfect idea of the extraordinary work! Indeed it is a miracle, that a wicked unthoughtful sinner, who never could, or did address himself, to an audience before, should, rise out of one of those fits and continue for

2325-605: Is different from 'pastor' (Chinese: 牧師 ). A preacher in the Protestant church is one of the younger clergy, but they are not officially recognised as pastors until they can prove their capability of leading the church. Preacher is also the supposed author of the Book of Ecclesiastes . Preacher is one translation of the Hebrew word קהלת ( Qoheleth ). There is much debate about the identity of this preacher; many believe it

2418-614: Is kept below about 40 minutes, but historic preachers of all denominations could at times speak for well over an hour, sometimes for two or three hours, and use techniques of rhetoric and theatre that are today somewhat out of fashion in mainline churches. In many churches in the United States, the title preacher is synonymous with pastor or minister , and the church's minister is often referred to simply as "our/the preacher" or by name such as "Preacher Smith". However, among some Chinese churches, 'preacher' (Chinese: 傳道 )

2511-786: Is not entirely true. The effect of the Great Awakening of 1858–59 was also felt in Australia fostered mainly by the Methodist Church. Records show that the Methodist Church grew by a staggering 72% between 1857 and 1864, while the Baptists, Anglicans, Presbyterians and other evangelicals also benefited. Evangelical fervor was its height during the 1920s with visiting evangelists, R. A. Torrey, Wilbur J. Chapman, Charles M. Alexander and others winning many converts in their Crusades. The Crusades of American evangelist Billy Graham in

2604-510: Is notable within this biblical narrative as a figure who reinstituted temple worship of Yahweh while destroying pagan worship. Within modern church history, church historians have identified and debated the effects of various national revivals within the history of the US and other countries. During the 18th and 19th centuries, American society experienced a number of " Awakenings " around the years 1727, 1792, 1830, 1857 and 1882. More recent revivals in

2697-669: The Bible Methodist Connection of Churches owns land on which its camp meetings are held each year. The Primitive Methodist Church also has camp meetings in its districts. Many United Methodist churches also hold yearly camp meetings, such as the Shiloh United Methodist Church Camp Meeting, Northport Indian United Methodist Church and Trinity United Methodist Camp Meeting, for example. Many Free Methodist churches hold camp meetings every year, such as those that take place at

2790-754: The Harriseahead Methodists that their weeknight prayer meeting was too short. Bourne also saw these as an antidote to the general debauchery of the Wakes week in that part of the Staffordshire Potteries , one of the reasons why he continued organising camp meetings in spite of the opposition from the Wesleyan authorities. The pattern of the Primitive Methodist camp meeting was as a time of prayer and preaching from

2883-872: The Le Reveil movement. In North America the Third Great Awakening began in 1857 onwards in Canada and spread throughout the English-speaking world including America and Australia. Significant names include Dwight L. Moody , Ira D. Sankey , William Booth and Catherine Booth (founders of the Salvation Army ), Charles Spurgeon and James Caughey . Hudson Taylor began the China Inland Mission and Thomas John Barnardo founded his famous orphanages. One representative

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2976-821: The Methodist local preachers , but in general preaching has usually been a function of the clergy . The Dominican Order is officially known as the Order of Preachers ( Ordo Praedicatorum in Latin ); friars of this order were trained to publicly preach in vernacular languages, and the order was created by Saint Dominic to preach to the Cathars of southern France in the early thirteenth century. The Franciscans are another important preaching order; Travelling preachers, usually friars, were an important feature of late medieval Catholicism. In most denominations, modern preaching

3069-630: The Presbyterian Church in Scotland and the United States. Scots and Scots-Irish predominated in many parts of the frontier at this time, and had brought their familiar Presbyterian communion season practices with them. Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell , two leading ministers of the later Restoration Movement of the 1830s, had each been ordained as Presbyterian ministers and served for several years in that role, leading preaching at numerous meetings. The movement of thousands of settlers to new territories without permanent villages of

3162-494: The Second Great Awakening that began about 1800 and which reached out to non-believers, the First Great Awakening focused on people who were already church members. It changed their rituals, their piety, and their self-awareness. The Hungarian Baptist Church sprung out of revival with the perceived liberalism of the Hungarian Reformed Church during the late 1800s. Many thousands of people were baptized in

3255-611: The Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement . It also introduced a new form of religious expression to America: the Scottish camp meeting . A movement in Swiss, eastern French, German, and Dutch Protestant history known as le Réveil (German: die Erweckung , Dutch: Het Reveil ). Le Réveil was a revival of Protestant Christianity along conservative evangelical lines at a time when rationalism had taken

3348-401: The 1950s had significant impact on Australian Churches. Stuart Piggin (1988) explores the development and tenacity of the evangelical movement in Australia, and its impact on Australian society. Evangelicalism arrived from Britain as an already mature movement characterized by commonly shared attitudes toward doctrine, spiritual life, and sacred history. Any attempt to periodize the history of

3441-454: The 19th century made efforts toward a universal appeal – rich and poor, urban and rural, and men and women. Special efforts were made to attract children and to generate literature to spread the revivalist message. Gobbett (1997) discusses the usefulness of historian Elie Halévy 's thesis explaining why England did not undergo a social revolution in the period 1790–1832, a time that appeared ripe for violent social upheaval. Halévy suggested that

3534-511: The 19th century the Scottish minister Thomas Chalmers had an important influence on the evangelical revival movement. Chalmers began life as a moderate in the Church of Scotland and an opponent of evangelicalism. During the winter of 1803–04, he presented a series of lectures that outlined a reconciliation of the apparent incompatibility between the Genesis account of creation and the findings of

3627-492: The 20th century include the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival , 1906 ( Azusa Street Revival ), 1930s ( Balokole ), 1970s ( Jesus people ), 1971 Bario Revival and 1909 Chile Revival which spread in the Americas, Africa, and Asia among Protestants and Catholics. Many Christian revivals drew inspiration from the missionary work of early monks, from the 16th-century Protestant Reformation (and Catholic Counter-Reformation ) and from

3720-679: The Bible. Finney also conducted revival meetings in England, first in 1849 and later to England and Scotland in 1858–59. In New England , the renewed interest in religion inspired a wave of social activism, including abolitionism . In the West (now upper South), especially in Cane Ridge, Kentucky and Tennessee , the revival strengthened the Methodists and Baptists . The Churches of Christ and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) arose from

3813-399: The Bible. In the first camp meeting, four separate "preaching stations" had been set up by the afternoon, each with an audience, while in between others spent the time praying. From May 1807 to the establishing of Primitive Methodism as a denomination in 1811, a series of 17 camp meetings was held. There were a number of different venues beyond Mow Cop , including Norton-in-the-Moors during

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3906-620: The Cane Ridge Revival, taken from a letter to the Rev. Doctor John King on September 25, 1801, is memorable: On the first Sabbath of August, was the Sacrament of Kainridge, the congregation of Mr. Stone. – This was the largest meeting of any that I have ever seen: It continued from Friday till Wednesday. About 12,000 persons, 125 waggons, 8 carriages, 900 communicants, 300 were struck. Patterson tried, "as well as I am able", to describe

3999-525: The Church, such as during Christmastide . Sunday Sabbatarian principles were practiced, with swimming being forbidden on the Lord's Day , as well as the gates to the city being locked on that day. Ocean Grove "prohibited other activities deemed not consonant with Christian living--dancing, cardplaying, and the sale of liquor." On Sunday, 31 May 1807, the first Camp Meeting was held in England at Mow Cop . At

4092-682: The Great Awakening made religion intensely emotive to the average person by creating a deep sense of spiritual guilt and redemption. Historian Sydney E. Ahlstrom sees it as part of a "great international Protestant upheaval" that also created Pietism in Germany, the Evangelical Revival and Methodism in England. It brought Christianity to enslaved Americans and was a ground-breaking event in New England that challenged established authority. It incited rancor and division between

4185-574: The Johnsonian Revivals, largely expanded the pietistic emphases of Hauge via the Inner Mission Society as spearheaded by Gisle Johnson, which revolved around lay preaching and Bible study, increased spiritual literacy via the distribution of Christian literature, and the alleviation of the impoverished conditions of the quickly-industrializing Norway of the nineteenth century. The Johnsonian Revivals would go on to influence

4278-695: The Kentucky Harmony (1820), the Sacred Harp (1844), and dozens of other publications; they can typically be distinguished by the reuse and re-arrangement of certain lines of lyrics from other songs, re-set to a new melody and sometimes containing new lyrics. Many of these camp songs are also set in a " call and response " format, typically, every line of lyric is followed by the words " Glory Hallelujah !" (although this varies, and other phrases or combinations can be used as well), which allows for easy audience participation in their original format, as

4371-626: The Methodist Church led many of these camp meetings and established semi-permanent sites for summer seasons. Ocean Grove, New Jersey , founded in 1869, has been called the "Queen of the Victorian Methodist Camp Meetings." Similar areas include Cape May Point, New Jersey , with others in Maryland and New York. At the end of the nineteenth century, believers in Spiritualism also established camp meetings throughout

4464-603: The Netherlands the movement was taken forward by Willem Bilderdijk , with Isaäc da Costa , Abraham Capadose , Samuel Iperusz Wiselius , Willem de Clercq and Groen van Prinsterer as his pupils. The movement was politically influential and actively involved in improving society, and – at the end of the 19th century – brought about anti-revolutionary and Christian historical parties. At the same time in Britain figures such as William Wilberforce and Thomas Chalmers were active, although they are not considered to be part of

4557-632: The Norwegian church mission societies abroad, spanning Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. In the U.S. the Second Great Awakening (1800–30s) was the second great religious revival in United States history and consisted of renewed personal salvation experienced in revival meetings. Major leaders included Asahel Nettleton , James Brainerd Taylor , Charles Grandison Finney , Lyman Beecher , Barton Stone , Alexander Campbell , Peter Cartwright and James B. Finley . Rev. Charles Finney (1792–1875)

4650-534: The Pietistic preaching of Hans Nielsen Hauge and dogmatician Gisle Johnson , the latter of which started the movement known as the Johnsonian Revivals. The lasting importance of Hauge's revivals was threefold: 1. the introduction of revivalism as a prominent feature of Norwegian spiritual life, 2. the introduction of lay preaching as a common practice, and 3. institution of conventicles, or non-sanctioned congregational gatherings. The second wave of revivals, called

4743-776: The Tri-State Free Methodist Campground. In 1825, the Presbytery of Hopewell established a network of camp meetings. The Smyrna Presbyterian Church, a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) continues to hold an annual camp meeting at its Camp Smyrna. The Red River Meeting House , belonging to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church , also has a yearly camp meeting. A number of camp meeting grounds have fallen into disuse or diverged from their original use and ownership. These include Rehoboth Beach, Delaware , founded as

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4836-581: The United States, several camp meeting facilities were founded, many of which remain operational to this day. For example, the Balls Creek Campground is a popular Methodist camp meeting that was formed in 1853. In 1869, the Ocean Grove Camp-Meeting Association was founded, running a popular Methodist camp meeting at Ocean Grove, New Jersey . Methodists flocked to the area, especially around major feasts of

4929-414: The United States. Camp meetings in the United States continued to be conducted on a wide scale for many years . Some are still held in the 21st century, primarily by Methodist (including churches affiliated with the holiness movement ) and Pentecostal groups, as well as other Protestants , such as Baptists and Presbyterians . Some scholars consider the revival meeting a form that arose to recreate

5022-697: The Wakes in 1807 (Bourne's target venue), and Ramsor in 1808. After Bourne and a significant number of his colleagues, including the Standley Methodist Society, had been put out of membership of the Burslem Wesleyan Circuit , they formed a group known as the Camp Meeting Methodists until 1811. That year they joined with the followers of William Clowes , known as the "Clowesites". Camp meetings were

5115-531: The area of the original paths which the wagons would encircle. The area is also known as Tiny Town because of the small size of the original cottages. In the aftermath of the American Civil War , such evangelical camp meetings gained wide recognition and a substantial increase in popularity as a result of a holiness movement camp meeting in Vineland, New Jersey in 1867. In the mid-Atlantic states,

5208-480: The assistance of circuit preachers began a series of camp meetings in the surrounding area. One such meeting, first being held out of the home of a local family, has met annually in Hollow Rock Run since it was formally organized as a Methodist camp in 1818 while continuing to use the family's farm land. In 1875 at the urging of prominent clergy and members, the camp meeting became interdenominational through

5301-473: The audience can call back the response even if they do not know the lyrics of the song itself. For example, the tune " Antioch 277" from the Sacred Harp reads: I know that my Redeemer lives, Glory, Hallelujah! What comfort this sweet sentence gives, Glory Hallelujah! Shout on, pray on, we're gaining ground, Glory Hallelujah! The dead's alive and the lost is found, Glory Hallelujah! (F.C. Wood, 1850) The 20th-century American composer Charles Ives used

5394-417: The camp meeting phenomenon as a metaphysical basis for his Symphony No. 3 (Ives) . He incorporated hymn tunes and American Civil War-era popular songs (which are closely related to camp meeting songs) as part of the symphony's musical material. The piece was not premiered until 1946, almost 40 years after its composition, and the symphony was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1947. The Dunkard Brethren Church ,

5487-412: The camp meeting was on preaching of the "way of salvation," and the physical layout of the camp meeting assembly area came to be a sacred space representing the stages on the way of salvation. The altar rail , originated the point for receiving Holy Communion, came to represent the surrender of oneself in conversion and entire sanctification. The " mourner's bench " (or "anxious bench," as it was decried by

5580-444: The church to a vital and fervent relationship with God after a period of moral decline. Within Christian studies the concept of revival is derived from biblical narratives of national decline and restoration during the history of the Israelites. In particular, narrative accounts of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah emphasise periods of national decline and revival associated with the rule of respectively wicked or righteous kings. Josiah

5673-412: The close of the prayer meeting". By May, 50,000 of New York's 800,000 people were new converts. Finney wrote of this revival, "This winter of 1857–58 will be remembered as the time when a great revival prevailed. It swept across the land with such power that at the time it was estimated that not less than 50,000 conversions occurred weekly." In 1857, four young Irishmen began a weekly prayer meeting in

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5766-408: The crowd, shoving aside everybody in their path. … As the preachers ranted without letup, the crowd was driven into a kind of collective ecstasy. In the night, as the torches and bonfires flared around the meeting ground and the darkness of the trackless forests closed in, people behaved as if possessed by something new and unfathomable. As Finley wrote: "A strange supernatural power seemed to pervade

5859-404: The day following, the sermons grew increasingly sensational and impassioned, and the excited response of the crowd grew more prolonged. By the second or third day, people were crying out during the sermons, and shouting prayers, and bursting into loud lamentations; they began grabbing at their neighbors and desperately pleading with them to repent; they sobbed uncontrollably and ran in terror through

5952-476: The day, in the evening, and late into the night. Attenders anticipated and had emotional conversion experiences, with crying, trances, and exaltation. Lee Sandlin gave an overview of the typical camp meeting in frontier America: A typical meeting began in a low-key, almost solemn way. A preacher gave a sermon of welcome and led a prayer for peace and community. This was followed by the singing of several hymns. Then there would be more sermons. … The next day, and

6045-428: The developing science of geology. However, by 1810 he had become an evangelical and would eventually lead the Disruption of 1843 that resulted in the formation of the Free Church of Scotland . The Plymouth Brethren started with John Nelson Darby at this time, a result of disillusionment with denominationalism and clerical hierarchy. The established churches too, were influenced by the evangelical revival. In 1833

6138-570: The dominant religious culture." These sorts of meetings contributed greatly to what became known as the Second Great Awakening . A particularly large and successful revival was held at Cane Ridge, Kentucky in 1801, led by some ministers later active in what became the Restoration Movement . Some scholars suggest that this was the pioneering event in the history of frontier camp meetings in America. What made camp meetings successful and multiply quite rapidly "were their emphases upon revivalism and morality, de-emphasis upon formal theology, clergy sharing

6231-431: The earlier revivals had left a dearth of religious imagery that the visions supplied. They also challenged the denial of the spiritual and miraculous element of scripture by opponents of the revival, who held liberal and critical theological positions. The structure and content of the visions not only repeated those of Scripture and earlier Christian mystical tradition but also illuminated the personal and social tensions that

6324-399: The early 19th century. Certain denominations took the lead in different geographic areas. As with brush arbor revivals and tent revivals , camp meetings today are often held annually at campgrounds owned by a Christian denomination. The camp meeting is a phenomenon of American frontier Christianity , as well as British Christianity , but with strong roots in traditional practices of

6417-604: The emotion. Of all ages, from 8 years and upwards; male and female; rich and poor; the blacks; and of every denomination; those in favour of it, as well as those, at the instant in opposition to it, and railing against it, have instantaneously laid motionless on the ground. Some feel the approaching symptoms by being under deep convictions; their heart swells, their nerves relax, and in an instant they become motionless and speechless, but generally retain their senses. Patterson went on to describe other manifestations which lasted from "one hour to 24", and continued: In order to give you

6510-434: The entire mass of mind there collected." Sandlin's commentary is a provocative opinion piece compared to the less sensationalist descriptions by those better qualified to write about the event, such as Colonel Robert Patterson, who had been involved in the settlement of Kentucky practically from the beginning. He had described with amazement the religious phenomena taking place during the sequence of meetings. His description of

6603-401: The formation of the Hollow Rock Holiness Camp Meeting Association and its leasing and eventual purchase of the land. The association, which still operates the camp, notes that it is the oldest Christian camp meeting in continual existence in the United States, being supported by various denominations in the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. Another camp gathering area, known now as the Campgrounds,

6696-721: The great Welsh revival (1904). In 1906 the modern Pentecostal movement was born in Azusa Street , in Los Angeles. The rebaibal , as it is known in Tok Pisin , had begun in the Solomon Islands and reached the Urapmin people by 1977. The Urapmin were particularly zealous in rejecting their traditional beliefs, and adopted a form of Charismatic Christianity based on Baptist Christianity . The Urapmin innovated

6789-826: The indigenous Geneva Evangelical Society . The Réveil also inspired the International Committee of the Red Cross , which was established in Geneva in 1863 by a group of young professional followers of the movement. As well as supporting existing Protestant denominations, in France and Germany the movement led to the creation of Free Evangelical Church groupings: the Union des Églises évangéliques libres and Bund Freier evangelischer Gemeinden in Deutschland . In

6882-683: The interest in the American movement that in 1858 the Presbyterian General Assembly meeting in Derry appointed two of their ministers, Dr. William Gibson and Rev. William McClure to visit North America. Upon their return the two deputies had many public opportunities to bear testimony to what they had witnessed of the remarkable outpouring of the Spirit across the Atlantic, and to fan the flames in their homeland yet further. Such

6975-416: The meeting was to be more than a few miles' distance from the homes of those attending, they would need to stay at the revival for its entire duration, or as long as they desired to remain. People generally camped out at or near the revival site, as on the frontier there were usually neither adequate accommodations nor the funds for frontier families to use them. People were attracted to large camp meetings from

7068-536: The movement in Australia should examine the role of revivalism and the oscillations between emphases on personal holiness and social concerns. Historians have examined the revival movements in Scandinavia, with special attention to the growth of organizations, church history, missionary history, social class and religion, women in religious movements, religious geography, the lay movements as counter culture, ethnology, and social force. Some historians approach it as

7161-434: The practices of spirit possession (known as the "spirit disko") and ritualized confessions, the latter being especially atypical for Protestantism . The Welsh revival was not an isolated religious movement but very much a part of Britain's modernization. The revival began in the fall of 1904 under the leadership of Evan Roberts (1878–1951), a 26-year-old former collier and minister-in-training. The revival lasted less than

7254-633: The revitalized interest of men and women in Christian perfection. Caughey successfully bridged the gap between the style of earlier camp meetings and the needs of more sophisticated Methodist congregations in the emerging cities. In England the Keswick Convention movement began out of the British Holiness movement , encouraging a lifestyle of holiness , unity and prayer. On 21 September 1857 businessman Jeremiah Lanphier began

7347-429: The space of two hours recommending religion and Jesus Christ to sinners, as a lovely Savior, free willing, and all sufficient, and calling to sinners and inviting them to come to Christ and close in with the offer of salvation, in the most pressing an engaging manner. Revivalism had been a significant force in religion since the 1740s and the First Great Awakening , but in the days of the camp meeting, "revivalism became

7440-401: The spirit of a particular sermon or prayer, would take lines from a preacher's text as a point of departure for a short, simple melody. The melody was either borrowed from a preexisting tune or made up on the spot. The line would be sung repeatedly, changing slightly each time, and shaped gradually into a stanza that could be learned easily by others and memorized quickly. Spontaneous song became

7533-550: The spirit of the frontier camp meeting. The Balls Creek Campground camp meeting was established in 1853 and is believed to be one of the largest religious campgrounds in the southern United States. Other sites of Methodist camp meetings in North Carolina are the Chapel Hill Church Tabernacle , Center Arbor , and Pleasant Grove Camp Meeting Ground (1830). The camp meeting tradition fostered

7626-510: The theologians of the Mercersburg movement) was placed in front of the altar rail and represented the experience of spiritual "awakening" that typically preceded conversion in understanding of the "way of salvation." In a weekend format, one might expect a sermon on sin, awakening and repentance on Friday, sermons on conversion and assurance on Saturday, and preaching on sanctification (including entire sanctification ) on Sunday. Throughout

7719-768: The time, Wesleyan Methodists disapproved and subsequently expelled Hugh Bourne "because you have a tendency to set up other than the ordinary worship.". He eventually formed the Primitive Methodist Church . The Wesleyan Methodist Church and the Primitive Methodist Church in Great Britain later reunited to form the Methodist Church of Great Britain ). During his visits to England, Lorenzo Dow brought reports of North American camp meetings. Hugh Bourne, William Clowes and Daniel Shoebotham saw this as an answer to complaints from members of

7812-635: The traditionalists who argued for ritual and doctrine and the revivalists who ignored or sometimes avidly contradicted doctrine, e.g. George Whitfield 's being denied a pulpit in Anglican Churches after denying Anglican Doctrine. Its democratic features had a major impact in shaping the Congregational , Presbyterian , Dutch Reformed , and German Reformed denominations, and strengthened the small Baptist and Methodist denominations. It had little impact on Anglicans and Quakers . Unlike

7905-406: The types they knew meant they were without religious communities. Not only were there few authorized houses of worship , there were fewer ordained ministers to fill the pulpits. The "camp meeting" led by itinerant preachers was an innovative response to this situation. Word of mouth told there was to be a religious meeting at a certain location. Due to the primitive means of transportation , if

7998-728: The uncompromising stance of the Covenanters in 17th-century Scotland and Ulster that came to Virginia and Pennsylvania with Presbyterians and other non-conformists. Its character formed part of the mental framework that led to the American War of Independence and the Civil War. The 18th-century Age of Enlightenment had two camps: those who identified humans as only intellectual beings, Rationalists , and those who believed humans to be only passionate beings, followers of Romanticism . The philosophy of Earl of Shaftesbury III led to

8091-402: The village of Connor near Ballymena . See also Ahoghill . This meeting is generally regarded as the origin of the 1859 Ulster Revival that swept through most of the towns and villages throughout Ulster and in due course brought 100,000 converts into the churches. It was also ignited by a young preacher, Henry Grattan Guinness , who drew thousands at a time to hear his preaching. So great was

8184-543: The visit of Scottish Christian Robert Haldane in 1816–17. The circle included such figures as Merle D'Aubigne , César Malan , Felix Neff , and the Monod brothers. As these men traveled, the movement spread to Lyon and Paris in France, Berlin and Eberfeld in Germany, and the Netherlands. Several missionary societies were founded to support this work, such as the British-based Continental society and

8277-521: The worldview of the frontier dwellers, and respect for common people. Frost summarizes: "Camp-meeting religion reinforced older themes of revivalism, including a sense of cooperation among the denominations, all of which confronted individual sinners with the necessity of making a decision to be converted." In the early 1800s in what is now Toronto, Ohio , members of the Sugar Grove Methodist Episcopal Church with

8370-623: Was Rev. James Caughey, an American sent by the Wesleyan Methodist Church to Canada from the 1840s through 1864. He brought in converts by the score, most notably in the revivals in Canada West 1851–53. His technique combined restrained emotionalism with a clear call for personal commitment, coupled with follow-up action to organize support from converts. It was a time when the Holiness Movement caught fire, with

8463-458: Was a key leader of the evangelical revival movement in America. From 1821 onward he conducted revival meetings across many north-eastern states and won many converts. For him, a revival was not a miracle but a change of mindset that was ultimately a matter of an individual's free will. His revival meetings created anxiety in a penitent's mind that their soul could only be saved by submission to the will of God, as illustrated by Finney's quotations from

8556-540: Was located in present-day Merrick, New York . Parishioners arrived by wagon, parking them in two concentric circles. Eventually some started building small seasonal cottages, which offered more comfort than the wagons for repeated use. A chapel and a house for the minister were also built. In the 1920s, with new areas open to those with cars, people stopped using the campground. The cottages and church buildings were adapted as local, permanent residences, and most survive today. The two roads, Wesley and Fletcher avenues, encompass

8649-410: Was the strength of emotion generated by the preachers' oratory that many made spontaneous confessions seeking to be relieved of their burdens of sin. Others suffered complete nervous breakdown. The most recent Great Awakening (1904 onwards) had its roots in the holiness movement which had developed in the late 19th century. The Pentecostal revival movement began, out of a passion for more power and

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