Mark Shaw is an American author who presently serves as the director of World Christianity Program at the African International University in Nairobi, Kenya as well teaching there and writing. His book Global Awakening: How 20th-Century Revivals a Christian Revolution, provides evangelical Christians with an insight into revivals in the twentieth century.
The purpose of this review is to show that Mark Shaw’s book supports the theory that although Christianity was still expected to die out due to secularism, evangelical revivals did help to explain and describe the explosion of during the 20th century, especially in the non-Western or more specifically the Global South world. Shaw also attempts to show that Christianity has made
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massive leaps in the global realm, even though secularism was supposed to be dominating the world. Shaw provides analytical data to support these claims. The layout of the book presents Shaw’s conclusions early and then provides supporting evidence using case studies from all over the world to support his conclusions. Early in the book, a theoretical framework about how we analyze revivals is given and Shaw discusses an even more important aspect of revivals on how believers through Jesus Christ are able to experience liberation from sin. Shaw explains that “this is the first thing for a new converted believer and leads to other dynamics including a person being moved toward being an active evangelist” (pp. 16-18). One of the interesting points that Shaw communicates in the book is that often revivals are the result of some conflict that has arisen in a society (pp. 19). The book offers Christians a good opportunity to reflect on what being called to serve as a Christian evangelist really is about. The book causes Christians to see the story of mankind and history from the point of view that God has a plan that is more important and larger than just the perspective of what humans can see. God has a plan that has been in place since the beginning of time and Christians in the world today are just part of the plan, not the primary or only purpose of it. A real God sent revival will cause Christians to realize this and not just focus on their own personal struggles, accomplishments or even their own kingdom, but on the greater vision of God’s plan. Most Christians including this one have an extremely limited knowledge of how God operates in other parts of the world and the work that He is doing outside of our own little personal situations. Shaw defines a revival as “charismatic people movements that seek to transform their world by translating Christian truth and transferring power” (p. 28). God works in the lives of His people through times of trouble and it is out of the ashes of those problems that He is able to build something new. Also revival brings new movements with new leaders that often bring in new perspectives that will prove to be beneficial in the advancement of Kingdom work. “If the movement can resolve those clashes, it then moves outward to alter the social, spiritual, and cultural landscape of the surrounding world” (29). Shaw continues to support his thesis by basically narrating eight 20th century revival movements which he uses to develop his conclusions and arguments further.
Shaw begins his argument with overviews of revivals in Korea and Africa which are displays of his knowledge and competence of the subject (p. 52, 64). Shaw then continues his overview describing a revival that took place in 1930 in India and then Uganda. These two revivals help support Shaw’s argument about growth in conservative churches by providing support that “conservative churches tend to grow over time because they offer more and can therefore demand more of their members” (p. 110). Moving on, Shaw then reviews the revivals in America that highlighted the crusades by Billy Graham. Shaw’s stories of Graham’s revivals showed how the evangelist’s crusades provided the foundation for the 20th century American Christianity. Shaw took this opportunity to issue a challenge to the American people to remain humble and to foster a healthy attitude about their own Christianity as well as the global church. Shaw also explored how the Lausanne Movement that Billy Graham initiated in 1974 influenced American evangelism. (www.lausanne.org). From there Shaw went on to explore the revivals in Brazil and especially how Protestantism and Catholicism clashed. In Brazil there had to be a time that concentrated on unity, because of the spiritual landscape founded by Catholicism which was predominate and still has a strong …show more content…
foundation even today (p. 156-157). Shaw then concludes with how the mission of Africa has been reversed and China is now a powerhouse in Christianity. No longer are missionaries from other parts of the world going to Africa, but now African missionaries are going to out into the world to share the Gospel. China in contrast to America is now estimated to have between ten and eighty million Christians that worship in home churches and they continue to grow with estimates of Christians from house churches to be between ten to as many as eighty million members and estimates for as soon as 2025 to be near one hundred and twenty five million Christians (Albert). Shaw believes that just these sheer numbers move China into the position of a powerhouse nation in Christianity. Shaw successfully challenged the perception that global Christianity is an American export. By showing how revivals take place and how diverse they are and can be, Shaw has shown that God is non-denominational, without prejudice, without ethnicity and is able to work in extremely diverse cultures all over the world with the same conviction, saving power and grace that He works with in America. Shaw provides descriptions and personal observations in his own words that help make the book interesting and keep the reader engaged. Finally, Shaw did a good job of sharing his understanding of what revival is and the things that cause and bring revival about in addition to those things that ultimately bring about the shape of revival and help to identify it, and lastly those things that result from revival.
While Shaw does support his thesis in the book, if he would have provided a more few more chapters that were devoted to the many other 20th century revivals that took place, they would have provided even more strength to his thesis. The book while it is interesting and provides plenty for Christian’s to think on is not an easy book to read. It provides a wealth of information that is detailed and requires a great deal of thought in order to be properly digested. This book would be helpful to pastors and professors because it would be inspirational as well as provide useful
illustrations.
The Great Awakening was a spiritual movement that began in the 1730’s in the middle colonies. It was mostly led by these people; Jonathan Edwards, a congregational pastor in Massachusetts, Theodore J. Frelinghuysen, a Dutch Byterian Pastor in New Jersey; Gilbert Tennent, a Presbyterian Pastor in New Jersey; and George Whitefield, a traveling Methodist Preacher from New England. The most widely known leader was George Whitefield. At the beginning of the very first Great Awakening appeared mostly among Presbyterians in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey. The Presbyterians initiated religious revivals during these times. During this time, they also started a seminary to train clergyman. The seminary’s original name was Log College, now it is known as Princeton University. In the 1740s the clergymen of these churches were conducting revivals throughout that area. The Great Awakening spread from the Presbyterians of the middle colonies to the Congregationalist (puritans) and Baptist of New England.
The thesis of this book is that George Whitefield (1714-1770) changed the nature of Christianity by promoting and conducting mass revivals that exploited the weaknesses of institutional Christianity.
The Second Great Awakening was significant because reform movements were connected with religion. Most of reform movements were in fact influenced by the religious ideas expressed during the Great Awakening. Religious congregations and sermons challenged the true faith of people, and as a result different religious groups emerged in order to purify the society. With the ongoing religious revivals, different group of people also began to question the governing norms, which contradicted with religious teachings. In David Walker’s, “African American Abolitionist David Walker Castigates the United States for Its Slave System, 1829,” Walker also raised the question of African slavery, and how it did not agree with Christianity. Walker said:
The Second Great Awakening swept through the United States during the end of the 18th Century. Charles Grandson Finney was one of the major reasons the Second Great Awakening was such a success. Finney and his contemporaries rejected the Calvinistic belief that one was predetermined by go God to go to heaven or hell, and rather preached to people that they need to seek salvation from God themselves, which will eventually improve society has a whole. Finney would preach at Revivals, which were emotional religious meetings constructed to awaken the religious faith of people. These meetings were very emotional and lasted upwards of five days. Revivalism had swept through most of the United States by the beginning of the 19th Century. One of the most profound revivals took place in New York. After the great revival in New York Charles Finney was known ...
Religion of the protestant church was an important factor in the pre-war timeline culture. The Second great awakening, which occurred in the 19th century, greatly impacted American society. This new point of view in terms and matters of faith led northerners to cherish the theory of Christian perfection, a theory that in fact was applied to society in an attempt to eliminate social imperfection. On the other hand, southerners reacted by cherishing a faith of personal piety, which focused mainly on a reading of the Bible; however, it expressed very little concern in addressing society’s problems.1
The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival. It influenced the entire country to do good things in society and do what was morally correct. The Second Great Awakening influenced the North more than it did the South and on a whole encouraged democratic ideas and a better standard for the common man and woman. The Second Great Awakening made people want to repent the sins they had made and find who they were. It influenced the end of slavery, abolitionism, and the ban of alcohol, temperance.
In the 1830's, 1840's, and beyond, There is a Second Great Awakening. The Second Great Awakening had a decided impact on American society. In the following I will describe what the Great Awakening was and how it changed life in America.
Thirdly, Platt should be applauded for questioning the reality of American church culture. In chapter one, Platt says that many American churches define their success by bigger crowds, bigger building, and bigger budgets. He then compared the difference between the amounts of money raised to build an elaborate church with the money raised to send overseas to Sudan. The massive difference led him to question the system of American church culture. This is important because most American church pastors are afraid to go against the so-called
Winter, Gibson. Address. "Religious Social Ethics in a Postmodern World." Temple University, Philadelphia, 22 March 1995.
The Story of Christianity is a very informative summation; a continuation of Volume 1 which covered the beginning of the church up to the Protestant Reformation, while Vol. 2 dealt with the Protestant Reformation up to more modern time period. This author delivers a more comprehensive and deeper look into the development of Christianity, which includes particular events which had transpired throughout the world; particularly how Christianity has expanded into Central and South America. Gonzalez opens up this book with the “Call for Reformation,” where he shares with his readers the need for reform; the papacy had started to decline and was corrupt, in addition to the Great Schism, which had further weakened the papacy (p.8). The author explains how the church was not the only issue but that the church’s teachings were off track as well, seeing that the people had deviated from...
Christian Science is an idealistic and most radical form of transcendental religiosity. The study of Christian Science teaches a feeling of understanding of God's goodness and the differences between good and evil, life and death. The purpose of this paper is to address how the study of Christian Science helps us better understand the impact of globalization in America, as well as the impact of American on globalization. This paper is important because globalization features a dominant worldview. All throughout the world people believe, study and teach different types of religious movements that impact others. People need to better understand how certain religions modify, conflict with, and impact the world. First, it will discuss the life and work of the founder, Mary Baker Eddy. Secondly, it will examine the primary rituals and religious services of the Christian Science movement. Then, it will outline the precursors and history of the religion. In the conclusion, a response will be offered to the question of how Christian Science helps us better understand the impact of globalization on America and of America on globalization.
Hillar, Marian, and H. Richard. Leuchtag. "Liberation Theology: Religious Response to Social Problems." Humanism and Social Issues: Anthology of Essays. Houston: Humanists Involved in Greater Houston, 1993. 35-52. Print.
Phelps, William Lyon. "George Bernard Shaw," T.C.L.C. Sharon K. Hall ed. Detroit: Gale Research, 1980. vol. 3, 384-385
1989. 329-343. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO Host. Web. 26 February. 2010. Gutwirth, Jacques. “From the Word to the Televisual Image: The Televangelists and Pope John
To conclude, we can quote from Cazamian a few lines which show the essential characteristic of Shaw, both as a man and a writer: "His reason leads him to profess a socialism tempered with anarchy; to preach on ethics of assertive simplicity; to bring love, the family, and the future of the species under the disciplinary law of a common sense fortified with `eugenics' to turn the `Superman' into a biological and near reality."