A Fourth Great Awakening?

America has had three “Great Awakenings” in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries respectively. God seems to spur His people to wide-spread repentance and spiritual fervor about every hundred years. Although unlike what sparked the first three, responses to the Charlie Kirk assassination over the last several days have rekindled the hopes of Christians that a fourth Great Awakening has begun.

The first Great Awakening covered a period from the 1730s to the 1770s. It was largely led by the passionate preaching of colonial preachers like George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards. Their strong evangelical messages centered on individual relationships with Jesus Christ. They challenged many of the traditional church practices and governance structures. New denominations like Baptists and Methodists grew out of this movement. Thousands turned to faith in Christ and strong commitment to His teachings. The movement is seen by historians as greatly influencing the American Revolution.

The next Great Awakening ignited from the Protestant revivals that peaked during the early 1800s. At the turn of the 19th century, evangelical revivals were spreading like wild fires, mainly among the growing Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches. Out of this spiritual renewal in America sprang new institutions such as presently well-known colleges, seminaries, and mission organizations. Changes of hearts in many Americans contributed to the questioning of the morality of slavery and other national issues. Scholars are still discovering new levels of impact this Awakening had on the Civil War.

Usually considered the last Great Awakening, the third nationwide revival occured during the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Again, it was experienced mostly among the more conservative Protestant denominations. It focused on strict biblical doctrines, living a more holy life, and social activism with emphasis on personal evangelism. An outgrowth of this movement was greater interest in worldwide missions, the Holy Spirit, and Pentecostal spiritual healing and worship. This era saw the enactment of prohibition and the national commitment to World War 1.

For most of my adult life, I have joined other Christians in lamenting that America has not experienced another Great Awakening in our generation. I often hear that God appears to have given up on us in the 21st century. Have Americans not shown enough serious interest in nationwide revival, or in revival, period? Have we drifted so far from God as a nation that He considers us unworthy of His intervention and subject moreso to His wrath? It is not much of a stretch to conclude that we have not just drifted, but rather have fled, from Him over the last several decades. Prior to this year, I had concluded that, instead of looking for the next Great Awakening, we should be preparing for God’s imminent judgment and Christ’s Second Coming.

However (and I’m so thankful for this “however”), observations over the past few months have renewed my hope that America may be healing spiritually. Without getting too political, I’ll just say that I believe our government is beginning to make more morally sound decisions. Many influential Americans are seemingly more comfortable sharing their faith openly. Then there was the tragic assassination of perhaps the most powerful spokesman for Christ in our day, Charlie Kirk.

Most of us didn’t realize the magnitude of influence for Christ and family values this man had on our society, especially the younger generations. That was obvious at his awesome memorial service attended by over 100,000 followers listening to some of the most powerful and prominent people in the world testify to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Cell phone activity monitors showed at least another 100,000 in the immediate vicinity of the stadium. And that is trivial compared to the tens of millions who watched it on television and the internet. It was the biggest revival service in history!

Even more impressive are the 60,000+ requests within hours to form Turning Point USA chapters throughout the country. Charlie Kirk’s assassination and immediate reactions have caused a tsunami of spiritual awareness and interest in the gospel. This could certainly be the catalyst for another Great Awakening across America. Statistical data were showing a turning of our population toward Christ, particularly Gen Z young adults, before Kirk’s untimely death. Now, it appears that trend is on the verge of exploding. We may be seeing an answer to the appeals of millions of prayer warriors during recent years.

Whether this movement erupts into a fourth Great Awakening throughout our land will be known soon. It depends on our letting God work through us. He has surely given us a flame to fan into a raging fire for His Kingdom. This may be a final test for America. Let us pray without ceasing for a massive shift of the population from the pursuit of what the world offers to the ways of Almighty God. Pray and become an activist for Him.