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Barnabas Bates, the young preacher who sparked the Cape Cod Awakening of 1809, eventually walked away from the faith he had preached so fervently. His “walk away” started with lingering doubts and questions that he had about what he believed. But his doubt wasn’t the whole story of his eventual denial; he was also being pulled by the allure of wealth and fame, and pushed away by his harsh, loud, legalistic critics – critics who confirmed for him that he wanted nothing to do with their version of faith.

We’ve been studying the story of Barnabas Bates, the young Baptist preacher who ignited the Cape Cod Awakening in 1809. In 1819, just 10 years later, he publicly denounced his faith from the pulpit of the church he was leading in Bristol, RI. How does that happen? For Bates, like many others, his doubts led to questions that made him walk away. So what are we supposed to do with those questions?

At just 22 years old, Barnabas Bates led the Cape Cod Awakening, a spiritual renewal that changed the course of churches and towns across the Cape toward authentic, Christ-centered faith. He then left for Bristol, RI, where he was appointed as pastor for a successful church and began rubbing elbows with wealthy academics and businessmen. He had arrived – and his faith withered away as a result. How does that happen? How can success – and the pursuit of it – pull us away from our faith?