History behind America's "Born Again" Christianity

Q. & A. on the variety of Christian Denominations in America –

A fictional dialogue between a British high school exchange student, John Blair, and his American history teacher, Mr. Anderson by Michael M. Nakade

John Blair: Mr. Anderson, I must tell you that I was invited to go to the Christian prayer meeting on campus yesterday.  A group of students came up to me and wanted to know about my religious faith.  I felt very strange to have them ask me if I had taken Jesus as my personal savior.

Mr. Anderson: Well, I can only say, “Welcome to America.”  America is a very religious nation.  For lot of people, religion matters.  It’s a part of our national character.  But, I hope those highly evangelical Christian students did not make you feel uncomfortable.

John: No, they didn’t make me feel uncomfortable.  They were very friendly.  But I felt very strange to have them ask me if Jesus was my personal savior or not.  That’s the first time anyone ever asked me something like that. In the UK, we don’t ask each other that kind of question.

Mr. Anderson: I see. I must assure you that not all Christians would ask you a question of this nature.  Those students are so called evangelical Christians, and they represent the conservative wing of Christianity in America.  But because they are vocal and more aggressive in recruiting new members to their group than other Christian groups, they receive more attention.  John, you may find it surprising, but nearly 50% of Americans attend the church service on Sundays.  I bet the percentage is far less in UK and other European nations.

John: That’s for sure.  I think it’s less than 5% in the UK.  We’re all supporting the Church of England through our tax dollars, but hardly anyone takes religion seriously, except some recent immigrants to the UK.  These people are either Muslims or Hindus. In our modern world, religion is archaic to many people.  I find it surprising that such a large percentage of Americans still go to church on Sundays.

Mr. Anderson: Here in America, religions are still alive and well.  Politically speaking, a group of conservative Christians is a highly effective pressure group.  They usually support Republican candidates and push for such policies as the ban on legal abortion and the teaching of creationism in public schools.  Political candidates’ religious affiliations are often seriously discussed during the election season.

John: Yes.  I always wonder why.  For us in the UK, no one gets bent out of shape over the theory of evolution taught in school. Christians in America are so different from the ones I know back home.  Will you explain why to me?

Mr. Anderson: Sure.  It may take a while to go over.  Are you okay with your time?

John: Sure.  I have a free period next.

Mr. Anderson: Good. First of all, America started out as a British colony.  From Massachusetts to Georgia, there were all kinds of people coming over to start a new life. The Puritans in the North were very rigid in their practice and belief, while the Quakers in Pennsylvania were determined to be tolerant of people of other faiths.  The religious and ethnic diversities were already the character traits of British North America in 1700s.

John: Are you saying that the Puritans were intolerant?

Mr. Anderson: They were, but the rest of American colonies tolerated Puritans’ intolerant religious faith.  The Puritans represented the most conservative wing of Christian sects.  William Penn’s Quakers in Pennsylvania and the Unitarians in the Northeast might have represented the most liberal wing.  All the others were somewhere in between, so to speak.

John: Okay.  So, the Puritans are the forerunners of today’s conservative, evangelical Christians?

Mr. Anderson: In a way, yes.  But, they did not directly create today’s Evangelical Christianity. What happened was the event in history known as the Great Awakening in 1740.  Historians agree that the Great Awakening was the event that gave a distinctly American flavor to evangelical form of Christianity.

John: Okay.  I want to know more about this evangelical Christianity.  The people who recruited me on campus are evangelical Christians, right?

Mr. Anderson: Yes, they are. Just don’t think that all Christians in America are like that, though.  They only represent the conservative wing of Christianity.  The liberal wings of Christians are usually very embarrassed by what the conservatives do and say.

John:  Okay.  Now, about the Great Awakening. How did that event shape today’s evangelical Christianity in America?

Mr. Anderson: Well, believe it or not, the Great Awakening began with the traveling preacher named George Whitefield from England.  So, the Americans didn’t start this event, strictly speaking.  Your ancestor, The English man did.  Anyway, Rev. Whitefield was a superstar preacher.  Tens of thousands of people gathered to hear him preach.  His style of preaching was copied by other preachers, and it became a very popular form of preaching in America.  It’s something you don’t see in the UK.

John: So, what was Whitefield’s message?  And, how did he deliver?

Mr. Anderson: Whitefield accepted Jean Calvin’s basic theology.  It’s not that different from that of the Puritans.  In a nutshell, Whitefield emphasized God’s grace, man’s powerlessness, the force of sin, and the need of personal conversion experience.  He talked about one’s need to have a personal relationship with God, also known as Jesus.  That’s why those students came up to you and asked the questions if you had accepted Jesus as your ‘personal’ savior or not.

John: The need of a personal conversion experience, huh?  It sounds so private.  In the UK, we do not dare ask such a private question to someone whom you just met a few seconds ago.

Mr. Anderson: I know, but that’s what makes America’s evangelical Christians interesting to study. I also want to tell you that the American conservative Christians today are also known as born again Christians. Each ‘born again’ Christian can tell you at what time on what day he/she accepted Jesus as his/her personal savior.  The emphasis is placed on experience.  Rev. Whitefield was a very skilled preacher.  After hearing his moving sermon, many in the audience felt like being born again and pledged their new allegiance to Jesus Christ.  Their conversion experiences were both dramatic and emotional.

John: Gee, I am feeling uncomfortable already.  Expressing one’s deeply religious feeling in a highly public setting is strange to me. It sounds too theatrical. I won’t like it.

Mr. Anderson: It is okay not to like.  We’re all different.  Each human being has his or her comfort zone.  Obviously, what American Evangelical Christians do is outside your comfort zone.  But, you know John? It is beneficial to study American History and learn about different forms of Christianity in America.  The diversity itself is quite amazing. I am fine with some people preferring an emotional religious service to a traditional service.  It’s a matter of person’s taste and temperament. We call it, “Different strokes for different folks.”

John: I see. That’s one way to look at it.  But, how about their trying to convert you to their religion?  I want them to respect my faith.  If they come to me and tell me to switch my religion to theirs, I will be offended. How about you, Mr. Anderson?

Mr. Anderson: Well, I can tolerate their wanting to convert me to their religion because I understand that it is in their doctrine to spread the Good News to others.  They’re doing it with a good intention, but I know what I believe, and I certainly don’t want to waste my time.  So, I usually thank them for their concern for my soul and ask them if they would like to learn about my faith since I am concerned about their faith, too.  Then, they usually leave me alone.

John: I see.  But, I still find it annoying that they’re so eager and aggressive in their attitude.  Is this a character trait of evangelical Christians?

Mr. Anderson: Yes, it is.  Maybe I have to tell you about the event in history known as the Second Great Awakening.  That happened in the 1830s.

John: Another Great Awakening?  What was the second one about?

Mr. Anderson: In the 1830s, anything beyond the Appalachian Mountain range was a frontier land.  Young men moved there to be independent farmers and hunters.  They were rough, tough, frontier men who loved drinking, gambling, and other young male activities.  Young men tend to be wild, and they were no exception.  So, what do you think the Second Awakening preachers do out in the West?

John: I bet the preachers came out to the frontier land and preached wild men to give up their wild living.

Mr. Anderson: You’re exactly right.  Except that preaching was not done inside the church.  It was done in a make-shift tent.  The camp fire was burning.  It was called the Revival meeting. Charles Grandison Finney was the man who became the superstar in the Second Great Awakening.  He argued that revival conversions could be orchestrated.  He even wrote a manual on how to convert lots of sinners in one revival meeting.  Many young men confessed their sins and turned over their lives to Jesus out in the boondocks during that time. Attacking drinking, gambling, promiscuous relationships, and foul languages became a major part of the evangelical Christianity’s message. I must say that the preachers did a good job of transforming wild men to kinder and gentler men.   Evangelical Christians’ desire to convert others to their faith is often motivated by their desire to see others stop excessive drinking and doing other unsavory activities. Seeing in this light, we can all understand why American evangelical Christians are the way they are.

John: I see. But, I still say, “Mind your own business.” Anyway, I have another question. Is Calvinist teaching the most popular form of Christianity in America today? 

Mr. Anderson: Actually, those preachers who went beyond the Appalachian Mountains were mostly Methodist preachers.  By the time of the American Civil War in 1861, the Methodists became the largest Christian sect.  But today, they are not.  Like anything else, things change.  Today, the Methodist sect is considered a liberal form of Christianity.  Based on adherents.com, the largest Christian denomination in America is Catholic with over 71 million members.

John: I didn’t know that.  I thought America was WASP (white Anglo-Saxon Protestant).

Mr. Anderson: Well, that’s how America had its beginning.  With the immigrants from Mexico, Ireland, Italy, and other Catholic nations, America embraced the arrival of Catholics.  But, if you add up all non-Catholic Christians, meaning Protestants in general,  Protestants are bigger in numbers than the Catholics in America.

John: Interesting. I am now aware that America is such a religious country compared to the UK.  It will be interesting to study religions in America while I live here.  Thank you, Mr. Anderson.

Mr. Anderson: You’re welcome, John.  Anytime.

(This work was created based on information obtained from The Teaching Company’s Lecture Series on “American Religious History” lecture 1, “Major Features of American Religious History” and lecture 8, “The Second Great Awakening” by Prof. Patrick N. Allitt.)