If you’ve spent any time at all in Evangelical circles, you may have at one time prayed for revival. But what exactly were you and those in your church asking God for?
A series of nightly meetings in a church or tent where a traveling Evangelist comes to preach a series of barn-burner sermons?
A spontaneous wave of repentance and public confession of sin that washes over a congregation?
A widespread spiritual phenomenon that suddenly and miraculously brings popular culture into alignment with traditional Judaeo-Christian values?
Personal spiritual renewal?
Crowds flocking to a church?
Something else?
I’ll share my definition: Revival is spiritual renewal initiated by God resulting in conviction of personal and corporate sin, a desire for holiness, and a re-ordering of both individual life and church community to reflect God’s reign. But I’d love to hear from you. When you hear the word “revival”, how would you define it? What images come to mind?
Chasing revival was a strong theme in many of the streams of the Evangelical church in which I’ve worshipped during the last 50 years. In fundamentalist circles, it meant traditional families committed to following Scripture’s principles (and the group’s unwritten rules of behavior). In Charismatic circles, it looked like electric, messy emotional response to the power of the supernatural flowing through a congregation. Among mainstream nondenominational megachurch folks, revival looked like numerical growth in a congregation along with an increase in both financial giving to the church and volunteer service to the surrounding community.
Much of what Evangelicals call revival is its earth-bound cousin, revivalism. In one of the chapters of Downsizing: Rummaging Through Evangelicalism’s Recent Past in Search of the Future Church’s Treasure, I explored the difference between the two in some detail, and noted revivalism tends to work toward the goal of revival via a programmed, often emotionally manipulative approach–for example, preaching a fiery sermon intended to guide people toward the crisis of experiencing deep shame over their own sinfulness, followed by a series of altar calls that guides people toward a prayerful resolution of that distress.
(Two quick side notes about that book: Thanks be to God, I just turned in the manuscript to the publisher, and as I have noted elsewhere, I hope we can come up with a tidier subtitle than the one I’ve been using! Cover and publication date coming soon.)
As I researched revival and revivalism and reflected on my own experiences with both, I had a small lightbulb moment as I reflected on my years with some of the most passionate revival-chasers I’ve known. They were connected with Charismatic churches we attended more than twenty years ago. They couldn’t stop talking about Jesus back then. After we moved and chose not to continue worshipping in those circles, I was grateful to stay connected via social media and an occasional in-person visit with people I considered friends.
But almost every single one of them shifted direction like a well-trained group of synchronized swimmers by 2015. They were now posting urgent political “prophecies” from the various apostles and prophets that were part of their New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) world. Several people from our old church came after us with the zeal of revivalists seeking to pull us from the brink of hell by converting us to their version of Trumpism.
I remembered when they used to talk about Jesus. Maybe they thought they still were, but all that came out of their mouths and keyboards was far right politics and increasingly paranoid, occasionally antisemitic conspiracy theories. The NAR and similar religious-political groups in the non-Charismatic world have given adherents the fruits of the revival(ism) they’ve long pursued: purpose, mission, bonhomie, and the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than themselves, wrapped in the trappings of American Christianity and accompanied by lots of spiritual goosebumps. I get it. I once chased revival along with them.
As you might imagine from both my definition above and my response to the zeal of my former coreligionists for a political candidate, I withdrew from their version of the chase long ago. I have not abandoned the longing for revival, but it looks far different than it once did. Scripture remains full of references to revival, whether it is mentions in the Psalms, during the reign of young King Josiah, during the remarkable return to Israel from Babylon detailed in the books of Ezra-Nehemiah, or the outpouring of the Holy Spirit during the first Pentecost after Jesus’s resurrection. I have come to believe that things like the unmasking of so many toxic church leaders in recent years along with the revelation of the willingness of so many believers to pledge allegiance to a politician might actually be the way God is answering those prayers for revival. Revival begins with repentance. And repentance means that what has festered in the darkness must come to the light.
There aren’t many goosebumps for this kind of exposure, but there’s something much better waiting for those who are willing to submit to God: the freedom of a truly revived soul.
SUPER DUPER MEGA EXCELLENT OUTRAGEOUS TOTALLY RAD BOOK GIVEAWAY!
Hey, what’s a little hyperbole between friends? This book giveaway may not be all that and a bag of chips, but it is bigger than any one I’ve ever done before.
I’ve heard from many readers in the years since Moments & Days: How Our Holy Celebrations Shape Our Faith was published about how much this guide to the feasts mentioned in the Bible and the rhythms and celebrations of the Christian calendar has helped them live more fully at the intersection of time and eternity.
As we move toward the new beginnings that go with a new calendar season, I have 25 books to give away–no strings attached. If you would like a free copy of this book for your library, or to gift to a friend, a church, or a school, click the button below to email me by midnight Eastern time on Monday, August 26th with the name and U.S. mailing address of the person to whom you’d like me to send a book.
Fill in the blanks, August 2024 version
How would you fill in these blanks?
What I’ve been reading: _______
My answer: I just finished two wildly different books. I thoroughly enjoyed the third in Patricia Raybon’s riveting mystery series, Truth Be Told. Her sleuth is Annalee Spain, a Black single theology instructor who lives in 1920’s Denver, and this well=crafted tale highlights both the racial tensions of the era while telling a complicated, satisfying tale full of twists and turns. I also read Dara Horn’s provocatively-titled 2022 meditation on antisemitism, People Love Dead Jews: Reports From a Haunted Present. I resonated with much of what she had to say, and wondered what kind of addendum she’d write in light of all that has transpired in our society and the world since the horrors of October 7th last year.
What I’ve been eating : _______
My answer: People have strong opinions about hot dogs. Some people cringe at what might go into their manufacture. I am not one of them. In fact, I’ve told people that if I was going to the electric chair, a Chicago Vienna Beef hot dog “dragged through the garden” would be on the menu for my last meal. My husband and I were in Chicago last weekend, and we ate hot dogs there two days in a row. (Don’t judge!)
What I am trying to do every day: _______
My answer: Keep moving! The rehab process from my March knee replacement surgery has required me to commit to exercise, whether it is walking laps in our community pool or riding the stationary bike in our workout room. I’ve started plenty of exercise programs in the past. This time, I’m aiming at a healthier lifestyle (well, except for downing an occasional Chicago hot dog) rather than setting workout goals, and in the process, I think I tricked myself into actually enjoying exercise for the first time in my life.
“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
Michelle, I appreciate your perspective on Revival. One of the best quotes I came across on revival was the preacher Gypsy Smith who wrote. “Go home, lock yourself in your room,
kneel down in the middle of your floor. Then draw a chalk mark around
yourself and ask God to start the revival inside that chalk mark. When
God has answered your prayer, the revival will be on.”
I have found that true in my life. When I am revived by walking in God’s Spirit, I find myself more tender to the things of God and more alert to being available to our Master. More sensitive to serving others and more free to share God’s truths with grace and love.
I just discovered you here a couple of weeks ago and am catching up.
Your description of Revivalism (in my opinion) compares to Munchausen-by-Proxy. You put the patient in trauma and then play the hero by rescuing them.
There is an organic way followers become aware of their sin and failings, leading to repentance and renewal. But in the late 70s and early 80s I found myself in a group where that was the only kind of preaching we heard or even thought of as The Gospel. For the record, I was with Last Days Ministries in East Texas, and the local preaching was Keith Green, David Wilkerson and Leonard Ravenhill. All three were precious and gifted men, but that kind of message, internalized and without balance, wasn't healthy.