Tent Revivals
From a distance it may have looked like a traveling circus. In some respects it was. The image of a sprawling tent able to seat thousands of individuals was a common site in America’s heartland up through the late 1960s.
Tent revivals began in the late 1800s as a way to bring organized religion to frontier territories that lacked established churches. By the turn of the century, the concept behind the revival became more organized. Imitating a carnival like atmosphere, spirited holy men would assure those in attendance that their souls could be saved and by acknowledging sin, an eternity of damnation could be avoided. Often a person’s salvation hinged on the monetary amount they were able to offer.
From a distance it may have looked like a traveling circus. In some respects it was. The image of a sprawling tent able to seat thousands of individuals was a common site in America’s heartland up through the late 1960s.
Tent revivals began in the late 1800s as a way to bring organized religion to frontier territories that lacked established churches. By the turn of the century, the concept behind the revival became more organized. Imitating a carnival like atmosphere, spirited holy men would assure those in attendance that their souls could be saved and by acknowledging sin, an eternity of damnation could be avoided. Often a person’s salvation hinged on the monetary amount they were able to offer.
