Drunk on the Millennium

After our class discussions this week, I wanted to dive deeper into the historical context that made millenarianism so appealing. The 19th century was an absolute hotbed for Christian movements promising the imminent arrival of divine intervention, but why did it all catch fire so rapidly?

Thinking back to the 1800s, the United States’ colonial society was facing upheaval on a variety of fronts: industrialization, revolutions, Enlightenment ideologies, continued colonization, and increasing population. With such great change, people were susceptible to beliefs that promised imminent order, peace, and perfect divine intervention.

Examples of these movements include the Shakers, whose beliefs appealed to those facing inequality because of the promise of an egalitarian society; the Millerites, whose simple, urgent message, accelerated by the printing press, spoke to those seeking imminent, all-consuming salvation; and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who appealed to those searching for belonging and special knowledge.

So how did this “drunkenness” come to be?

1. The time of upheaval made people feel unstable and uncertain, so they sought reassurance through emerging Christian ideologies.

2. Religious freedom emerged after centuries of persecution, accelerating beliefs and the creation of religious sects. 

3. The printing press spread messaging faster than ever before.

4. Revivals created physical environments where people experienced collective ecstasy, furthering the momentum behind millenarianism. 

5. Religious movements provided hope in an uncertain, unequal world, especially for the poor and vulnerable.

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