Don’t Expect Another Great Awakening in America Until This Happens by EDDIE HYATT for Charisma News
There has never been a time when local or regional revivals were not occurring somewhere in America. However, to be designated a “Great Awakening,” a revival should have the following three characteristics:
— It is an obvious sovereign work of God in that it has arisen apart from any identifiable human plan, strategy or design.
— It is non-sectarian and touches people of all sects and denominations. No one group, or church, can “own” the revival.
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— It is not localized or regional but has an obvious national impact on the nation and its culture.
I have become convinced that there have been at least four Great Awakenings in America’s history. Each came at a crucial time in the nation’s history and saved her from moral and social ruin. Indeed, the history of America has startling similarities to that of Israel in the time of the Judges—periods of backsliding and apostasy followed by times of repentance, national renewal and God’s mighty deliverance of the nation.
The First Great Awakening (1726-70) transformed Colonial America and prepared her for statehood. The Second Great Awakening (1800-1830) saved the fledgling nation from Deism and the negative influences of the French Revolution. The Third Great Awakening, also known as “The Great Prayer Awakening of 1857-58,” swept many thousands into the kingdom and released the spiritual and moral resources necessary to carry the nation through a horrible Civil War.
The Charismatic Renewal/Jesus Revival (1967-80), which this author witnessed, was America’s Fourth Great Awakening. This revival was two-pronged, with two distinct streams flowing side by side and often overlapping. The Charismatic Renewal impacted and revived the churches of America, while the Jesus Revival impacted the youth/hippie culture, bringing many thousands to Christ.
America’s Fourth Great Awakening
The 1960s were a tine of moral decline and social upheaval. In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court, in two separate rulings, banned school-sponsored Bible reading and prayer in the public schools of America. Many were shocked for prayer and Bible reading had been a part of American schools since its founding.
