My Song - My Parlor Guitar

I have been concentrating lately on the Story portion of this blog and not the Song portion. So today I thought I’d lighten things up and talk about my “little” guitar.
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When I was young I had a Martin 0-16NY guitar. This was a very plain instrument and it was strung for folk style playing, so I could only use steel strings that had silk cores. It was a wonderfully crafted instrument. However I had a lot of trouble with intonation. Martin never used compensated bridge saddles. I traded it for my Ovation Classic Electric that I played for many years. But I always missed my small sized parlor guitar.

I bought this guitar a few years ago. It’s a Seagull Grand parlor guitar. Back in the 19th Century guitars were quite different animals than they are today. First of all they were all strung with gut string which was brittle, but there was not as much tension on the neck and body. Spanish style guitars had slightly larger bodies than the common household guitar that was commonly known as a parlor guitar. No one has parlors in their home any longer. A parlor is what we call a living room or family room. Before TV and radio, folks would gather in the parlor for conversation and entertainment or just to read a book.

The Seagull fits the bill. The construction is not quite as fine as the Martin, but it is still a quality instrument. The top is Canadian cedar and is solid. The back and sides are made of 3 ply cherry wood. The neck is mahogany and is made in the old style of cutting the headstock end off at an angle and re-attaching it by reversing it for the angle break. The headstock is also sort of a triangle shape so that the strings all have a straight pull from the bridge pin to the tuning keys. An added feature is the neck attaches to the body at the 14th fret. Most parlor guitars attach at the 12th fret, in the tradition of classical and flamenco instruments. Those extra two frets can be very helpful in playing.

The sound is a little less than you would get from a larger bodied guitar. I lowered the action and it fingers nicely. The neck is somewhat larger than what a lot of folks like, but I'm used to wider necks as long as the action is not too high.

Christian Music History 101 - An Introduction

Matthew 26:26 - Mark 14:26And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins. But I say unto you, I shall not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the mount of Olives.

Being Jewish, Jesus and his disciples would most likely have sung the psalms from memory. Would it not be wonderful to hear our Lord and His disciples singing?

In that time period, since there was no way of transcribing music the repertoire of ordinary people was much greater than it is today, so they probably knew other songs too. Early Christians continued to sing the psalms much as they were sung in the synagogues in the first century.

Aside from hymns taken from the Bible itself, the earliest hymn still in use today is probably O Gladsome Light or Phos Hilaron as it was known in Greek. In the fourth century, Basil the Great referred to it as already being a rather old hymn.

Hymns are formal expressions of praise or declarations of God's truth. Troparia and Kontakia are two early forms of hymns that became incorporated into the Church's worship. The former being a series of short verses of only one stanza that would be sung near the end of vespers (evening prayer.) The latter is named from the Greek word for pole, describing the way the words were unfurled from a scroll. This is a more poetic form of song.


At the conclusion of the Fifth Ecumenical Council, Emperor Justinian I is reputed to have composed a hymn summarizing the council's conclusion, Only begotten Son. That hymn was since incorporated into the Divine Liturgy of John Chrysostom and is still widely sung today.

Several traditions of plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied singing, developed in the Christian West: Around the 8th to 10th centuries, Gregorian chant arose.


The name "Gregorian" probably originally referred to Pope Gregory II, but the chant eventually became associated with his predecessor Gregory the Great, whose great stature gave Gregorian chant a reputation for antiquity and spiritual authority. So strong is the myth of Gregory's authorship of the chant repertory that it is popularly believed even today.

The tradition of Christian hymns in the English language is closely tied to Protestantism.

Early Printing Mighty Fortress

Protestant hymns can range from the Reformation organ pieces of J. S. Bach to the American folk hymns found in The Sacred Harp. Martin Luther composed a number of hymns in the 16th century, reportedly borrowing some of their melodies from popular tavern drinking songs of that period. Another famous hymn composer is Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley






Some hymns, particularly Christmas carols, are widely embraced by various denominations while many hymns are restricted to certain religious traditions. In some cases this is due to doctrinal differences reflected in the words of the song but in many cases it is the result of tradition and the use of denominationally produced or approved hymnals.

The use of hymns was a factor in several historic schisms among Protestant denominations with more traditional members insisting on the use of only the psalms in the service.

Christian music has always adapted to the faith of a people and the music styles that they embrace.

Negro Spirituals grew from African chants that field workers would sing to give some joy to their mundane, repetitive tasks.

Southern Gospel drew from quartet music that was popular in the late 19th century. It added traditional southern instrumentation. As the years progressed, this style has adapted to become more contemporary.


Contemporary Christian Music is a recent form that has derived from the need of today’s Christians to have worshipful songs that reflect the current musical style. Larry Norman started writing “Jesus Music” after his conversion. A duo in Great Britain, Malcolm and Alywn wrote similar music. As the wave of the Jesus Movement hit the USA, more and more musicians wrote songs expressing their new found faith.

I believe that the music styles of a church can be a barometer of the climate of faith for a church.

Zogby Poll - An Attempt To Legitamize The Hezbollah

James Zogby

Yesterday I was feeling sort of bad. I have a pinched nerve in my leg and it feels like someone is digging their fingernails into my outer thigh. So I soothed my pain with a big glass of iced water and a boloney sandwich and flipped through the cable TV channels.

I seldom watch C-Span, but I recognized the name of the man on TV and stopped and listened to what he had to say. This was James Zogby.

Dr. James Zogby who was once connected to the Democratic National Party and runs a very prominent polling institute called Zogby International. He is also the head of The Arab America Institute.

Zogby is Lebanese. Now I have known folks of Lebanese descent. When I was growing up, the family next door was originally from Lebanon. As I was older and married, my wife worked with my neighbor and they became close friends. We all recall Danny Thomas, the actor/singer/nightclub performer and founder of St. Jude’s Hospital was proud of his Lebanese heritage.

Zogby had run a poll of Lebanese citizens and determined that a large percentage hated America and an even larger percentage hated Israel. In fact out of all Lebanese, the preferred Syria over America by close to a 90% margin and it did not matter if they were Shia or Sunni Muslims or Maronite Christians. An even larger margin hated Israel. Both the Shia and the Sunni said they were in favor of the pro-Shiite Hezbollah.

“Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” George Santayanna

May 1958 was the start of a bloody Lebanese Civil War. Shortly after this, my neighbor and her entire family immigrated to the USA.

Much of this Civil War was due to political factions from Syria and Iraq fighting the rebel leaders within Lebanon that were wrestling for control of the government. United States and British forces were forced to be involved within that Country to help bring peace to the region.

Another conflict broke out in the 1970's between Palestinian Liberation Organization in Israel and the Lebanese. Sunni and Shia were set against each other. During this time the PLO set to push the Maronite Christian community.

From 1958 to the present day there have been no less than 31 military conflicts within Lebanon.


Zogby’s poll would lead us to buy into the fact that the continuous upheaval within Lebanon is the fault of Israel or the fault of the USA and present us with the legitimacy of the Hezbollah.

Quite frankly, you can make a poll state any facts that you want it to depending on the data being used and the phrasing of the queries.





The Hezbollah is a radical group dedicated to the sole purpose of annihilating an entire religion and group of people. Dr. Zogby, there is no validity to the Hezbollah as there was no legitimacy to the Nazi regime. Any organization with this premise defies the laws of God, nature and civilized man.

Roman Catholicism

The Church traces its origins to Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, in particular Simon Peter, the leader of the Apostles, who is regarded as the first Pope.

The term "Catholic Church" was first used in a letter by Ignatius of Antioch and Catholic writers list a number of references which point to at least a 'first among equals' status for the See of Rome from the very earliest times.

The New Testament contains warnings against teachings considered to be only masquerading as Christianity, and shows how reference was made to the leaders of the Church to decide what was true doctrine.

The Catholic Church claims to be the continuation of those who remained faithful to the leadership and rejected divergent teachings.

The New Testament contains warnings against teachings considered to be only masquerading as Christianity, and shows how reference was made to the leaders of the Church to decide what was true doctrine. The Catholic Church claims to be the continuation of those who remained faithful to the leadership and rejected divergent teachings.

The core beliefs of the Catholic Church are shared by the majority of other Trinitarian Christian groups. Its catechesis makes use of the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed, which are accepted also by most major Christian denominations. The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives a rather detailed account of its beliefs.

Catholics place particular importance on the Church as an institution founded by Christ and kept from doctrinal error by the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit, and as the font of salvation for humanity.

The seven sacraments, of which the most important is the Eucharist, are of prime importance in obtaining salvation.

The principal sources for the teachings of the Catholic Church are the Sacred Scriptures and Sacred Tradition. The original language of most of the Old Testament is Hebrew or Aramaic, but several books or portions of books were written in Greek. The New Testament was also written in Greek.

In his 1943 encyclical letter, Divino Afflante Spiritu, Pope Pius XII encouraged Biblical scholars to study diligently these original languages and other cognate languages, so as to arrive at a deeper and fuller knowledge of the meaning of the sacred texts.

Catholicism is monotheistic. It acknowledges that God is one, eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing and omnipresent. God exists as distinct from and prior to his creation (that is, everything which is not God, and which depends directly on him for existence) and yet is still present intimately in His creation.

Catholicism is Trinitarian as it believes that, while God is one in nature, essence, and being, this one God exists in three divine persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each identical with the one essence, whose only distinctions are in their relations to one another: the Father's relationship to the Son, the Son's relationship to the Father, and the relations of both to the Holy Spirit, constitute the one God as a Trinity.

The Church teaches that salvation to eternal life is God's will for all people, and that God grants it to sinners as a free gift, a grace, through the sacrifice of Christ. Man cannot, in the strict sense, merit anything from God It is God who justifies, that is, who frees from sin by a free gift of holiness (sanctifying grace, also known as habitual or deifying grace).

Man can accept the gift God gives through faith in Jesus Christ and through baptism. Man can also refuse the gift. Human cooperation is needed, in line with a new capacity to adhere to the divine will that God provides. The faith of a Christian is not without works, otherwise it would be dead.

There are seven sacraments within the Roman Catholic Church. They are Baptism, Eucharist Confession, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders or ordination of clergy and Matrimony.


The current disagreements between Evangelical Protestants and Catholics are perhaps based on misconceptions.

One point of contention is whether or not Catholics worship statues and saints.

According to Catholic sources, the statues are works or art that are reminders of someone that had a close relationship with God. Saints of course were admirable individuals that serve as role models and whose lives are studied, much as Protestants would study the life of Peter or Paul.

Another point of disagreement is whether or not Catholics pray to the saints.

Catholic sources site Revelation 5:3 where John depicts the saints in heaven offering our prayers to God under the form of "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." If the saints in heaven are offering our prayers to God, then they must be aware of our prayers.


They are aware of our petitions and present them to God by interceding for us. The answer to this is, yes they ask saints to invoke God upon their behalf.


The Eucharist or Communion is another point that Protestants and Catholics disagree upon.

The Catholic point is the bread and wine take upon divine characteristics and become the actual body and blood of Christ, whereas the Protestant belief is that this is strictly a ceremony derived from the Jewish tradition of Passover and it is done to remember Jesus’ death and resurrection.

The final disagreement is upon the reverence of Mary the mother of Jesus. You may note that there are Catholics that have differing viewpoints regarding this.

The Protestant view puts the mother of Jesus as someone who was very special and was chosen of God to bear and raise His Son.

Because of this Divine Motherhood. The Catholic Church depicts Mary as a person that can intercede with her son on our behalf. They also say she was not subject to original sin that beset Eve, because Mary was a virgin when she conceived Jesus. This is called Immaculate Conception.

Catholics have bestowed the title of Perpetual Virgin upon Mary which is incongruent with Protestant beliefs.

The Catholic Church believes in The Assumption of Mary which states that at the end of her life she was taken up to Heaven or Assumed into Heaven, not leaving corporeal remains. The same can be said for Enoch and Elijah in Old Testament sources.

Another very contemporary and radical belief that some members of the Catholic Churchhave promoted is that of Mary as Co-Redemptrix. This meaning that she cooperates with Jesus, through her special relationship as His Mother, in redeeming the world. Perhaps this was resultant of the recent apparitions of Mary throughout the world. Though this belief is held by some in the Church, Pope John Paul issued a decree before his death that there was only one Redeemer, Christ Jesus.

Due to these differences it is unlikely that any agreement will ever be sustained that would make Protestants accepting of the Catholic positions and beliefs. The same holds true for Catholics that hold fast to their Church teachings and feel that Protestants are in error for not accepting these truths. It is safe to say that there are possibly more similarities between the two groups than differences.

A final noteworthy point is that much of the mass is derived from the Jewish Sabbath Service.

As the Protestant Church has many different denominations and within differing factions among those denominations, we all can agree that Jesus is the Son of God Most High and came to redeem the world and turn us to His Heavenly Father. We should hold fast to that and not condemn each other.

The Fourth Great Awakening - The Jesus Movement

The Fourth Great Awakening is a religious phenomenon that some scholars, notably economic historian Robert Fogel, argue took place in the United State in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It should be noted that this terminology is controversial as many historians believe that the religious changes that took place during these years in the U.S. were not part of an "awakening", to be understood like the first three awakenings. Thus, the idea of a Fourth Great Awakening itself has not been generally accepted.

Call it what you will, it happened. I was there and I was a part of it.

Some religious groups which grew or were created during this period were Christian, though quite different from other Christian denominations. Christianity saw a great deal of change during this period, particularly new forms of Evangelical Christianity which emphasized a "Personal Relationship with Jesus" and formed into a number of newly styled "non-denominational" churches and "community faith centers."

The Fourth Great Awakening also saw the rise of nontraditional churches with conservative theology such as mega-churches and a growth of para-church organizations During these years, mainline Protestantism lost many members, due to the fact that people suddenly realized there was so much more to Christianity than going to church every Sunday and hearing the same boring sermon. This new found fervor expressed as a personal relationship with Jesus Christ awakened new life in the souls of those that embraced it and grew in their Christian walk.

The Jesus movement was the major Christian element within the hippie counterculture, or, conversely, the major hippie element within the Body of Christ. Members of the movement are called Jesus people, or Jesus freaks. The movement arose on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and spread primarily through North America and Europe, before dying out by the early 1980s. The Jesus movement left a legacy of various churches and other Christian organizations, an impact on the development of the contemporary Christian left, and Jesus music, which greatly influenced contemporary Christian music. The Jesus Movement was in essence Jesus Moving across the United States and across the world.

The terms Jesus movement and Jesus people were coined by Duane Pederson in his writings for the Hollywood Free Paper. The term Jesus freak was originally a pejorative label imposed on the group by non-Christian hippies, but members of the Jesus movement reclaimed the phrase as a positive self-identifier.

Though still a part of the broader hippie movement, the Jesus movement was partly a reaction against the counterculture from which it originated. Some people became disenchanted with the status quo and became hippies. Later, some of these people became disenchanted with the hippie lifestyle and became Jesus people. However, the Jesus movement kept many of the mannerisms and styles of the hippies, but changed the cultural content to reflect their newfound Christian faith. For example, the Jesus people gave hippie slang a Christian spin: "free love", instead of designating a rejection of traditional morality regarding sex, became the free (agape) love of God and people; phrases like "One Way" supplanted the focus on the individual with a focus on God, and; "Just Drop Jesus" replaced "dropping" acid.

The Jesus movement was restorationist in theology, seeking to return to the original life of the early Christians. As a result, Jesus people often viewed mainline denominations, especially those in the United States, as apostate, and took a decidedly anti-American political stance in general. The theology of the Jesus movement also called for a return to asceticism. Also, the Jesus people had a strong belief in miracles, signs and wonders, faith healing, spiritual possession and exorcism. The movement tended towards strong evangelism and millennialism. The group's theology rejected the excluded middle. What they lacked in theological depth, Jesus people made up for in zeal for Christ and love of others. They strived for social justice and seemed to simply be in love with Jesus. Some of the most read books by those within the movement included Ron Sider's Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger and Hal Lindsey's The Late Great 
Planet Earth.


Perhaps the most illustrative aspect of the Jesus movement was its communal aspect. Most Jesus freaks lived in communes. Though there were some groups, such as the Calvary Chapel movement, which did not live in communes, these remained more on the fringes of the Jesus movement. Within the commune, the group became more important than the individual, and communal sharing of possessions was the norm. Some of these communes became highly authoritarian.

There has been a long legacy of Christian music connected to the Jesus movement. Jesus music, also known as gospel beat music in the UK, primarily began when some hippie and street musicians of the late 1960s and early 1970s converted to Christianity. They continued to play the same style of music they had played previously, but began to write lyrics with a Christian message. Many music groups developed out of this, and some became leaders within the Jesus movement, most notably Larry Norman, Barry McGuire, Love Song, Second Chapter of Acts, Phil Keaggy, Randy Stonehill Randy Matthews, Andraé Crouch (and the Disciples), and later Keith Green. The Joyful Noise Band traveled with a Christian community throughout the U.S. & Europe, performing in festivals held underneath giant tents. In the UK, Malcolm and Alwyn were the most notable agents of the gospel beat.


Perhaps the height of the Jesus movement was in the week-long gathering in Dallas, Texas known as Explo '72, which brought the hippies of the Jesus movement together with young people from traditional, Christian families and churches.

The Jesus Movement declined towards the end of the 1970's. By the early 1980s, the Jesus movement had, for the most part, died out. Its influence persists, however, in the alternative Christian music industry, Calvary Chapels, and JPUSA (Jesus People USA), all of which found ways to stay relevant in a rapidly changing culture. Christian writer Maynard Pittendreigh made the observation that most of those in the Jesus movement moved as individuals into different churches. Some moved into the Calvery Chapels with its emphasis on charismatic theology, less traditional worship and contemporary music, while others moved into very traditional and liturgical churches.

The Jesus Movement spawned other changes within traditional Christianity. The Charismatic Movement was an outgrowth of the Jesus Movement. It blossomed not only in Protestant groups but in Roman Catholic groups as well. Evangelistic organisations such as Billy Graham’s Crusade and David Wilkerson Ministry became focal points of the Jesus Movement. The fervor resulted in the growth of religious schools such as Oral Roberts University and Liberty Bible College. As the young Jesus People matured they filtered into mainstream society and churches. They raised families, they felt the need to be in the world, but not of the world. One outgrowth that we see today is the Home School Movement. The values the Jesus People still embrace cause them to shield their children not just from the perils of peer pressure and associated vices, but what these Christian parents perceive as public instruction that is not congruant with the teachings of the Bible.

In hindsight we see that these Four Great Awakenings have left their mark in some way on American society and a spark of each is still kindling today.

The Third Great Awakening

The Third Great Awakening was a period of religious activism in American history from 1858 to 1908. It is also called the Missionary Awakening or Social Gospel Movement. The awakening in so many cities in 1858 started the movement, but in the North it was interrupted by the Civil War. In the South, on the other hand, the Civil War stimulated revivals, especially in Lee's army.

D.L. Moody

After the war Dwight Moody made revivalism the centerpiece of his activities in Chicago (see Moody Bible Institute). The hymns of Ira Sankey were especially influential.

Gilded Age plutocracy came under harsh attack from the Social Gospel preachers and with reformers in the Progressive Era. Robert Fogel identifies numerous reforms, especially the battles against child labor, compulsory elementary education and the protection of women from exploitation in factories.

In addition there was a major crusade for the prohibition of alcohol, as well as attacks on cigarettes. The major religious denominations all sponsored growing missionary activities inside the United States and around the world. Colleges associated with churches rapidly expanded in number, size and quality of curriculum. The YMCA became a force in many cities, as did denominational youth groups such as the Epworth League (Methodist) and the Walther League (Lutheran).

Mary Baker Eddy

The Third Great Awakening was a series of attempts at creating new belief systems in the face of assertions that the Bible was fallible. Mary Baker Eddy introduced Christian Science, which gained a national following. Modernist Christianity, a more moderate approach, attempted to reconcile or change the teachings of the Bible to fit with new scientific theories.

Salvation Army Band

In 1880 the Salvation Army denomination arrived in America. Although its theology was based on ideals expressed during the Second Great Awakening, its focus on poverty was of the Third Awakening

Another aspect of the Third Great Awakening is the Azusa Street Revival, also known as Miracle At Azusa Street and And The Fire Still Falls, (1906–1909) took place in Los Angeles, California and was led by William Seymour (1870–1922), an African American preacher.

The Azusa Street Revival was the launching pad for a worldwide Pentecostal renewal. The main feature of this Pentecostal outpouring was the "baptism with the Holy Spirit," an experience subsequent to salvation, which is evidenced by speaking in other tongues. This was the crown jewel restored by what many called the "second Pentecost." There were, however, spiritual flashes that preceded Azuza, which prepared the way for its inauguration.

On January 1, 1901, in Topeka, Kansas, Agnes Ozman, a student at Charles Parham's Bethel Bible School, spoke in tongues. Sometime later, Parham himself had the same experience and from then on preached that all believers who sought the tongues experience diligently would be recipients of the blessing. Most recognize Parham as the founder of the Pentecostal movement.

Parham, an avid holiness preacher, was nurtured in the culture of religious experience. In his search for something more, tongues became the celebrated encounter filling that void.

In 1905, a zealous black holiness preacher by the name of William J. Seymour came under the tutelage of Parham in Alvin, Texas, a few miles south of Houston. It wasn't long before Seymour received the tongues experience and took the Pentecostal message to Azuza Street in Los Angeles. While there were spiritual ignitings before the flame reached Azuza, it was there that the flame turned white hot and began to spread all over the world. After Parham and Seymour received tongues experiences, they began an ambitious effort to spread what they believed to be the restoration of a glorious apostolic doctrine: the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

Parham taught that Christ's return would occur on the heels of a worldwide Latter-Rain revival in which the Holy Spirit would restore miraculous gifts generating a great end time harvest. This Latter-Rain expectation died out in the early-1920s as Pentecostalism adopted certain tenets of dispensationalism.

During this same time period a similar series of events was reported in Wales. The news of the Wales revival piqued the interest of Joseph Smale, pastor of First Baptist Church in Los Angeles. He traveled to Wales to see the revival firsthand. After returning home and telling his congregation about the revival, he wrote that “fully two hundred of them came out of their seats and wept in penitence before the Lord.” Smale began holding daily services both in the afternoons and evenings, and continued to hammer away at the need for revival in Los Angeles and America. Church members then sought earnestly for the power of the Holy Spirit and His gifts. But after a 15-week diet of this preaching, the church board complained and Smale left to found First New Testament Church.

Another congregation, Second Baptist Church, also experienced division when Julia W. Hutchinson—an African-American—and several other members embraced the holiness belief that a second work of grace following conversion would purify the soul of its sinful nature. These new groups of believers, however, continued to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Whatever your beliefs Pentecostalism that sprung from this period stands as a classic restoration movement spawning several new sister movements that view the church as returning to her New Testament glory. The classic restoration motif of Pentecostalism that allegedly brought a greater hunger for spiritual reality was the "baptism with the Holy Spirit" evidenced by speaking in tongues

The Second Great Awakening

The Second Great Awakening was the second great religious revival in United States history and consisted of several kinds of activity, distinguished by locale and expression of religious commitment. This took place in the early part of the nineteenth century beginning in 1800.

Methodist camp meeting

In New England, the renewed interest in religion inspired a wave of social activism among Yankees. In western New York, the spirit of revival encouraged the emergence of new Restorationist and other denominations. It was also one of the influences on the Holiness movement.

Cane Ridge Revival

In the west especially at Cane Ridge, Kentucky and in Tennessee, the revival strengthened the Methodists and the Baptists, introduced into America a new form of religious expression—the Scottish camp meeting and helped the creation of new denominations, especially the Campbellites.

The Congregationalists in New England set up missionary societies, to evangelize the West. Members of these societies not only acted as apostles for the faith, but as educators, exponents of Eastern, urban culture. Publication and education societies promoted Christian education; most notable among them was the American Bible Society, founded in 1816. Social activism inspired by the revival gave rise to abolition groups as well as the Society for the Promotion of Temperance, and began efforts to reform prisons and care for the handicapped and mentally ill. They believed in the perfectibility of people and were highly moralistic in their endeavors.

Some of the larger religious movements with roots in the Second Great Awakening are the Churches of Christ, The Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Cumberland Presbyterians, Latter Day Saint movement, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

In the Appalachian region, the revival used the camp meeting (probably borrowed from Scotland) and took on characteristics similar to the First Great Awakening of the previous century. The camp meeting was a religious service of several days' length, with multiple preachers. Pilgrims in thinly populated areas looked to the camp meeting as a refuge from the lonely life on the frontier, but mostly they wanted to save their souls.

Charles Finney

The sheer exhilaration of participating in a religious revival with hundreds and perhaps thousands of people inspired the dancing, shouting, and singing associated with these events.

The first camp meeting took place in July 1800 at Creedance Clearwater Church in southwestern Kentucky. A much larger one was held at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, in 1801, attracting thousands of people. Numerous Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist ministers participated. It was this event that stamped the organized revival as the major mode of church expansion for denominations such as the Methodists and Baptists.

This event was also instrumental in the birth of the churches of the Restoration Movement, particularly the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), The Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ and the Church of Christ.

The great revival quickly spread throughout Kentucky, Tennessee & southern Ohio. Each denomination had assets that allowed it to thrive on the frontier. The Methodists had a very efficient organization that depended on ministers—known as circuit riders—who sought out people in remote frontier locations. The circuit riders came from among the common people, which helped them establish a rapport with the frontier families they hoped to convert.

Alexander Campbell

The Second Great Awakening exercised a profound impact on American history. The numerical strength of the Baptists and Methodists rose relative to that of the denominations dominant in the colonial period—the Anglicans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Reformed.

Efforts to apply Christian teaching to the resolution of social problems presaged the Social Gospel of the late 19th century. America was becoming a more diverse nation in the early to mid-19th century, and the growing differences within American Protestantism reflected and contributed to this diversity.

The effects of this Great Awakening still continue to shape the tenants of American Christianity to this day.