[jfahler03]

Last week (the 13th of September), the Washington Post reported that President Bush had made comments comparing his supporters to the supporters of Lincoln and the overall religiousity going on to the First and Second Great Awakenings (ca. 1725 - 65; ca. 1790 - 1840, respectively) - going as far as to mention a current "Third Great Awakening".

What do you think of this? Let's set aside any political interest the president may have by making his cause good and just and talk about the history here.

[Muffinly]

I don't think it's a third great awakening at all... unless it is people awakening to the fact that using political power and waging wars like Bush and many others do is antithetical to the Kingdom of God.

[jengoesup]

I do not see a Third Great Awakening either. In fact, I have read many articles which say that the younger generation is falling away in droves. That may be an overstatement, but point is is that the religious participation of youth is declining. In general, I would say that there is an increasing secularization in our society: school boards are not allowed to teach intelligent design theory, statues of the Ten Commandments must be removed from government buildings, dispute has arisen over the use of God's name in the pledge of allegiance, and there is an unwritten rule that at Christmas time, school choirs must perform one secular Christmas song, one Hanukkah song, and one secular festive song and/or winter song. Christmas is all but secularized, and the Chicago Christkindlmarket, a festival originally based on German Christmas festivals, no longer would use New Line Cinema as a sponsor when New Line wanted to include advertisement for its new movie, The Nativity Story, at the festival. Catholicism is still reeling from all the gay priest/molestation scandals and religion is becoming increasing liberal, with some religious organizations allowing gay marriage, women deacons or priests, and gay priests. Now whether an increase in liberal sects of religion constitutes to a decline or increase in religious fervor is up to you; though I would say it is a decline, because it shows the religions adapting more to the secular, worldly society in which they exist. In the past, the Awakenings (as much as I know about them) were characterized more by a revivalism and a return to conservative beliefs.

Although, evidence for a move toward an Awakening could be shown by the sudden increase in young nuns. (See this TIME article.)

I hate to draw politics in it, but I really think he's just saying this to appeal to the religious right, who see Bush as God's servant on Earth; So he's trying to make that more real for them.

[jfahler03]

I think that the first problem with Bush's comments is a history problem. If this were the Third Great Awakening (emphasis on "third"), it would be third to teh first (1740's) and second (early 19th century).

Historically...what about what many consider the Third Great Awakening of the missionary surge and "social gospel" of the 1870's-90's?

The Fourth (in my opinion) would come as the 1950's... the social constrictions and "revivals" of Billy Graham (seriously)

So while I agree with Jen in some ways that this isn't the third based on what's going on, I think Bush missed a little bit of American history.

As an American religious history nut though, I see a different type of shift in American religion - from Christian-oriented idealism to pluralism... whether you/we/whoever likes it or not.