I am excited about my new book, which just came out at the end of March. I chose the title, “America’s Awakenings” for it. Jonathon Edwards wrote books defending the First Awakening, and I started reading his narratives. I realized with surprise that even Edwards was too emotional for the times. I started wondering about the other awakenings, knowing almost nothing about them though I had been a Christian for decades, and an avid reader.

To my surprise, I found out that every awakening had its emotional excesses. I was no longer surprised by the lack of willingness to write about them. People were evidently just fearful to write about such emotional moments. But in my seventy years I have noted that people are often emotional and rarely rational. Does God not clearly see that and answer us according to our needs?

I go to great lengths in my book to state my Baptist background and stress that I am not charismatic. I have no doubt whatever that emotions are seized upon and ruthlessly used by the enemy. But I also recognize that God has long been working through emotions- remember the seventy that were gripped with prophesying? They included Saul, who evidently lost all reason while he was caught up in an emotional state. 

Tell me what you think. Finding that emotions were used of God so often in the awakenings was a game changer for me.

Pat