[Looking at history and our area’s unique political and religious attitudes.]

College awakening. Those terms often refer to the stirrings as a young adult. In this sequence, it is the very different religious experience akin to the first Great Awakening.

Jonathon Edwards (1703-1758) entered Yale University before he was thirteen, already fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. In four years, young Jonathon graduated valedictorian, after an intense conversion experience. Including a brief stint as pastor (1722-23) in New York, he received his Masters of Divinity in 1722 and remained as instructor (1724-26). His background was a Congregationalist (Puritan). He became associate to his grandfather and then pastor in 1729 at Northampton, the most prestigious church outside Boston. In 1734-35, a series of sermons resulted in revival with more than 300 people making professions. The religious intensity continued to spread across Massachusetts.

Recall, there was no communication except letters and personal travel.

Then in October 1740 George Whitefield, a Methodist from England, preached at New Haven, the home of Yale. He was followed by Gilbert Tennent, a Presbyterian from New Jersey. A senior at Yale, Samuel Hopkins, is recounted in his memoir “Thousands, I believe, were awakened…many professors of religion received conviction…The members of college appeared to be universally awakened.”

From there the awakening spread across the colonies. Consequently, came the establishment of Brown, Rutgers, and Darmouth, which are a core of the Ivy League. Ultimately the Awakening resulted in the Declaration of Independence.

How does that relate to today? On February 8, 2023, at Asbury University a small Methodist college in Wilmore, Kentucky,  a small group of students stayed in Chapel a little longer, then longer. A student shared “And we had no idea that the world was about to know God better.” The Editor of the student-run website noted, “Peers, professors, local church leaders, and seminary students surround me—all of them praying, worshiping, and praising God together.”

Over the next 16 days, an estimated fifty thousand people made a pilgrimage to the small campus. Students from 21 universities arrived. People from Russia and Japan arrived along with media, and the TikTok sensation. Unlike the paper trail of the original Great Awakening, this movement began global impact immediately.

Four hours down the road in Cleveland, Tennessee, students at Lee University were experiencing the awakening with the Chapel filled for two weeks. Just ten days from the beginning of Asbury, Cedarville University was undergoing similar experience. Also in February, baptisms were conducted in public fountains at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Auburn University in Alabama had 5,000 show up for a night of worship  with two hundred baptized. In March 2024, thousands gathered at University of Alabama with hundreds baptized in the fountain. Across the state line at Florida State University, a noted party school, thousands became believers with hundreds baptized. One student comment about the happening was the emphasis on finding a church home.

Episcopal Bishop Breidenthal reflected on the present day religious revival at Princeton. “Does this movement bear any relation to the original revival that gave birth to Princeton? I think it does.”

Joshua Robinson, a University of Oklahoma senior, gave the impetus to fill the 60,000 seat football stadium with worship and evangelism. After 5-months, he and best friend Nathan Wong, received approval from the University on February 8, the same day the Asbury venture began. In one week the tickets were gone for the May 2023 event.

On September 19, 2024, over 10,000 students from 67 universities converged on University of Arkansas for a night of revival with testimonies of dramatic transformations. Other striking happenings are at University of South Carolina and Texas A&M University.

We wrote recently about the awakening among the hyper-wealthy and influential. This collegiate awakening is with Gen Z, the opposite end of the spectrum.

With lilliputian coverage from traditional news forums, undoubtedly there are many more stories than we are aware.

A February 28, 2023, time.com article conveyed opinion about a “fair share of skeptics.” “Or, perhaps even worse, there is the fear that such revivals are a cover or propellant for problematic politics, akin to the collective effervescence of a Trump rally.”

Think about it. It is happening across the age-spectrum and wealth-spectrum. What is an awakening? Is it a genuine religious event? Does religious awakening impact your politics? The magazine sees Christianity expression as problematic for them. Or, is it the solution to problems as proclaimed by the awakened? It is a binary choice. That decision determines your lifestyle, contribution, and future.