American Christians Send Nation Spiritual Wake-Up Call
Christians from evangelical, charismatic and Pentecostal movements have united across the country to fast and pray for a spiritual awakening in the United States this month.
The first event this year is "21 Days for A New Awakening," a 21-day national fasting that began Jan. 1. Thousands of people have already signed up to join the nationwide fast, organized by Awakening America Alliance (AAA), in which participants can choose a variety of ways to participate.
Options include partial fasts, water fasts, Daniel fasts (only fruits and vegetables) and complete fasts. Some participants have committed to fasting for three days, ten days and even the entire 21 days.
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"This is significant when you see participation at this level in such a solemn action that is being done in recognition of the present condition of the American church," said Billy Wilson, AAA executive cabinet chairman.
"These groups uniting for this common cause is a unique moment in the body of Christ," he added. "We are joining together in broad participation and taking positive action."
The fasting period will be followed by several other national events this year, including the Awakening America Leadership Summit, which takes place in Northampton, Mass., in early April.
During the summit, Alliance members will focus on the condition of the American church and discuss possible steps that can be taken to bring about spiritual renewal for this generation. The summit location in Northampton is the same area where Jonathan Edwards pastored during America's first Great Awakening more than 250 years ago.
Additionally, a nationwide prayer meeting called Cry Out America is slated for all 3,141 counties in the United States on Sept. 11 – the day the country will remember the greatest wake-up call in today's generation.
County courthouses will be used as the gathering point for the event where people will unite in prayer for a new awakening in their particular area.
"The year 2008 promises to be a spiritually critical year for our nation," said Wilson. "The current condition of America demands united, decisive action. We need more than one positive election, more than one court decision, more than one good series of sermons-we must experience a new national awakening in our generation."
Wilson pointed out that only 17 percent of Americans attend church on any given Sunday and that the country has become the third largest mission field in the world. There is also high level of moral failure in Christian leaders, he said.
"The current state of the church, the moral confusion of American citizens and the lost condition of a new generation of Americans demands action, action that will provoke dramatic change and which will have a dynamic impact for Christ," Wilson declared.
The Awakening America Alliance, a non-partisan, cooperative effort of the body of Christ, has grown from 13 to more than 90 national leaders in two months.
Major Christian organizations, ministries, and denominations have joined the Awakening America Alliance such as Christian Broadcasting Network, Moody Broadcasting, Assemblies of God, Youth With a Mission, and Every Home for Christ and a growing number is being added each day.
"The Alliance is committed to collaborating together in prayer, fasting and national events throughout the year seeking spiritual renewal and transformation in individual lives and the American church," Wilson said.
On the Web: www.awakeningamerica.us
