Lesallan | September 9, 2025
The Impact of the Great Awakening and Slavery on the American Church
The early American church evolved from a Puritan tradition that emphasized covenantal autonomy, moral accountability, and a high regard for literacy, enabling every believer to engage directly with Scripture. Puritan congregations advocated for self-governance within each local church based on mutual covenant rather than state mandates. They also promoted literacy to encourage personal Bible study and sermons rooted in the text itself rather than in tradition (Shelley, 2021, p. 330).
Building on Puritan foundations, the Great Awakening of the mid-eighteenth century infused colonial Christianity with a renewed fervor and experiential piety. Revivalist figures such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield attracted large audiences by emphasizing that authentic faith must engage both the heart and the mind. Their itinerant preaching challenged the dominance of established Anglican and Congregationalist institutions, encouraged the emergence of new denominations, and laid the groundwork for America’s model of voluntary church participation and global missionary efforts (Shelley, 2021, p. 399).
Alongside these revival movements, the American church’s involvement with slavery exposed significant moral contradictions. Clergy in slaveholding regions often cited passages such as Ephesians 6:5-7 (NIV) and the Curse of Ham to justify chattel slavery, claiming it was divinely ordained and beneficial for society. In stark contrast, enslaved Africans created clandestine “invisible churches,” where they fused African musical traditions with evangelical worship and embraced the gospel’s promise of spiritual equality. By the early nineteenth century, these gatherings had evolved into independent denominations—most notably the African Methodist Episcopal Church, established in 1816—which became vital centers for resistance, education, and communal solidarity (Shelley, 2021, p. 435).
The intertwined legacies of the Great Awakening and slavery continue to influence the contemporary U.S. church. The revivalist focus on personal conversion, dynamic preaching, and active lay participation supports modern evangelical church-planting networks and global mission efforts. At the same time, congregations grapple with the complex legacy of racial divisions; many are now engaged in reconciliation initiatives. Additionally, worship styles and leadership models developed in historically Black denominations are exerting a transformative impact on the broader American Christian landscape (Shelley, 2021, pp. 399, 435).
Blessings,
Lesallan
References:
Shelley, B. (2021). Church history in plain language (5th ed.). Zondervan. (Original work published 1982)
