"Most Wednesday mornings at Asbury University are like any other. A few minutes before 10, students begin to gather in Hughes Auditorium for chapel. Students are required to attend a certain number of chapels each semester, so they tend to show up as a matter of routine.
But this past Wednesday was different. After the benediction, the gospel choir began to sing a final chorus—and then something began to happen that defies easy description. Students did not leave. They were struck by what seemed to be a quiet but powerful sense of transcendence, and they did not want to go. They stayed and continued to worship. They are still there.
I teach theology across the street at Asbury Theological Seminary, and when I heard of what was happening, I immediately decided to go to the chapel to see for myself. When I arrived, I saw hundreds of students singing quietly. They were praising and praying earnestly for themselves and their neighbors and our world—expressing repentance and contrition for sin and interceding for healing, wholeness, peace, and justice.
By Thursday evening, there was standing room only. Students had begun to arrive from other universities: the University of Kentucky, the University of the Cumberlands, Purdue University, Indiana Wesleyan University, Ohio Christian University, Transylvania University, Midway University, Lee University, Georgetown College, Mt. Vernon Nazarene University, and many others.
The worship continued throughout the day on Friday and indeed all through the night. On Saturday morning, I had a hard time finding a seat; by evening the building was packed beyond capacity. Every night, some students and others have stayed in the chapel to pray through the night. And as of Sunday evening, the momentum shows no signs of slowing down.
Some are calling this a revival, and I know that in recent years that term has become associated with political activism and Christian nationalism. But let me be clear: no one at Asbury has that agenda.
As an analytic theologian, I am weary of hype and very wary of manipulation. I come from a background (in a particularly revivalist segment of the Methodist-holiness tradition) where I’ve seen efforts to manufacture “revivals” and “movements of the Spirit” that were sometimes not only hollow but also harmful. I do not want anything to do with that.
And truth be told, this is nothing like that. There is no pressure or hype. There is no manipulation. There is no high-pitched emotional fervor.
To the contrary, it has so far been mostly calm and serene. The mix of hope and joy and peace is indescribably strong and indeed almost palpable—a vivid and incredibly powerful sense of shalom. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is undeniably powerful but also so gentle." - Tom McCall
This is awesome. No celebrity pastors did this. Just ordinary people hungry for God. I read that the college has said that NO celebrities would be allowed onto the altar for as long as this lasts. "No celebrities but Jesus," they have said. I mean, y'all, how can you not love it?
It's not my denomination, (not that this is important) and it may not even by my worship style, (even less important) but the Holy Spirit doesn't need our permission to show up and change hearts. I hope and pray that's what's happening here, and that those young people are having a dramatic experience of the reality of the Holy Spirit -- an experience that deepens their conversion.
But let's be clear about proper expectations . . .
Just as we don't require a repeat of Calvary in order for atonement to be made for sinners, just as Jesus need not rise a second time from the grave in order to vindicate himself and his people before his Father, neither must there be another Pentecost in which the Spirit is made available in power to the people of God. To suggest that we need revival, if revival is conceived of as being a “fresh Pentecost,” is to make a mockery of the words of Peter, Paul, and anyone else who may have mentioned the cross or the Spirit in the canonical Scriptures.
I believe the proper word for the activity described above is obedience. But to call attention to faithfulness is a harder sell than emotion fulfillment and requires far more work and effort to align ourselves with the heart and word of God.
If we have a mandate, (and we do) and the resources, (which we do) and a field in which to labor, (which has never been more ripe for harvest) we can’t very well blame our laziness on a breakdown somewhere in the supply line. In fact, it can become far easier to lay the blame at the feet of Jesus for not providing us with the emotional experience we require to faithfully fulfill his commands. (Sic)
Revival will have done its job if it sends its participants back into the everyday world of Christian life to practice with a new awareness of our own capacity to sin and our failure to properly obey the commands of our King.
