Staff Reports
In a time when the state of American society seems like a rollercoaster ride of madness and despair, Founding Father Benjamin Franklin has gifted us with invaluable wisdom about the transformative power of Christian revival.
Ben Franklin Stunned by Great Revival's Impact: People Went From Indifferent to Fervent Believers https://t.co/1ic2npJavG pic.twitter.com/zJjbYHkJCy
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Some might scratch their heads at this, because after all, Franklin wasn’t exactly known for wearing a “I ♥ Jesus” T-shirt around town. In fact, he was more of a man of reason, a man of Enlightenment, and definitely not your stereotypical religious zealot. But let’s not get it twisted: Franklin did believe in a higher power, and he believed that the principles of Christianity were like a big ol’ spoonful of sugar that could help the societal medicine go down.
The man was low-key about his faith, but he didn’t shy away from speaking the truth. He straight up said that Jesus Christ’s “System of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, [is] the best the World ever saw or is likely to see.” If that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is.
Now, let’s talk about the Great Awakening of the 1730s. And no, we’re not talking about waking up and realizing you’ve accidentally hit “snooze” a billion times. This was the real deal, folks. It was a Christian revival that spread like wildfire throughout the 13 colonies, all thanks to the passionate preaching of folks like George Whitefield. This guy was basically the Billy Graham of his time, and even the least likely candidate for an altar call, Benjamin Franklin, was moved to empty his pockets of all his cash during one of Whitefield’s meetings. I mean, come on, you know the guy was bringing the heat when he was able to convince an infamous penny-pincher like Franklin to drop some serious coin, literally.
Whitefield’s preaching was so powerful that even Franklin’s scientific mind was blown away. He calculated that Whitefield’s voice could be heard by over 30,000 people — that’s like a sold-out stadium, people. And the impact was tangible; the manners of the entire population changed practically overnight. It was like everywhere you turned, someone was belting out “Amazing Grace” in the streets. Seriously, if that ain’t a religious revival, I don’t know what is.
But let’s fast forward to today. Ché Ahn, a pastor with more wisdom than Solomon, believes that we need another awakening like the Great Awakening. He thinks it’s the secret sauce we need to bring unity and courage to our fractured society. And he’s not just blowing smoke, folks. He points to history and says, “Look, the first Great Awakening led to the Declaration of Independence and the abolition of slavery. Revival transformed a nation, people!”
Ahn is a living example of the power of revival, having found Jesus during the Jesus People movement of the late 60s and early 70s. He’s not just talking the talk, he’s walking the walk, and he’s calling for a similar transformation today. Because let’s face it, our country could use a serious dose of unity and courage right about now.
Benjamin Franklin and the Great Awakening weren’t just relics of the past; they were the real deal, and we could use a healthy dose of that same spiritual adrenaline today. Because if it can bring unity and courage to a bunch of 13 colonies and lead to the end of slavery, who knows what it could do for us today, am I right? Let’s bring back that good ol’ time religion and see if we can’t work some miracles in our own time.
