Changes

The '''Fourth Great Awakening''' was a religious awakening that some scholars, notably economic historian Robert Fogel, discern in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. The terminology is controversial&mdash;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 [[Great Awakening]]s. Thus, the idea of a Fourth Great Awakening itself has not been generally accepted.<ref>Fogel 2000</ref>  This article covers recent American religious history.

The '''Fourth Great Awakening''' was a religious awakening that some scholars, notably economic historian Robert Fogel, discern in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. This period of time also overlaps with another movement called the "[[Jesus Revolution]]", which could be considered part of the Awakening.

 

The terminology is controversial&mdash;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 [[Great Awakening]]s. Thus, the idea of a Fourth Great Awakening itself has not been generally accepted.<ref>Fogel 2000</ref>  This article covers recent American religious history.

 

==Trends==

==Trends==

Religion has shown great resilience in the face of secularizing pressures. Notable examples include the proliferation of mega-churches, the insurgence of populist denominations such as the Assemblies of God, the Latter-day Saints, and the Southern Baptists, and the post-World War II influence of three world-historical religious leaders: Martin Luther King Jr., Billy Graham, and Pope John Paul II.  Mega-churches won attention for the simple reason that 10 churches with 2,000 members were more visible than 100 churches with 200 members. The populist denominations’ growth coincided with the simultaneous decline of the mainline bodies. While the former trend did not come at the expense of the latter (it represented different fertility and retention rates, not switching), to the media and many ordinary observers those developments signaled the aggressive swelling of religious strength. Finally, it would be hard to find any other period of U.S. history that witnessed three leaders who captured the hearts and minds of millions of Americans as King, Graham, and John Paul did.

Religion has shown great resilience in the face of secularizing pressures. Notable examples include the proliferation of mega-churches, the insurgence of populist denominations such as the Assemblies of God, the Latter-day Saints, and the Southern Baptists, and the post-World War II influence of three world-historical religious leaders: Martin Luther King Jr., Billy Graham, and Pope John Paul II.  Mega-churches won attention for the simple reason that 10 churches with 2,000 members were more visible than 100 churches with 200 members. The populist denominations’ growth coincided with the simultaneous decline of the mainline bodies. While the former trend did not come at the expense of the latter (it represented different fertility and retention rates, not switching), to the media and many ordinary observers those developments signaled the aggressive swelling of religious strength. Finally, it would be hard to find any other period of U.S. history that witnessed three leaders who captured the hearts and minds of millions of Americans as King, Graham, and John Paul did.