Lexington, KY—A historic gathering of prominent Christian leaders from a broad coalition of denominationalbackgrounds and from across the United States assembled this week in Lexington, Kentucky, near the epicenter of the Second Great Awakening for a leadership summit in conjunction with the Awakening America Alliance (www.awakeningamerica.us).
The distinguished leaders gathered in Lexington near the sight of the historic Cane Ridge Camp Meeting to discuss the spiritual condition of our nation and to reflect on 20 indicators of a Christ-awakening in the Churchand in the American culture.
“We sense that this year’s Summit moved the Alliance into a stronger position for the days ahead,” said Billy Wilson, Alliance executive cabinet chairman. “The breadth of participation and the spiritual energy we experienced together were significant.
Ron Luce, founder of TeenMania Ministries, spoke passionately about the devastating condition of teenagers who are “cutting” to kill their emotional pain and teenagers who are dealing with complete sexualization of society where 90% of kids doing homework today see “click up” pornography. Luce said, “The millennial
generation is the first generation to be more influenced from outside of the home than from inside the home. Our kids are being taken away as slaves through vectors of media and sexualization.” He continued, “If current trends hold true only 4% of the millennial generation will be evangelical Christians.”
Among many other extraordinary speakers, Mrs. Vonette Bright, wife of the late Dr. Bill Bright and co-founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, author, international speaker and host of the national radio program Women Today
(www.womentoday.org), spoke about the condition of the Church. Bishop Wellington Boone, founder of Wellington Boone Ministries (www.wellingtonboone.com) and The Father’s House Church Norcross, Georgia,
inspired the Summit with a word about reaching people in every sphere of society, leading them into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, working through outreach and with the inner cities of America.
The speakers and leaders at this unprecedented Summit were encouraged and inspired both during their time in session and at a special prayer and communion service at the historic site of the Cane Ridge Camp Meeting. Summit participants also reflected on the degradation of America in the late 1700s and the sweeping changes that the Second Great Awakening brought to the nation.
Following the Revolutionary War, America entered a season of moral decline. In a population of approximately 5 million people, 300,000 were confirmed drunkards. Bank robberies were a daily occurrence, women were afraid to go out at night and in a survey of the student body at Harvard University, not one Christian was found.
The famous Cane Ridge Camp Meeting in 1801 was a new season of Awakening in America and Vanderbilt historian Paul Conkin stated that Cane Ridge as “arguably… the most important religious gathering in all of American history.”
The leaders at the Summit in Lexington agreed that America is in a current spiritual emergency just as it was in 1801 when as many as 20,000-30,000 pioneers gathered at the Cane Ridge revival seeking the unity of Christians along non-sectarian lines.
Wilson said, “As we reflected on America’s Second Great Awakening and the Cane Ridge Camp Meeting/Revival we saw great parallels with the spiritual condition of today’s America. Nothing less than a dramatic, transformational revival can turn America back toward Jesus Christ in our generation. The good news is that America has been spiritually desperate before. Then as now, the reaction of the church in uniting together to turn the tide has been the key.”
“We left Lexington realizing that this critical moment in our nation’s history pushes for us to seek divine help. Without divine intervention we will continue to witness the decline of one of the great societies in world history. We are beginning to witness signs that this help is on the way. We believe that a fresh Christ-awakening is in America’s future,” concluded Wilson.
“In light of the urgent needs in the heart of Americans and their churches — urban and suburban, rich and poor, young and old – the Awakening America Alliance AAA is pursuing what is vital and doing it the right way: commitment to Christ; united prayer across denominational, historical and demographic boundaries; authentic
collaboration; clear, measurable goals; and events that foster movements toward a spiritual awakening. I canʼt think of anything more important,” said Dr. Bob Bakke, senior teaching pastor of Bloomington Baptist Church (www.bbcmn.org) in Bloomington, Minnesota and producer of the Global Day of Prayer in the US.
David Ferguson, President of Intimate Life Ministries (www.committed.net), said, “Every great awakening has brought lasting transformation on American culture and there is no greater need in our day.”
Participants of the Summit are a part of the Awakening America Alliance (AAA), a non-partisan, cooperative effort of the body of Christ, which has grown to over 350 denominations, parachurch ministries and local churches along with several hundred individual such as CBN, Moody Broadcasting, Assemblies of God, Youth
With a Mission, Campus Crusade for Christ and Every Home for Christ have joined the Awakening America Alliance. New members are joining daily.
To learn more about the Awakening America Alliance and CRY OUT AMERICA , a nationwide 9/11 prayer gathering, or to become an Alliance partner visit www.awakeningamerica.us.