Revival v. Revivalism

In the past I’ve expressed scepticism about the whole concept of Christian “revival,” suggesting that this non-biblical word became fixed in the Evangelical mindset in a particular form through the atypical spiritual, sociological and psychological example of the Great Awakening of the eighteenth century. I wrote about this in Prophecy Today in 2003, in two articles which I later re-posted on The Hump, here and here.

There had been many religious resurgences before the Great Awakening, but none identical in character, and certainly none with the particular components of fiery Methodist preaching accompanied by dramatic emotionalism seen in it. If we take the core meaning of the weasel-word “revival” as the Christian conversion of large masses of previously irreligious people, and the return to vibrant faith of the lukewarm, then we can also think of the dramatic, if shortlived, preaching of the Catholic Savonarola in mediaeval Florence, and the slower but longer lasting itinerant ministries of the Wyclifian Lollards in England, or rather earlier of the Franciscan friars. The Reformation had yet another character, being fought out often in academic and political arenas, so enabling a complete realignment of the Western world’s spiritual character over the centuries since.

In different ages and places we can also consider the way that Christianity first came to pagan nations, from the time of Paul and the other apostles in the first century, through the evangelism of the early centuries, to the missionary work first of the Catholics in the Far East and South America, and later the Protestants in many distant lands. Certainly in apostolic times, and if the accounts are to be trusted, in later missions too, some significant miracles occurred. But we don’t hear of these as regular occurrences, and we don’t hear of the breaking out of “supernatural” experiences (other than the greatest miracle of all, repentance and faith) amongst most of those converted. The modern concept of revival seems to be, “Let’s do Wesley and Whitefield again, but with less boring doctrine and more wonders.”

But that first Methodist phenomenon led to people seeing emotional crises, and various supernatural manifestations, as the very essence of revival. Much of this, as Jonathan Edwards recorded at the time, was hysterical, not supernatural. But the idea’s complex progression can, nevertheless, be traced in outline through Methodist pietism and its nineteenth century daughter the Holiness Movement, and through American revivalism, particularly once it incorporated the “new measures” of Charles Finney. From those roots began Pentecostalism, and then the Charismatic Movement, wedding emotionalism to ever more florid phenomena attributed to the Holy Spirit. And from that has emerged, directly, a long succession of dubious movements such as the Word of Faith and, most recently, the so-called New Apostolic Reformation. All of these have produced short-lived spectacles termed “revivals,” heralded as end-times outpourings, and many across the wider Church have bought into the model. But more often these revivals have brought spiritual mayhem, most of all amongst their leaders (on which, see my last post).

In Britain, one of the most celebrated of such revivals was the Welsh Revival of 1904, whose origins and character can be traced to the Holiness Movement, with some early influence from nascent US Pentecostalism. And perhaps its perception by believers elsewhere can be traced to the widespread press coverage at the time, the equivalent of the hagiographic YouTube videos of Toronto, Lakeland or Bethel nowadays. Revivals are therefore perceived to be centred on places, and particularly on “anointed individuals” (in Wales Evan Roberts) based there, which become places of pilgrimage for the expectant.

The Welsh revival certainly produced some lasting fruit – I knew an elderly woman in my church in the 1980s whose parents had been converted through it, and she through them. But history shows that, for the most part, the benefits evaporated over a decade or two, and nowadays Wales is as much a spiritual desert as anywhere in the West. This is pretty much true of every “post-Awakening” revival, whilst we need to note the many downsides of this whole revivalist enterprise in the disillusion with religion caused by false miracles and prophecies; false conversions through inadequate doctrine and excessive emotional manipulation; widespread spiritual, sexual and financial abuse in the offspring-cults, from the children of God to the mass-deaths of Jonestown or Waco; corruption of much of the developing world’s faith by prosperity preachers; and potentially the corruption even of governments by revivalist spiritual advisers. That’s before we mention the seduction of Evangelicalism by the worship industry, which is essentially revivalism set to music as an entry-drug for the “real thing.”

As my two articles, linked at the top, show, such considerations led me to shun the very word “revival” in 2003, and instead to counsel Christians to dig their Christian roots deep in order to survive the coming trials, which we now seem to be experiencing in style, as predicted. But now there are headlines, even in the mainstream press, using that word “revival” to describe many of Generation Z, particularly young men, returning to church and embracing Christian faith.

Now, I’ve already noted, for a couple of years, the increasing use of God-talk – no, even of Christianity-talk – amongst public commentators becoming aware of the sheer evil of much of what has been in the public domain since 2020’s COVID deceptions. And it’s also been my local experience that many families, and other folks, are filling my own church to hear sound gospel preaching and biblical teaching. It’s not yet clear to me if there is indeed a mass-movement to Christ (funny how England can be as opaque as Iran in that respect!). But if we are seeing the beginnings of such a sea-change in the nation’s spirituality, then I may indeed want to dust off the “revival” word, because this sounds more like the real thing.

I heard a quote from somebody recently to the effect that true revival is not, as is believed, the manifestation of extraordinary means of grace, but the the manifestation of extraordinary effects from the ordinary means of grace. In other words, the miracle is the change of hearts so that they respond to the faithful preaching of the gospel of forgiveness through Christ’s blood, shed on this very day so long ago, when hitherto that preaching fell on deaf ears.

It doesn’t happen in a single place, through an anointed apostle, but in parish churches, in mission halls, on street corners as Bible-thumpers are arrested, and in homes where a YouTube sermon is playing. Which is truer revival – 500 people “slain in the Spirit” and convulsing on camera in some US auditorium, or several hundred thousand ordinary people quietly hearing the secrets of their hears exposed in faithful preaching in pews across the country?

And so I am entirely unmoved when I hear prayers for “revival fire to fall,” for “breakthroughs of signs and wonders,” and so on. We’ve had all that, whilst faith in our Western nations has declined exponentially (and those in developing nations have had their own internal troubles). The Holy Spirit last came as fire at Pentecost, to equip the church permanently for bold proclamation until Jesus returns. What is needed now is Holy Spirit conviction of sin, and faithful Holy Spirit sharing of the biblical gospel.

True revival might still be messy. Not only Evangelicals, but Catholics and Orthodox too are reporting increased numbers. And good for them, if indeed they preach Christ alone, and him crucified, to the sinners. Many hungry souls, though, will poke their heads through the doors of established churches, to be met, in many cases, with rainbow flags and climate change lectures. Others will find themselves in Evangelical churches being sold signs and wonders (via Holy Trinity Brompton, from Toronto Airport Vineyard, or via kenotic theology from Bethel Redding) with little reference to sin, repentance and holy living.

I quoted A. W. Tozer’s Leaning into the Wind in the first of my 2003 articles. Perhaps we should still heed his words as the Lord, perhaps, is answering many prayers for revival, and be praying for the churches to focus on doing what Jesus commanded them to do, making true disciples rather than making a splash:

It is my considered opinion that under the present circumstances we do not want revival at all. A widespread revival of the kind of Christianity we know today might prove to be a moral tragedy from which we would not recover in a hundred years.