50. Part Five: The Church In The United States

Part Five
THE CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES
(From the Settling of Jamestown to the Present, 1607-1950)

• The Church Is Extended into the New World

• The Church Experiences a Great Awakening

• The Church and the War for Independ­ence

• The Churches in the New National Pe­riod

• The Church Experiences a Second Awak­ening

• The Church in a Time of Turmoil

• The Civil War and Reconstruction Periods

• The Church Faces Modern Problems

• The Church Seeks to Preserve the Faith

• The Churches Seek Co-operation and Union

• Looking Backward and Forward

PART FIVE THE CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES In this final section we shall see the Church establishing itself with the first white settlers in the wilderness on the Atlantic Coast, and pushing steadily westward as the frontier advanced. Periods of spiritual decline were followed by periods of awakening and revival under the leadership of such spiritual giants as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. The War for Independence created a sharp issue for the churches whose origins were English and whose ties with the mother country were still strong. After the Civil War and the Reconstruction period the Church became acutely conscious of social problems — to the ex­tent that it was in danger of losing sight of its central purpose. The increasing wealth of the nation and a new sense of leisure stimulated the building of beautiful churches and the founding of church col­leges. Worship became more and more formal and theology more openly liberal. A reaction set in. Small groups broke away from the established denominations and organized new churches, where the form of worship was simple and the message was the Biblical doctrine of salvation by faith. A new impulse toward co-operation among churches led to a number of international conferences. A tendency developed, especially among the liberals, to wipe out denominational differences and unite on the basis of beliefs held by all. Churches of the orthodox evangelical faith have formed associations of their own, for fellowship and united action in a world imperiled by the forces of evil.