Copyright © 2014 Michael Anthony Cobb All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation, or instruction. THE INTEGRATION OF REVIVAL METHODOLOGY, REFORMED THEOLOGY, AND CHURCH REVITALIZATION IN THE EVANGELISTIC MINISTRY OF ASAHEL NETTLETON __________________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________________ by Michael Anthony Cobb December 2014 APPROVAL SHEET THE INTEGRATION OF REVIVAL METHODOLOGY, REFORMED THEOLOGY, AND CHURCH REVITALIZATION IN THE EVANGELISTIC MINISTRY OF ASAHEL NETTLETON Michael Anthony Cobb Read and Approved by: __________________________________________ Timothy K. Beougher (Chair) __________________________________________ Adam W. Greenway __________________________________________ Michael A. G. Haykin Date ______________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE . v Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION . 1 Thesis . 3 Background . 4 Methodology . 14 Conclusion . 18 2. THE SECOND GREAT AWAKENING . 19 Moral Declension . 20 Church Decline . 25 The Incoming Tide . 38 Conclusion . 49 3. ASAHEL NETTLETON’S SPIRITUAL FORMATION . 54 Introduction . 54 Overview of Nettleton’s Life . 57 A Decade of Revitalization (1812-1822) . 87 Conclusion . 90 4. ASAHEL NETTLETON’S THEOLOGY . 92 Introduction . 92 Nettleton’s Ministry . 95 Nettleton’s Mentors . 99 iii Chapter Page Nettleton’s Message . 121 Conclusion . 153 5. ASAHEL NETTLETON’S METHODS . 154 Introduction . 154 The Results of Nettleton’s Methodology . 196 6. CONCLUSION . 218 Suggestions for Further Study . 223 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 227 iv PREFACE Alex Haley, the author of Roots, once said in reference to himself, “If you see a turtle sitting on a fencepost, you know someone helped.” That was my personal sentiment as I had the wonderful opportunity to sit in seminars with world-class scholars and top-flight theological students at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The steep learning curve that needed navigation, as well as the intellectual environment, stretched me as I sat briefly atop the academic world. It would be considerably difficult to express the level of gratitude warranted toward those who have helped me learn again to write at the graduate level, articulate a thesis, receive constructive criticism, and accept the challenge to achieve the highest degree conferred in academia. A deep level of thanks is due to the faculty of the Billy Graham School of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, with whom I had the honor of sharing a small portion of my life. They challenged and stretched my understanding of the gospel, in addition to spurring me to a higher degree of excellence in my personal life. In particular, I want to thank Dr. Timothy Beougher, my supervisor, as well as the other members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Adam Greenway and Dr. Michael Haykin. Their straightforward feedback, encouragement, and academic expertise were invaluable during the writing process. Certainly, I owe a debt of gratitude to the congregation and leaders of Fair Haven Baptist Church, who have allowed me the time required to study, commute to seminars, and write papers—all while being a full-time pastor. They encouraged me to pursue an advanced degree, arranged for paid time off to fulfill the degree requirements, and were willing to allocate resources to cover travel expense and purchase books. v Finally, I want to thank my wife and best friend, Terri, and our three beautiful, enthusiastic children—Joshua, Hannah, and Daniel. During this trying season of research, study, and writing, they have been a source of constant encouragement. This dissertation is dedicated to my wife in particular, who has always believed in me, even when others, including myself, did not! Michael Anthony Cobb Shelbyville, Tennessee December 2014 vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Regarded by one historian as being among the greatest evangelists in American history, 1 Asahel Nettleton (1783–1844) represents an evangelical enigma. During the New England phase of the Second Great Awakening, his contemporaries estimate that he was “the means of awakening no less than 30,000 souls.” 2 While Nettleton has been called the “forgotten evangelist,” 3 his ministry in nineteenth-century America was remarkable. When one takes into account the American population in the early nineteenth-century being only nine million, 4 and the fact that his ministry area was small and rural in nature, an equivalent awakening of souls in the latter part of the twentieth century “would be over 600,000.” 5 Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of his evangelistic ministry is not the size of his harvest, nor the fact that his methods were counter-intuitive, 6 or that a large percentage of his converts stood the test of time, but 1Thornbury concludes, “The fact is, that given the extent of his exposure, and the permanence of his converts, he very well may have been next to George Whitefield, the most effective evangelist in the history of the United States.” John F. Thornbury, God Sent Revival: The Story of Asahel Nettleton and the Second Great Awakening (Grand Rapids: Evangelical, 1977), 229. 2Bennett Tyler began Nettleton’s biography with these words: “It cannot be otherwise than interesting to read how the Lord led one whom some believed to have been the means of AWAKENING no less than thirty thousand souls. ” Bennett Tyler and Andrew Bonar, Nettleton and His Labours: The Memoir of Dr. Asahel Nettleton (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1975), 17, emphasis original. 3James Ehrhard, “Asahel Nettleton: The Forgotten Evangelist,” Reformation & Revival Journal 6 (1997): 68. 4Ibid. 5Thornbury, God Sent Revival , 233. 6James Ehrhard states, “Most surprising to modern readers is the discovery that Nettleton’s tremendous effectiveness occurred without any of the methods that modern evangelicals think are so 1 rather his strategy of intentionally going to churches that needed revitalization. Considered “waste places,” 7 these churches were already dead or in the process of dying before Nettleton felt led to hold meetings and pray for revival. The social context of New England and the spiritual condition of the churches during the Second Great Awakening suggest that Nettleton has much to teach modern evangelicalism. Indeed, the parallel for church revitalization today is striking. Among the array of books focused on the need for church revitalization, Harry Reeder notes that about 95 percent of North American churches have about 100 people in attendance, 80 percent are on a plateau or in decline, and thousands die every year. 8 Moreover, specialists in church health and growth have ominously concluded, that after many years, the initiatives to alter these trends are not yet producing significant results. Towns, Stetzer, and Bird conclude, Yet all our innovations, whether bold or common, haven’t done much good in terms of addressing the Church’s deeper issues. After 50 years of sprucing up our churches and spicing up our worship, the culture is less reached and those who go to churches less committed. There is something wrong—and innovation has not “yet” answered the deeper issues. 9 One could conclude from these seasoned experts that the church does not need greater innovation; it needs deeper renovation, the kind that Asahel Nettleton experienced and promoted during the Second Great Awakening. essential in evangelism. For example, in all his ministry, thousands came to solid, lasting faith in Christ, though Nettleton never once gave an ‘altar call.’” Ehrhard, “Asahel Nettleton,” 86. 7Thornbury defines waste places: “This expression meant that the churches were small in membership, spiritually inert, and often were unable to afford a full-time minister. It was generally known that the low state of religion here was attributable to events which took place in this region some sixty years previously.” Thornbury, God Sent Revival , 48. 8Harry Reeder, From Embers to Flame: How God Can Revitalize Your Church (Nashville: B & H, 2008), 7. 9Elmer Towns, Ed Stetzer, and Warren Bird, 11 Innovations in the Local Church (Ventura, CA: Regal, 2007), 236–37. 2 Thesis His portrait rests against the roof support, hidden from the eyes of what used to be admiring theological students. The once revered image of Asahel Nettleton stands tucked away amid dust and spider webs. 10 In an unfortunate miscarriage of historical recognition, 11 the life and ministry of Asahel Nettleton remains hidden within American evangelicalism. 12 Could it be that rather than looking in new directions for the solution to the ills that plague the North American church, evangelicals should look in the forgotten loft and reexamine the methodology of this great evangelist? Is it possible that rather than looking to innovation, the church should return to his strategy of renovation? The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze and present Asahel Nettleton as a significant template for modern church revitalization and renewal; the primary thesis arguing that the methodology and theology of this obscure evangelist present an effective model of renovation for the declining evangelical church. Moreover, this research project will contend that integrating the revival methodology and Reformed theology exemplified in Nettleton’s evangelistic ministry could enhance and strengthen