" ▁of ▁peace ▁and ▁happiness . ▁Christians ▁thus ▁had ▁a ▁duty ▁to ▁pur ify ▁society ▁in ▁prepar ation ▁for ▁that ▁return . ▁This ▁duty ▁extended ▁beyond ▁American ▁borders ▁to ▁include ▁Christian ▁Rest oration ism . ▁George ▁Fred rick son ▁arg ues ▁that ▁Post mill enn ial ▁the ology ▁" was ▁an ▁imp et us ▁to ▁the ▁promotion ▁of ▁Progress ive ▁re forms , ▁as ▁histor ians ▁have ▁frequently ▁pointed ▁out ." ▁During ▁the ▁Second ▁Great ▁Aw ak ening ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 8 3 0 s , ▁some ▁div in ers ▁expected ▁the ▁mill en ni um ▁to ▁arrive ▁in ▁a ▁few ▁years . ▁By ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 8 4 0 s , ▁however , ▁the ▁great ▁day ▁had ▁re ced ed ▁to ▁the ▁distant ▁future , ▁and ▁post mill enn ial ism ▁became ▁a ▁more ▁pass ive ▁religious ▁dimension ▁of ▁the ▁wider ▁middle - class ▁purs uit ▁of ▁reform ▁and ▁progress . ▁ ▁Burn ed - over ▁district ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁early ▁days ▁of ▁the ▁nin ete enth ▁century , ▁western ▁New ▁York ▁State ▁was ▁called ▁the ▁" burn ed - over ▁district " ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁highly ▁public ized ▁rev iv als ▁that ▁cr iss cross ed ▁the ▁region . ▁Charles ▁Fin ney , ▁a ▁leading ▁rev ival ist ▁active ▁in ▁the ▁area , ▁co ined ▁the ▁term . ▁L inda ▁K . ▁P rit ch ard ▁uses ▁statistical ▁data ▁to ▁show ▁that ▁compared ▁to ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁New ▁York ▁State , ▁the ▁Ohio ▁River ▁Valley ▁in ▁the ▁lower ▁Mid