Reviving Revivals
What's going on at Asbury University?
He was born in the summer of his 27th year.
Coming home to a place he'd never been before
He left yesterday behind him; you might say he was born again.
You might say he found a key for every door.
These curious words are the opening lyrics of a song written by John Denver and released in 1972. It has been a popular song for 50 years, especially for those of you who remember it wafting out of the radios of your car during that most interesting time.
I thought of them again recently when two media stories crashed in on my conscience unbidden. One was the Asbury College “Awakening,” and the other was the release of the movie, The Jesus Revolution, a historical handling of the early seeds of the Jesus People’s Movement from the 70s and 80s of the last century. It is a movie I have not seen yet but will at the first opportunity.
You see, I was born in the second month of my 21st year. And, indeed, I also came home to a place I had never been before. The imagery of these words is indelibly stamped on my memory and follows me wherever I go. It is like a shadow. (or maybe I am the shadow, and it’s like the Light) The circumstances that brought me to the “valley of decision” are many and varied and the subject of another blog. Suffice it to say that I came into the Kingdom of God in the middle of the Jesus Revolution, sweeping up the world's young people during that time.
I remember coming into the doors of the church after a hitch-hiked trip to visit a friend that turned into a quest to meet God. I was an itinerant hippie, and the steps I took into the church were the last of what seemed like a very long journey. Standing just inside the door, I was struck by was I saw. The place was filled with people, almost invariable under 30 years old, kneeling at the wooden pews of the small church, with their hands lifted up and each one singing their own personal song to Jesus in what I found out later was pre-service prayer. The spiritual atmosphere was electrified with the Presence of God. Standing there, my eyes filled with tears, and the overwhelming sense that I had arrived home was unmistakable. For the following years, I witness scores of young people come and give their lives to Christ in that church. I am still a member of that church, serving God to the best of my ability, though the congregation has changed remarkably over the years.
That is why I am motivated to see the movie. I am sure there will be scenes in the film that will resonate with my experiences. It should be a trip down memory lane, as it were, and a time of re-evaluation of where I fit into the whole picture. The main reason for the kind of remembrances that are so popular with God in the Old Testament is to have a connection point between the generations, and I have collected a few behind me. Piles of rocks can become very significant if you know why they are piled, and I hope the movie can become one of my piles of rocks.
The Jesus People’s Movement petered out by the late 80s, but the seeds were scattered far and wide in the established Church. The Christian music industry will never be the same. The dynamics of leadership in local churches were unavoidably affected. The world is a different place because of that Sovereign Move of God.
The local assembly to which God had led me suffered a self-destructing split in the early 90s with the former hippies, now in leadership, disagreeing with the pastor over something and leaving en masse; some to other churches and some leaving the Church, and some, unfortunately leaving the faith entirely. I still think fondly about the times of overpowering grace in that congregation before the split, where God was palpably available to the humbled ones in the pews.
And that brings us to the other media story that precipitated this blog, the events at Asbury University. According to the testimonies of attendees and visitors, a spiritual awakening of some import is happening there. People are becoming aware of their sins and receiving redemption through Jesus Christ. There are extended sessions of worship and praise to the God of their lives. There is a concerted effort to limit the influence of “professional Christians” who may bring with them a risk of pre-empting the focus. There is even multiplication, as it has been “going over the wall” to other universities in the area. The reports are all pleasing to me to hear. What’s not to like?
I was listening to a video podcast this morning about the Asbury event. The moderator, Justin Brierley, of a podcast called Unbelievable, interviewed three others. There was the President of Asbury Theological Seminary, Timothy Tennent, with an author, pastor and theologian, Gavin Ortlund, and a Christian speaker, author, vlogger and podcaster, Alisa Childers. It was a spirited discussion, and I found myself in agreement with Lady Childers more than with the other two. You can find the podcast here.
I want to reiterate that the two men did not say anything troubling or wrong, per se. Childers, however, was the more cautious of the three, and caution is a good place to be. In my last blog, I spoke of being a skeptic. I see no reason to abandon that sense of waiting to hear what God has to say or to be able to check the fruit out for myself. I am fully aware of the dynamic of social contagion in the Age of Cellphones, and I am not interested. I also acknowledge that the Holy Spirit can use social contagion for His own purposes.
People are coming from around the world to witness this business. A pastor and his wife, living in Chile, sold their car to buy plane tickets to the university. (See here) Thousands of people are descending on the sleepy little college town in Kentucky. (See here) This is a big deal in Evangelical Christianity. I feel a little put out that God didn’t do it here. I want to go down there myself, even if only to relive my experiences under the Holy Spirit's influence in decades past.
This is where the confluence of the two media stories happens. I want to go there and be there. I want a return of the atmosphere from my early Christian experiences to, again, permeate my life. I want Jesus to regain His rightful fame, lost to a whole generation, even from the Church, who are confused and indoctrinated. I am jealous of Asbury. I hope there is more godly jealousy than the destructive kind. But I am also cautious. Without taking anything away from the blessed students of Asbury and other campuses, I want to see the fruit of the situation before I go all in.
Having noticed many advertisements from various preachers and Christian speakers who promise “revival” in their meetings, I am aware, to my disappointment, that the term itself has been diluted by overuse. Is what is going on at Asbury a “revival?” I cannot be sure from a distance and without tracking the results. I want it to be but wanting is not enough to dissolve my skepticism.
On Thursday, I will be starting up the Faith Beyond Belief Book Club again. Interestingly enough, the book we are discussing has revival as a focus. The book is called The Calvary Road, and it is by Roy Hession. It was chosen long before the events surrounding Asbury University began or news of the Jesus Revolution Movie reached my attention. It also has a very different definition of “revival.” According to Brother Hession, “revival” is much more personal than corporate. The corporate part of revival is only a natural consequence of individuals moved by the Holy Spirit to establish a right relationship with God through Christ. It is one person bowing at the feet of Christ. Though crowds may be induced to seek spiritual fellowship with like-minded people, it starts with the repentance and submission of a sole seeker.
I look forward to the sessions as we discuss this little book that punches way above its weight. Anyone interested is welcome to attend the online meetings and have their say. Just drop me a line at ian.mckerracher@faithbeyondbelief.ca, and I will include you in the weekly emails and meetings. If you listen to me long enough, you may be able to detect the influence of the Jesus People’s Movement in my words. Who knows? Maybe God will do a new thing, and we can even have our very own Asbury Outpouring in a Zoom meeting.