The American Religious Background That Influenced Adventists

Ellen White grew up in a devout Methodist family influenced by the environment of early-nineteenth-century New England revivalism. It is against this backdrop that one can better understand the style of expression that she and other early Adventists exhibited in their worship and social interactions.1EGWLM 917.2

The first decades of the nineteenth century saw the movement known as the Second Great Awakening. During this time revivals swept back and forth across America. It is estimated that participation in churches grew from approximately 40 percent to about 75 percent of the population between 1800 to 1835.³

Winthrop S. Hudson and John Corrigan, Religion in America, p. 130.

In the aftermath of the American Revolution people asserted their freedom and independence in all areas of life. The more traditional American churches such as Congregationalists and Presbyterians had to confront a loss of ecclesiastical authority. This reaction against conventional lifeless religious practice, together with a disdain for the formal clergy, led many Americans to believe that “common people” were more sensitive to spiritual things than were the “elite.” In the political realm, Federalism, with its rich and privileged class, was being challenged by radical Jeffersonian ideas of independence and self-determination. These and other factors led to rampant religious experimentation. Any approach that connected with the needs of common people became popular. The most popular and growing religious group in America during this time was the Methodists.1EGWLM 917.3