1880-1903 The Fifth Great Awakening

A Global Preparation

It would be easy to view the period from 1880 to 1903 simply as a time of unusual evangelistic effort and success. The late 19th century was an age of immense contradiction; a time of unprecedented industrial progress, colonial expansion, and scientific confidence, yet also one of sprawling urban poverty, social upheaval, and deep spiritual anxiety.

Against this backdrop of Darwinism, industrial grime, and global ambition, most documentation of the era’s spiritual life surrounds the towering figure of Dwight L. Moody and the host of ministries born out of the 1857-59 “Prayer Meeting Revival.”

While historian J. Edwin Orr aptly regards this period as a ‘resurgence,’ (of the 1957-60 revival) a closer look at the world situation reveals that something more than just evangelistic success was afoot. This era was quite distinct in its global character, its multifaceted nature, and its profound preparatory effectiveness, setting the stage for the earth-shaking revivals of the 20th century.

Why We Regard It as a Fifth Great Awakening

The concept of “Great Awakenings” typically describes periods of intense religious revival that have a widespread and lasting impact on society. The First (c. 1730-1755) with Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, and the Second (c. 1790-1840) with Charles Finney and the camp meetings, reshaped the spiritual landscape of America. The revival of 1857-59 is often cited as the Third.

The period from 1880 to 1903, however, bears all the hallmarks of a distinct awakening, one that was arguably the first to be truly global in its scope and interconnectedness. It was characterized by three major streams flowing in parallel: highly organized mass evangelism, a radical new wave of student-led world missions, and a burgeoning hunger for deeper, supernatural experiences with the Holy Spirit.

While the central character was undoubtedly D.L. Moody, he was one part of a global symphony that God was orchestrating.

The Central Influence of D. L. Moody

The initial and most visible thrust of the awakening centred around the ministry of Dwight L. Moody, which can be described as “highly successful crusade evangelism interspersed with periodic revivalism.” Moody, a man without formal theological training and a former shoe salesman, was an unlikely candidate to lead a global movement.

He began his ministry in Chicago, gathering street children for Sunday School, and entered full-time Christian work in 1860 through the YMCA. He was God’s chosen vessel to take the sparks of the 1857-60 revival and ignite a fresh passion for God and for souls around the world.

The Moody-Sankey Partnership

A pivotal moment came when Moody partnered with the singer and songwriter Ira D. Sankey. Their dynamic was revolutionary. Moody delivered direct, heartfelt, and simple sermons, while Sankey prepared the ground and sealed the message with emotionally resonant gospel hymns played on a small portable organ. This combination of preaching and music was a powerful innovation.

Songs like Sankey’s “The Ninety and Nine” and Philip Bliss’s “Almost Persuaded” became anthems of the revival, touching hearts in a way that sermons alone often could not. The introduction of the “gospel song”—simple, personal, and focused on conversion—became a defining feature of modern evangelism, thanks to their partnership.

Shaking the British Isles

Moody and Sankey travelled to England a number of times, with their 1873-1875 campaign leaving an indelible mark. They arrived unheralded but left as household names. In the industrial heartlands of England and Scotland, plagued by poverty and social ills, their message of hope resonated powerfully.

Charles Spurgeon, initially cautious, spoke of their visit as “a gracious visitation” and a “very notable ingathering of converts,” especially at Newcastle and Edinburgh. Andrew Bonar, a veteran of earlier revivals, confirmed this, referring in his diary to “the tide of real revival in Edinburgh” and comparing it favourably with his own experience of revival 35 years earlier.

Their methodology was as important as their message. They insisted on interdenominational cooperation, bringing together Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Anglican leaders in unprecedented unity. They utilized meticulous organization with advance teams, mass choirs, and “inquiry rooms” where trained counsellors would speak personally with those who responded to the call for salvation.

This systematic approach ensured that the emotional impact of the meetings was followed by personal discipleship. Similar results followed them as they traversed England, Ireland, and Scotland, filling the largest halls in the land and seeing tens of thousands profess faith.

The Student Volunteer Movement: A Revolution in Missions

Moody returned to England in 1881-83 and had an astounding effect on a new breed of evangelists in the U.S., Britain, and across the world. Nowhere was this impact more profound than among university students. His mission in Cambridge in 1882 is legendary. He was initially met with derision by the intellectual and often arrogant student body, who mocked his plain American accent and simple preaching.

Yet, by the end of the week, his earnestness, sincerity, and clear presentation of the Gospel had won them over, leading to widespread conversions.

The most famous fruits of this visit were the ‘Cambridge Seven,’ a group of elite students, including the captain of the Cambridge cricket team, C. T. Studd, and a champion rower, Stanley Smith.

Their decision to renounce promising careers in Britain to become missionaries in China under Hudson Taylor’s China Inland Mission created a national sensation. That men of such high social standing and athletic prowess would “throw their lives away” for the Gospel captured the public imagination and inspired a generation.

This event was a catalyst for the formation of the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions (SVM). At a student conference hosted by Moody in Northfield, Massachusetts, in 1886, 100 students pledged themselves to overseas mission work. This sparked a movement that swept across campuses in North America and Europe, fuelled by the watchword: “The evangelization of the world in this generation.”

The SVM was a revolutionary force, mobilizing an army of young, educated, and zealous missionaries. Over the next few decades, it would send out over 20,000 missionaries to every corner of the globe.

Building an Infrastructure for the Kingdom

Moody’s genius was not just in preaching but in building institutions that would outlast him. He understood the need for trained lay workers who could bridge the gap between the pulpit and the people. To this end, he founded the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in 1886, designed to provide practical biblical and ministry training for ordinary men and women.

This model of accessible, missions-focused education was replicated worldwide. Thousands of young men and women volunteered for missionary work, and this Anglo-American impetus spread around the world, producing the world’s Student Christian Federation, which, in turn, provided a large proportion of the outstanding Christian leaders of the early 20th Century.

A Truly Global Awakening

While Moody was a central figure, his work was part of a much larger, spontaneous global movement. Other evangelists and movements, spurred on by his example, threw themselves into the harvest.

The Christian and Missionary Alliance was formed during this time by A. B. Simpson and the Christian Endeavour Movement was born out of a revival in Portland, Maine, in 1880-1881.

A pivotal development during this era was the Keswick Convention, which began in England in 1875 but gained significant international influence in the following decades. The convention emphasized teachings on the “higher Christian life” and sanctification, inspiring many to a deeper level of spiritual commitment and missionary service.

Sam Jones, the “Moody of the South,” J. Wilber Chapman, and the former baseball player Billy Sunday saw extraordinary success across North America. But the revival’s fire was truly global, with powerful movements exploding independently and setting the scene for the 20th century.

• In South Africa, the Dutch Reformed pastor Andrew Murray exercised a powerful ministry of teaching on the deeper Christian life. While not a crusade evangelist like Moody, his writings, such as Abide in Christ, and his emphasis on the Spirit-filled life fuelled a quiet but profound revival. He was instrumental in mobilizing prayer and missions within his own denomination, sending missionaries throughout Africa.

• This wave of evangelism wasn’t confined to America. The Keswick Convention movement, starting in England, promoted a message of “deeper life” and “victory over sin” that had a massive international influence, shaping the spirituality of many of the new missionaries. Figures like John MacNeil took this message to Australia, leading to significant renewal there.

• In Asia, revival hit Japan in the early 1880s, a remarkable event in a nation that had only recently opened to the West. The revival saw church membership increase from 4,000 to 30,000 in just five years, with Japanese leaders like Uchimura Kanzō and Danjo Ebina rising to prominence.

• In China, the China Inland Mission, under Hudson Taylor, experienced a large influx of new missionaries, including the famed Cambridge Seven. Their arrival energized the mission field and inspired a new level of sacrificial giving and prayer from supporters back home.

• In Korea, though the great Pyongyang Revival would erupt in 1907, the seeds were sown in this period. The first resident Protestant missionaries arrived in 1884-85. They focused on Bible translation, prayer, and empowering local believers, establishing a resilient, indigenous church that was being prepared for the massive growth to come.

• Evangelical revivals also surged in Canada, often through the ministry of itinerant evangelists. In places as far-flung as India, Madagascar, and across Central and South America, new missions were planted and churches were established, creating a global network of believers just in time for the next century.

The Pentecostal Precursor: Maria Woodworth-Etter

A crucial, and often overlooked, dimension of this era was the ministry of Maria Woodworth-Etter, a pioneer who was setting the scene for the Pentecostal outpouring of the early 20th century.

While Moody’s crusades were orderly and focused on a clear decision for salvation, Woodworth-Etter’s meetings were fiery, unpredictable, and supernatural. Her ministry represents the second, more experiential stream of this great awakening.

Born on an Ohio farm, Woodworth-Etter felt a call to preach after tragically losing five of her children to disease. In an era when it was considered scandalous for a woman to preach, she stepped out in faith, initially facing intense opposition.

However, the undeniable power in her meetings soon silenced many critics. Her evangelistic and healing campaigns throughout the United States were characterized by dramatic spiritual experiences that were largely absent from mainstream evangelicalism.

The hallmark of her ministry was what contemporaries called “the power of God.” People would fall into trances, sometimes remaining on the floor for hours, later reporting profound spiritual visions and encounters with Christ.

These phenomena were highly controversial, earning her the nickname the “Trance Evangelist” from a sceptical press. Yet for thousands of attendees, these were authentic encounters with the Holy Spirit.

Furthermore, Woodworth-Etter was a pioneer of divine healing ministry on a massive scale. She preached that the Atonement of Christ was for the body as well as the soul, and countless testimonies of miraculous healings were recorded at her services. This emphasis on a supernatural, miracle-working God created a deep hunger and expectation for signs and wonders.

Her reputation for powerful meetings grew, leading her to purchase an enormous 8,000-seat tent to accommodate the massive crowds that flocked to see her. She was a true Pentecostal precursor. Long before the Azusa Street Revival of 1906, she was familiarizing thousands with spiritual manifestations like falling under the power of the Spirit, prophetic utterances, and even instances of speaking in tongues.

She tilled the spiritual soil, making the ground fertile for the seeds of the Pentecostal movement. In 1912, she officially joined the young movement and preached widely in those circles until her death in 1924, cementing her legacy as a foundational “Mother of the Pentecostal Movement.”

A Preparatory Revival: Paving the Way for the 20th Century

Therefore, this period from 1880 to 1903 can be seen as far more than a ‘missionary revival’ or a series of successful evangelistic campaigns. It was a multifaceted, global awakening that uniquely prepared the world for the great outpourings of the 20th century. It accomplished this in two critical ways:

1. It Built the Global Infrastructure: The Moody-led, student-volunteer stream created the structures necessary for a worldwide revival.

It built an unprecedented network of mission societies, Bible schools, and interdenominational partnerships. It trained and dispatched a generation of leaders to nearly every nation on earth. When the fires of later revivals were lit, this network acted as a global transmission system, allowing the news and the experience to spread with incredible speed.

1. It Cultivated Spiritual Hunger: The Woodworth-Etter and Keswick-influenced stream created a deep spiritual hunger for more than just salvation. It reawakened the Church’s belief in a supernatural, miracle-working God and a Holy Spirit who could be experienced in power. It prepared the hearts of believers to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit that would become the hallmark of Pentecostalism.

This Fifth Great Awakening, therefore, acted as a crucial preparatory phase. It took the flame of the 1859 revival and established a strong, globally-connected church base. Simultaneously, it tilled the spiritual soil through a renewed emphasis on the Holy Spirit’s power.

This ensured that when the Welsh Revival (1904-1905) and the Azusa Street Revival (1906-1909) ignited, the world was uniquely ready for the fire. The structures were in place and the hearts were prepared, allowing the Pentecostal, Evangelical and (later) Charismatic movements to become the most dynamic and expansive force in 20th-century Christianity.

For further research:
D. L. Moody Wikipedia
Moody’s Story
D. L. Moody Britannica