New Lights. The term New Light emerged in New England during the Great Awakening (1740–1743) to describe the evangelical supporters of George Whitefield and the mass revivals he inspired. In confronting the question of whether the revivals were a work of God, New Lights argued strenuously in the affirmative. Far from threatening true religion, they insisted, the state of religion in New England was never healthier than when drenched by the “showers of converting grace” issuing from the revivals.