Revival on the Dance Floor: Peter Cartwright, Frontier Fire, and the Kind of Ministry We Need Today
- Brent Madaris
- 4 days ago
- 6 min read
By Brent Madaris, DMin
This morning, as I look at the Cumberland River in Clarksville, Tennessee, I am reminded that these waters once reflected the campfires, the horses, and the tireless footsteps of one of America’s most bold and colorful frontier preachers — Peter Cartwright. Most people who drive past this river today have no idea that this region once pulsed with the spiritual electricity of the early 19th-century Great Revival, nor that men like Cartwright carved gospel paths through these very woods and river bottoms.
But this land remembers.
In his autobiography, Cartwright often mentioned the “Cumberland country”—an expansive region shaped by the Cumberland River, stretching through what is now Kentucky and Tennessee. His journeys weren’t just about large camp meetings; they were also about humble visits to farmhouses, preaching in the “river bottoms,” and bringing faith to settlers living on the frontier.
Today, as we work to revitalize churches/communities, we can draw inspiration from Cartwright’s example. His commitment to bringing hope and renewal to the frontier reminds us that meaningful change often begins at the grassroots level—through personal connections, consistent care,
The Cumberland region—stretching across Kentucky and Tennessee—is one of the most spiritually electrifying landscapes in early American history. Long before paved roads, polished pulpits, and podcast preachers, men of God carved out ministries in a wilderness filled with danger, drunkenness, superstition, ignorance, and hunger for truth. Among the most colorful of these frontier heralds was Peter Cartwright (1785–1872), the fiery Methodist circuit rider whose ministry left an imprint on this entire region.
But the Cumberland story is not merely Methodist. Baptists, Methodists, and other evangelicals were all used by God during this era—often working independently (although sometimes in union campmeetings), occasionally disagreeing sharply, and yet participating in the same great movement of frontier revival. Their stories remind us how much God can do through ordinary men when the hour is dark and the need is great.
Today, as we face a fragmented, entertainment-saturated, sectarian religious climate, the lives of these frontier preachers call us back to a faith that is rugged, holy, courageous, and Spirit-empowered.
The Night the Dance Became a Revival Meeting - Frontier Fire
One of the most unforgettable moments in Cartwright’s ministry occurred when he sought lodging in a small town where the only available shelter was the local dance hall. When he entered the room, a young lady—captivated by the presence of this tall, confident stranger—walked up and invited him to join her on the dance floor.
Cartwright accepted her hand.
But as soon as they stepped into the center of the dance floor, the preacher stopped. Holding tightly to her hand, he proclaimed that he never engaged in anything without first asking God’s blessing upon it. Then, right there among the music, laughter, and swirling dancers, he dropped to his knees and began to pray.
The young woman desperately tried to pull away, but he continued praying—earnestly, boldly, pleading for God’s mercy on everyone present. The Spirit of God fell heavy upon the room. The young woman broke into tears and fell beside him, crying out for salvation. Other dancers fled for the corners. Several fell to their knees. The dance ended, and a revival began.
When Peter Cartwright left that town, the dance hall had become a place of prayer.
This is frontier ministry—fearless, Spirit-led, self-forgetting.
But Cartwright Was Not Alone: The Baptist Fire of the Frontier
To tell the spiritual story of the Cumberland region, one must speak not only of Methodists but also of Baptists, who were deeply rooted in the area and equally engaged in pushing back the darkness.
Many today might balk at mixing Methodist and Baptist history, but the frontier did not operate according to our neat denominational lines. These men often disagreed and debated on doctrine—and sometimes fiercely—but they fought the same spiritual battles. They preached repentance to the same drunkards, comforted the same grieving families, and stood against the same moral collapse.
1. John Taylor and the Revival Baptists of Kentucky
John Taylor (1752–1835), a Baptist pastor and historian, ministered in central and western Kentucky—the very soil where the Great Revival broke loose. Taylor saw entire communities awakened through fervent preaching, heartfelt repentance, and church discipline grounded in Scripture. His History of Ten Baptist Churches preserves the raw spiritual vitality of that era.
Like Cartwright, Taylor saw people fall under deep conviction during preaching. He recorded seasons where congregations wept openly, neighbors reconciled on the spot, and hardened sinners surrendered to Christ.
Taylor’s ministry overlapped geographically and spiritually with Cartwright’s world. Their doctrines were different, but their revival burden was the same.
2. David Barrow & the Baptist Revival Controversy
In the 1790s and early 1800s, Baptist preacher David Barrow traveled across Kentucky and Virginia with a striking blend of intellect, tenderness, and courage. He was known for preaching with such power that even hardened skeptics trembled.
At one meeting in Kentucky, the revival was so intense that people cried aloud for mercy. Many repented publicly. Families reconciled. The atmosphere resembled the same emotional outpourings found later at Methodist camp meetings.
But controversy erupted.
Some Baptists complained that Barrow’s services were too emotional, too dramatic, too similar to the sweeping Methodist revivals. His opponents insisted that such displays were “disorderly.”
Lewis Lunsford—a respected Baptist pastor—responded with one of the most memorable lines in early Baptist history. Defending the genuine work of the Holy Spirit, he said:
“Let them cry; they’ll pray better after.”
This phrase became a rallying cry among Baptist revivalists, validating the visible repentance and brokenness that so often attended gospel preaching on the frontier.
You can hardly find a better Baptist counterpart to Cartwright’s boldness.
United by Revival, Divided by Doctrines—but Still Used Mightily
In the early 1800s:
Methodists were thundering across the region on horseback.
Baptists were planting churches in cabins, glens, riverbanks, and tiny settlements.
Presbyterians were fanning the sparks at places like Cane Ridge.
They debated baptism.
They argued over free will and election.
They sometimes disagreed sharply.
But let this sentence be burned into our memory:
God used them all because holiness, courage, and conviction mattered more than their denominational labels.
I will never minimize the importance of doctrine, but I remind you, that what united them was greater than what divided them:
A hatred of sin
A love for souls
A belief in the authority of Scripture
A willingness to suffer for the gospel
A refusal to surrender to the moral collapse of their age
In a world as dangerous and lawless as our own, that unity of burden is more relevant than ever.
Why We Need Frontier Faith Today
We live in an age of:
extreme partisan/sectarian Christianity
denominational suspicion
social-media tribalism
and professionalized ministry that fears getting its hands dirty.
Our generation is spiritually starving not because we lack resources, but because we lack holy men with frontier courage.
Peter Cartwright prayed on a dance floor.
John Taylor preached until sinners shook under conviction.
David Barrow endured criticism because the Spirit moved so powerfully.
Lewis Lunsford defended visible repentance.
These men were not perfect.
They were not identical.
They were not even always doctrinally aligned.
But they were fearless. They were holy. They believed God could change a community—even through a single obedient preacher.
A Needed Word for Today’s Ministry Leaders
The frontier preachers remind us:
1. God uses boldness more than polish.
The dance hall revival happened because a preacher obeyed God more than cultural expectations.
2. Revival does not fit denominational boxes.
The Spirit moved among Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and anyone humble enough to receive truth.
3. Real ministry is messy.
Tears, repentance, public confession—these are not emotional manipulations; they are often the first fruits of genuine spiritual awakening.
4. The greatest threat to today’s churches is not doctrinal precision but spiritual apathy.
We may have more theological resources than the entire frontier combined, yet far less fire.
5. What God did in the Cumberland region, He can do again.
But He will do it through men and women who live with frontier grit, prayerful dependence, and holy love.
Conclusion: The Dance Floor Is Still Waiting
Our world is full of modern dance floors—places where sin dominates, where the crowd moves mindlessly, where spiritual darkness reigns.
What we need is not a new program, a better brand, or another round of hyper-sectarian critiques.
What we need are frontier Christians.
People who walk into the darkness with a Bible and a burden.
People who are willing to kneel in unexpected places.
People who believe God still breaks hearts, still shakes rooms, still saves souls.
People who care more about holiness than applause, more about revival than reputation.
Peter Cartwright seized a dance floor for God.
Baptist preachers across the Cumberland seized cabins, fields, and riverbanks for the same Kingdom.
Let us seize our generation with that same courage.
The frontier is not behind us. It is in front of us.
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