Religious revival

Definition

A religious revival is a significant increase in religious enthusiasm and activity, often characterized by large gatherings, renewed faith, and a push for personal and communal transformation. These events typically aim to reinvigorate spiritual beliefs and practices, countering secular trends and revitalizing the community's connection to the sacred.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Religious revivals often emerge as a response to societal changes, aiming to reestablish faith amid increasing secularization and disillusionment.
2. These events can be linked to social movements, influencing issues like civil rights, social justice, and moral values through a renewed focus on faith.
3. Prominent examples include the First Great Awakening in the 18th century and the Second Great Awakening in the 19th century, which sparked widespread religious fervor across America.
4. Revival meetings typically feature passionate preaching, music, and communal activities, fostering a sense of unity among participants.
5. In contemporary contexts, religious revivals can manifest through megachurches and evangelical movements that utilize modern technology to reach broader audiences.

Review Questions

• How do religious revivals reflect societal responses to secularization?
  • Religious revivals often occur as communities react to growing secular trends that challenge traditional beliefs. People may feel a loss of meaning or connection in their lives, prompting them to seek out a deeper spiritual experience. This resurgence of enthusiasm serves as a counterbalance to secularization, emphasizing personal transformation and community bonding through renewed faith.
• Discuss the role of revivalism within religious movements and its impact on community values.
  • Revivalism plays a crucial role in religious movements by promoting intense emotional experiences that lead individuals to personal conversions. These revivals can reshape community values by reinforcing moral standards rooted in religious teachings. As congregations gather for revival events, shared experiences can strengthen their collective identity while motivating them to engage in social issues aligned with their beliefs.
• Evaluate the implications of contemporary religious revivals on societal attitudes towards modernity and secularism.
  • Contemporary religious revivals challenge prevailing secular attitudes by presenting an alternative worldview grounded in spirituality and faith-based living. They often reject aspects of modernity that conflict with traditional beliefs while simultaneously using modern tools like social media for outreach. This dynamic creates a tension between embracing new technologies and maintaining adherence to age-old doctrines, reflecting an ongoing negotiation between faith and the demands of modern life.

Related terms

Revivalism: A movement within Christianity emphasizing the need for personal conversion and spiritual renewal, often marked by emotional preaching and communal worship.

Fundamentalism: A strict adherence to specific theological doctrines typically in reaction against modernism, emphasizing literal interpretation of sacred texts.

Secularization:

The process by which religious institutions, practices, and beliefs lose their social significance, often leading to increased secular attitudes in society.