Go deeper with others.

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?

In 2025 we told the story of the 1809 Cape Cod Awakening – how a spiritual movement swept over the Cape leading sleepy churches to true faith in Jesus. That awakening was spurred by the young evangelist Barnabas Bates – who would later leave his faith. This week we begin telling “the rest of the story”: how someone walks away from faith – and, hopefully, how they can find their way back.