Further Comments on the Asbury Revival

Photo by Michael Marais on Unsplash

After visiting the Asbury revival, I felt it necessary to write a follow up to my first post.  I want to share briefly about the numerous negative opinions that have surfaced since the revival. Visiting the revival recently confirmed my original concern that some may be misjudging this move of God from a standpoint of unwarranted reaction, presumption, and a lack of knowledge and experience. 

Many of these voices we are hearing on social media. Some I know personally. Most I know only through social media. However, whether in my normal interaction with them or in their interaction on social media, rarely if ever do they discuss revival, renewal, awakening, the charismata, the person and work of the Holy Spirit, revivalism, history of revivals, the baptism of the Spirit, deliverance, healing, manifestations of the Spirit, or anything within that vast category of applied pneumatology (theology of the Holy Spirit). It’s a subject that seems to occupy neither their work, nor their thinking, nor their opinions, at least not as indicated on social media. 

Yet now that a powerful move of God has broken out at Asbury University, many of these people want to critique it. I wonder how many of these detractors have experienced or ministered in revival, canned or spontaneous? Have they ever experienced or ministered the charismata at any level? Are they familiar with the manifestations of the Spirit? Have they ever studied the phenomena of revival either historically, theologically, sociologically, psychologically, or anthropologically? Do they struggle with even believing in divine agency and action in the world? Do they even contend that the Bible is the inspired word of God? Have these people now become our expert analysts of revival? Based on their conversations, I have my doubts.

These voices differ from those on social media pages I follow, which were specifically created to discuss revival, healing, intercessory prayer, or deliverance and involve regular discussions of these subjects. Likewise, I find fruitful dialogue among colleagues of mine who are invested in these areas theoretically and/or practically.  In other words, the most helpful discussions are those in which the participants have demonstrated sustained interest in these topics and approach them in informed ways. 

Let’s use the Super Bowl as an analogy. It attracts all sorts of spectators who normally do not follow football throughout the year. They may not be as familiar with the game. They may not know all the players and the analytics of the game. But it’s the Super Bowl. The hyped-up fanfare turns those with little interest in football into experts at least once a year—and we expect that. It’s okay to cheer for your team. 

Then again, with the Super Bowl, though we may have a significant emotional investment in the game, there is nothing at stake of eternal significance. Such is not the case with revival. A great deal is at stake—the spread of the gospel, the salvation of souls, the conversion of the nations. So while feigned expertise may be harmless in the case of football, it may have more significant consequences when it comes to things that really matter. Revival often is dealing with the larger mystery and providence of God. We should all take a holy pause and breathe in before we claim to be able to judge the work of God. 

Of course we all have opinions and are entitled to express them. But in areas that are new to us, where we may not have invested ourselves, yet to become informed interpreters, it is wise to express ourselves with caution and humility. It’s okay to talk football. Just know that others will call you out when you talk about scoring a home run or you don’t know the difference between offsides and a false start. 

The Asbury revival has attracted all sorts of strong opinions from people who normally are fairly silent about the dunamis and charismata of the Holy Spirit. Many of those with strong opinions and little familiarity have judged God’s work at Asbury harshly, unfairly, and with little knowledge or experience on which to base their opinions.

Test the spirits, but be informed. Test the spirits, but don’t quench the Spirit! Much of the fruit needed to test the validity, authenticity, depth, and long-term effectiveness of what is happening at Asbury will not be evident for some time. Seeds are being planted in hearts. Give the Spirit time to work in these precious young people. Let’s prayerfully wait on the Lord. 

For the naysayers who are merely shooting from the hip, I encourage them to read or watch videos of firsthand accounts of revival. Pray about it with an open heart. Think about it with an open mind. Read about revival in John Wesley’s letters and journals. Read Jonathan Edwards’ accounts of the Great Awakening. Read Lectures on Revival by Charles Finney, Revival Fire by Wesley Duewel, The Holy Spirit Century by Vinson Synan, Global Awakening by Mark Shaw, Signs of the Spirit by Howard Snyder, and Understanding Religious Conversion by Lewis Rambo. There are many other helpful resources as well. Build an informed opinion about something that only comes around once every twenty years or so and that we only see a little more frequently than a green comet. 

It has been refreshing to hear affirmatively from seasoned academics, who we often think of as hyperrational, not overly emotional, and not given over to the knee-jerk impulses and reactions of revival. We have heard from erudite theologians, such as Jason Vickers, Tom McCall, Steve Seamands, Luther Oconer, Suzanne Nicholson and others who have thought long and hard about the person of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit’s work in the church and in the world.  

Many of these theologians have been on the ground at the Asbury revival and have written about it not from the ivory tower, but from their experience in worship. Not only have we surprisingly heard from the academic community, but there have also been favorable and balanced comments from both clergy and laity, many who have testified firsthand of God’s hand in this miraculous visitation. The prayer, repentance, worship, scripture reading, and testimony of the people (the liturgy, or work of the people) is shaping our theology of revival. The old Latin claimed Lex Orandi Lex Credendi, or the law of prayer is the law of belief. We pray our theology. You know God must be up to something! 

We are in a kairos moment of awakening. I encourage us all to seek the Lord and his will wherever we are at geographically or spiritually and expect to encounter the presence of the living God, whether that means spiritual fireworks, manifestations, or the quiet assurance of peace. It is all in the hand of God. He gets the glory. And may our encounter change us so that we resemble, more than yesterday, Christ in the world, loving our neighbor and the stranger in word and in deed. May your Kingdom come, O God.

“Repent, therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus…” (Acts 3:19-20).

Peter Bellini is Professor of Church Renewal & Evangelization in the Heisel Chair at United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, and serves on Firebrand’s Editorial Board.