Episode Details

As part of the ongoing America 250 series, this episode of Faith & Clarity features Dr. Mark Turman joined by Dr. Ryan Denison for a conversation about spiritual awakening—what it means personally, within the church, and across an entire culture. Drawing from Acts 2 and the recurring pattern of rebellion and return throughout the Old Testament, they reflect on the Holy Spirit’s sovereign role in revival and why true awakening cannot be manufactured through formulas or emotional moments alone. Together, they discuss the importance of repentance, discipleship, and genuine transformation, while cautioning against responses driven primarily by peer pressure or temporary enthusiasm.

The conversation also explores the historical impact of the First Great Awakening, inspired in part by the film A Great Awakening and Ryan’s earlier discussion on Reconstructed Faith. Mark and Ryan highlight the influence of George Whitefield’s preaching, Benjamin Franklin’s friendship with Whitefield, and how a shared spiritual revival helped shape unity among the colonies and contributed to the ideas surrounding the American Revolution as America approaches its 250th anniversary. They also consider the mixed influence of modern media, the dangers of transactional faith, and close the episode with a lighthearted patriotic quiz.

Topics

• (0:00) Introduction
• (3:16) Defining awakening
• (7:47) Biblical foundations
• (24:39) Great Awakening lessons
• (32:55) Awakening and revolution
• (35:34) Revival unites colonies
• (40:19) Reformation to Great Awakening
• (43:43) Back to the Bible
• (47:50) Transactional faith warning
• (52:54) Whitefield and Franklin friendship
• (57:54) Patriotic quiz finale
• (1:02:33) Conclusion

Resources

• A Great Awakening 
• Can It Happen Again? Lessons from the First Great Awakening with Ryan Denison, PhD & Jim Denison, PhD
• “A Great Awakening” and the future of America
• Ask Us Anything: info@denisonforum.org
• Sign-up for a Denison Forum newsletter: DenisonForum.org/subscribe

About Dr. Ryan Denison

Dr. Ryan Denison is the Senior Editor for Theology at Denison Forum and the author of The Focus newsletter, contributing writing and research to many of the ministry’s productions. He holds a PhD in church history from B. H. Carroll Theological Institute and an MDiv from Truett Seminary. Ryan has also taught at B. H. Carroll and Dallas Baptist University.

He and his wife, Candice, live in East Texas and have two children.

About Dr. Mark Turman

Dr. Mark Turman serves as the Executive Director of Denison Forum, where he leads with a passion for equipping believers to navigate today’s complex c