Part of our "revivalism" is to get a bigger church off a bigger ego.
I remember a Study Course in Training Union---which dates me to the 50's! It was on the history of Baptists and claimed we came before other groups and dated back to John the Baptist----which trumps Jesus since John baptized him. It was triumphalism at it's best!
Later, in Seminary, I realized it was the Landmark (Trail of Blood) influence and generated from Texas---so that says a lot! Even Baptists get the drug of "bigger and better" if it comes from Texas!
Having pastored the Noonday Baptist Church with its original minutes dating to 1833 and laminated and preserved by the GA Archives, I was able to take a look at common practices of Frontier Religion before the days of many formal courts and justice in the civic area of our growing country.In that era, Revivals were sometimes called "Protracted Meetings." That meant they had a week set aside and voted at the end of week whether to extend it or not. It was the only time of the year when church membership was open to those who walked the aisles. For proper community trust one had to be "in good standing" with the churches prevailing in the area.
One of the most protracted Revivals resulting in many coming forward was preceeded by the kicking out of a lady accused of low morals. Anyone with common sense could read between the lines. She had been happily "visited" by many men in the community. The fat hit the fan and "church justice" prevailed. Now, what do all these men do----except put on a big show of religious furvor to convince their wives they had "got re-lig-eun!"