Question

question 5

which element was a key tenet of the great awakening?

• the idea that individuals play a role in their own salvation
• the idea that revolution was the only way to change society
• the idea that people are not as sinful as previously thought
• the idea that religion needs a strong, central authority

Explanation:

Analyze the Great Awakening

Using the Great Awakening knowledge point

The First Great Awakening (1730s–1740s) was a major religious revival in the American colonies that emphasized personal, emotional religiosity. It challenged traditional, formal church hierarchies by asserting that individuals could experience a direct, personal relationship with God and play an active role in their own spiritual salvation through repentance and conversion.

Evaluate the options

Using the Great Awakening knowledge point

• The idea that individuals play a role in their own salvation: This aligns directly with the revivalist message of personal conversion, individual spiritual agency, and the democratization of religious experience.
• The idea that revolution was the only way to change society: This is a political concept associated with the American Revolution, not a core theological tenet of the Great Awakening.
• The idea that people are not as sinful as previously thought: Revivalists like Jonathan Edwards strongly emphasized human sinfulness (e.g., "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"), making this incorrect.
• The idea that religion needs a strong, central authority: The movement actually fractured established churches and promoted individual conscience over centralized ecclesiastical authority.

Answer:

• (A) The idea that individuals play a role in their own salvation (Correct answer)
• (B) The idea that revolution was the only way to change society
• (C) The idea that people are not as sinful as previously thought
• (D) The idea that religion needs a strong, central authority