REVIVALS IN MODERN EVANGELICALISM

Posted on 10. Nov, 2009 by Richard Bankert in Papers

REVIVALS IN MODERN EVANGELICALISM: AN EXPLORATION OF THE CAUSES OF REVIVAL

by Joel French

A paper presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Divinity (Worship)

Revivals. Significant in the history of modern evangelicalism? You better believe it!! What about in day-to-day life? Again – yes, I’m sure most people would quickly and enthusiastically agree! The truth is that revivals have been, are and Lord willing, will continue to be a powerful force in the evangelical church. From the European revivals associated with Wesley and Whitefield to the American Great Awakenings, revivals have had an immense impact on Christianity and society. Today, we hear of revivals springing up nationally and internationally.[1] Locally, we hear of revivals taking place in Christian schools or in individual churches. Individually, all of us who are genuinely following the Lord long for continued revival in our own hearts and lives. Revival is, quite simply, foundational to the health and well-being of the modern evangelical church.

I researched this paper with a particular goal in mind – one that has greatly intrigued me over the years – the cause of and/or factors associated with the beginning of revivals. The books that I researched came from the period of modern evangelicalism and contained reference to modern evangelical revivals. A reward for my efforts came in the form of five factors that I believe are closely associated with revival beginnings: 1) Preaching/Teaching, 2) Prayer, 3) Being Filled By The Spirit, 4) Repentance and Holy Living, and 5) Cooperating With The Divine. Proposing these five important factors will be the focus of this paper.

Defining Revivals

Before getting too far, it is important that “revival” is given a proper definition. To do this, we will examine the meaning of “revival” from five different perspectives: 1) generally, 2) Biblically, 3) psychologically, 4) historically, and 5) by way of analogy.

General Definition

Christian revival can be simply defined as “new life bringing a new joy.”[2] Of course, by this definition “new life” must refer to life in Christ. The benefit of such a simple definition is that it allows for a broad understanding of revival which could extend from revival in an individual life to revival in a nation.

A more specific definition may be represented by that of Colton: specifically, “the power of religion over a community of minds, when the Spirit of God awakens Christians to special faith and effort, and brings sinners to repentance.”[3] This definition is more useful for what we will discuss in the remainder of this paper.

Biblical Definition

Biblically-speaking, the Acts revival is a common point of departure. As Simon puts it, in a revival of religion “the experiences of the day of Pentecost repeat themselves, and the weary Church, finding its lost youth, walks in the morning light of Apostolic days.”[4] When we compare present-day revivals to this Apostolic standard we find that prayer, the pouring out of the Spirit, teaching, repentance and confession are important factors contributing to Apostolic revival-like conditions.[5]

Psychological Definition

Some people embrace more unique perspectives on religious revival such as Davenport’s psychological perspective. This mental and social evolutionary approach sees men as developing “from the animal and the primitive to the rational and the spiritual.”[6] It has basis on “a quasi-assumption…that the typical religious revival is characterized by the dominance of emotion in mass and in control.”[7] Of course, Christians might wonder if there is room for the Spirit with this approach. Nonetheless, it is helpful to be aware that psychological factors are relevant to understanding revivals.

Historical Definition

A study of the history of modern evangelicalism reveals a lot about revivals. In fact, most of the extant information documenting major revivals can be found from this period. It is important that our understanding of revivals takes this history into account. Interestingly, in agreement with Biblical accounts of the Israelites, history shows how migrating people’s religions tend to be devastated.[8] For example, when considering American history we can learn that the “decline of religion and morality among the colonists,” “the personalizing of religion” and the resultant needs-based preaching were factors that helped set the stage for American revivalism.[9]

Definition by way of Analogy

Related to the decline of religion among migrating people is the analogy of the ebb and flow of waves. According to this analogy, “The Ebbing Tide” describes spiritual deadness while “fullness of times” describes limits of dead times.[10] Therefore, even as an ebbing tide anticipates a coming wave, so an increasing spiritual deadness often precedes revival. From this analogy, it follows that revivals are eventually expected to recede in impact even as a great wave crashes and ebbs back toward the sea. However, the hope is that in the final analysis the revival will have had a positive impact as could be likened to that of a rising tide.

A second analogy that can be used to describe revival is fire. As Knapp relates, according to this analogy “the human heart is the furnace; spiritual truth the fuel; prayer the match; the Holy Spirit the fire from it; illustrative facts, anecdotes, and incidents, the kindling; the Christian worker the fire builder,” and “Jesus, with the Father, is the proprietor and director.”[11] Fire is probably the most commonly used analogy for revival, which is not surprising when one considers the symbolic use of fire in the Scriptures!

General Signs of Potential Revival

Having made an effort to describe revivals, it is time to take a look at some general signs of when revivals may be expected. This, in turn, will lead into the heart of the paper – the five groups of factors that I believe are closely associated with revival beginnings.

In Engle’s “History of Modern Evangelicalism” class, some “common denominators before revival” were identified including preaching, prayer, “low-points in society” and “conviction/repentance.”[12] Engle also notes that there is a “sovereign, unexpected and spontaneous” side to the equation.[13] Meanwhile, from Finney’s perspective, signs of coming revival include: when there are indications traceable to the providence of God,[14] “when the wickedness of the wicked grieves and humbles and distresses Christians,”[15] when there is a spirit of prayer for revival amongst Christians,[16] when ministers are focused on revival and conversions,[17] “when Christians begin to confess their sins to one another”[18] and when Christians are ready to sacrifice for the cause of revival.[19] Knapp adds that revival may be imminent: “when it is desired above everything else,” “when the church unitedly prays and plans for it,” “when the church seeks to save the people, instead of entertaining and amusing them,” and “when a number unitedly pray and exercise faith for it.”[20] Finally, a book review of Davies’ “I Will Pour Out My Spirit”[21] identifies the signs of: “persistant prayer,” “powerful preaching and testimony,” “a deep awareness” of God’s presence and holiness “leading to a strong sense of conviction of sin and repentance,” “physical manifestation of conviction of sin,” and the use of spiritual gifts including miraculous healings, prophecy, supernatural knowledge and speaking in tongues.[22]

Therefore, from just several summaries, we can observe that, among other things, prayer, preaching/teaching and repentance are prominent factors which are believed to be closely related to the expectation of and/or beginning of evangelical revival. The role of the Holy Spirit, though not directly mentioned by Engle, Finney or Knapp, is also implied in all of these accounts. This brings us back to the five factors which I believe are closely associated with revival beginnings: 1) Preaching/Teaching, 2) Prayer, 3) Being Filled By The Spirit, 4) Repentance and Holy Living, and 5) Cooperating With The Divine.

The Five Factors

1) Preaching / Teaching

For many years I have believed that prayer is by far the most important revival catalyst. However, as I have worked on this paper I have discovered that preaching and teaching are also of great importance. God speaks, we respond. Salvation is His initiative and His work. In our “me-crazed” society, we often lose sight of this. Therefore, to emphasize God’s initiative I have placed the preaching and teaching factor first.

Among keys to revival in Christian communities, Colton mentions zealous preaching by the pastor,[23] the pastor as “a man of faith, and a man of prayer,”[24] and a pastor who has an earnestness for people’s souls that leads him beyond the walls of his church building.[25] Commenting on the rise of the revival prophet, Burns adds that he must have “an unshakeable faith in God, an overwhelming sense of a call to great service, a mysterious equipment of spiritual power which moves mountains, and a determination to do the work he is called of God to do even at the expense of life itself.”[26]

Just as important as the preacher/teacher is the content of the message. This is evidenced in comments related to eighteenth century revival in Europe:

“The doctrines preached…by those famous men, who were owned as the principal instruments of this remarkable revival …were the doctrines of original sin, of regeneration by the supernatural influences of the Divine Spirit, and of its absolute necessity; of effectual calling, of justification by faith, wholly on account of the imputed righteousness of Christ; of repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ; of the perseverance of the saints, of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in them, and of its divine consolation and joy.”[27]

Complementary to the preaching/teaching of good doctrine, Finney reminds us that, the ongoing nourishment of the church is essential, without which the Spirit’s power will be lost.[28]

2) Prayer

Having discovered the importance of preaching and teaching, I still was not surprised by the multitude of references to prayer as a revival factor. Following are some of the comments about prayer that caught my attention.

In his “Revival Kindlings” book, Knapp gives a number of anecdotes that reinforce the power of prayer. Long periods of prayer are associated with the phenomenal preaching success of individual sermons, as demonstrated by James A. Duncan (after thirteen straight hours of prayer), Charles Finney (after an entire day spent fasting and praying in the woods) and David Livingston (for two sermons each preceded by an entire night spent in prayer).[29] Furthermore, “Charles H. Spurgeon, when asked for the explanation of his success said, ‘Knee work! Knee work!’,”[30] and Charles Finney declared that “in regard to my own experience I will say that unless I had the spirit of prayer I could do nothing. If even for a day or hour I lost the spirit of grace and supplication, I found myself unable to preach with power and efficiency, or to win souls by personal conversation.”[31] Another inspiring example of the power of prayer is the Haystack Prayer meeting of 1806 which took place when a spiritual awakening led to a group of young men praying bi-weekly by a river. One day, when returning from prayer, they were caught in a thunderstorm and decided to continue praying under a haystack. It was at this time that these students “dedicated themselves to missionary service,” leading to the first foreign missionaries from America.[32]

The preceding anecdotes are examples of how prayer “can prepare the soil, and so hasten the advent of the new day of grace.”[33] They also illustrate how “the surest sign of the approach of a season of revival…is the disposition to pray for it.”[34] Why would the disposition to pray for revival lead to revival? The answer can be found in Charles Finney’s comment – that prayer moves God.[35] However, in saying that prayer moves God, there is an important distinction to be made – that is, that prayer does not change God’s mind, but “produces such a change in us as renders it consistent for God to do as it would not be consistent for him to do otherwise.”[36] In other words, prayer aligns us with God’s desired will and therefore allows Him to pour out His blessing on us. Knowing this, why would we not want to be continually and closely connected to God in prayer?

Not only does prayer align us with God’s will and God’s blessings but it also is a powerful force in bringing about unity in the church. As Finney puts it, “nothing tends more to cement the hearts of Christians than prayer together. Never do they love one another so well as when they witness the outpouring of each other’s hearts in prayer.”[37] Furthermore, Finney believes that “it is doubtful whether Christians can ever be otherwise than united, if they are in the habit of really praying together”[38] This is especially significant when we realize that unity in the church is another critical factor in bringing about revival.

Knowing that corporate prayer is related to revival leads us to the topic of prayer meetings. Here we can note that “sinners are often convicted by hearing prayer,”[39] “the leader’s zeal is key”[40] in sustaining prayer meetings over time and that “every minister ought to know that if the prayer meetings are neglected, all his labors are in vain.”[41] This last comment should be enough to make many of today’s pastors and churches squirm. No wonder there is so little evidence of revival in North America today!

To conclude this second factor, Edwards marks the importance of prayer and fasting for all believers, referring to three Scripture passages, Isaiah 62:6-7, Luke 18:7 and Acts 1:13-14.[42] Taking these and other Scripture passages to heart, we can conclude that God hears and acts when his people continually cry out to Him in prayer. Oh, for that to be true of us today, as those who live in a world desperately in need of God’s reviving power!

3) Being Filled By The Spirit

The next factor to be presented is the Holy Spirit. This follows logically from the first two factors when we consider the close links that are found between God’s Word and the Spirit,[43] and prayer and the Spirit.[44] As Simon relates the three,

“there can be no doubt that to individuals and to churches, in answer to prayer, the Spirit was repeatedly given. And when the Spirit was so given, the fainting soul was revived, the frightened church was quickened and spoke the word with boldness; a change was effected which excited the astonishment of the bystanders” and “a fire fell from heaven which purified the church.”[45]

Clearly, the Spirit’s work is essential to God’s work of revival! But how is the Spirit given to the church?

We know that all believers have the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13), and are told to “be filled with the Spirit.” (Eph 5:18). Being filled with the Spirit is an important characteristic for those who wish to join in God’s work of revival, and it requires allowing the Holy Spirit to have full control of one’s heart and life. Submitting to the Spirit, of course, requires submitting to His direction through – you guessed it – God’s Word and prayer!

Here are several characteristics likely to be found in those people who consistently allow God to fill them with His Spirit: “you will be called eccentric; and probably will deserve it,” “you must expect to feel great distress in view of the church and the world,” “you can expect much opposition ‘both in the church and in the world,’” but . . . “you will have peace with God,” “you will be useful” and “you will be calm under affliction.”[46] Ministers who are filled with the Spirit also play a vital role in protecting the church from backsliding,[47] and in order to promote ongoing revival, Edwards believes that ministers “need a double portion of the Spirit of God” through much prayer and fasting.[48]

Closely related to being filled by the Spirit is the possession of a deep faith in God. A lack of faith that God will move through revival is frequently mentioned as a hindrance to God’s reviving work.[49] If one is truly filled by the Spirit it would be expected that they would be more in tune with His desire to pour out revival on the world!

Finally, the role of believers being filled by the Spirit is also closely linked with unity in the church. As people draw closer to God they should also draw closer to each other (see Eph 4:1-16). Therefore, it is not surprising that the connection between unity and revival is so prevalent in revival writings from the period of modern evangelicalism.[50]

4) Repentance and Holy Living

The next factor to be associated with revival beginnings encompasses both repentance and holy living, both of which should naturally result from a church that is radically submitted to the Holy Spirit. The absence of a genuinely repentant spirit and holy living amongst church members should cause people to question whether revival is happening, since inconsistent lifestyles are known to be a great hindrance to revivals.[51] As an example, the indictment against today’s North American church in regards to half-hearted repentance and hypocritical behavior is sadly true to it mostly being far from revival fire.

Commenting specifically on Canadian Christianity since the latter part of the nineteenth century, we can observe how modernity has had a negative influence on revivalism.[52] In particular, consumerism has eroded away a self-sacrificing Christianity leaving “cheap grace, emptied of sacrifice” and commitment.[53] The lifestyle of Christians or “so-called Christians” has suffered immensely. One can only imagine how much this has quenched the Spirit’s work in our churches and dimmed our light to the outside world. Revival is desperately needed!, and I believe that preaching and teaching, prayer, and submission to the Holy Spirit are all essential to regaining a moral lifestyle in the church. May those of us who belong to the church begin to pray for this – that the church would once again strive for holiness and perfection! As we do, may we be on extra guard against the enemy’s devices – including the now pervasive focus on self-discovery and self-fulfillment that has been brought about by modernity and consumerism. God is much stronger than the enemy’s fiercest lies!

As we pray for the church’s holiness, may we also pray that a wave of repentance would wash over its people. Finney calls this “breaking up our fallow ground,” a necessary condition for revival that requires reviewing our history and taking up each sin for repentance.[54] Doing this leads to the spirit of prayer, and without repentance and prayer, preaching can be wasted.[55] Along similar lines, Knapp believes that “the first two weeks of a revival frequently must be spent in cleaning spiritual pipes and chimneys.”[56] By either analogy, we can conclude that the preparation of the mind to receive God’s Word is an important condition for revival,[57] and that this preparation involves the church genuinely repenting and submitting to our great and awesome God!

As the church begins to walk in the power of the Spirit, holy and set apart to God, its light should once again begin to shine brightly in surrounding communities. It is at this stage that the repentant spirit of the church should begin to spill over, resulting in powerful opportunities for evangelism. As God moves, revival may begin to spread from the church to the world as salvation is preached, prayers are offered up, and the Holy Spirit convicts unbelievers of their need for repentance and new life in Christ.

5) Cooperating With The Divine

Submitting to God and His work is, of course, at the very heart of Christian revival. Revival is totally dependent on Him. This is demonstrated by the fact that in one class of revivals “God works in spite of and against the want of human instrumentality,” while in another He works “to fulfill his promises – to work when his people work and to work with them.”[58] The second of these two classes is summed up well in the quote: “although God may work when his people are asleep…yet God never sleeps when his people work.”[59] Somehow, by God’s unfathomable grace, He has chosen for us to join Him in His revival work!

An excellent analogy of how God uses human effort is the sowing and growing of grain.[60] God is the one who makes the grain grow, and yet, without men properly planting and tending the grain, little harvest is expected. This is what leads people like Colton to say that extra efforts and measures are indispensable.[61] Finney would agree, arguing that special means for revival are necessary – means that would gain people’s attention over worldly excitement.[62] However, he also cautions that the Spirit works through our intelligence “and not through mere impressions made on the sensibility.”[63] In this sense, he warns: “let mere impressions unconnected with love, compassion, with the spirit of prayer, etc., be strongly guarded against.”[64]

We can conclude that human planning and effort contributing to the work of revivals is valid and significant, but only as it is accomplished under submission to and in the power of the Holy Spirit. There are times when revivals seem to be accompanied by miraculous outpourings of the Spirit. There are other times when revivals seem to have few outward signs. There are times when revivals follow the especially fervent prayers of believers. There are other times when the sacrifices of believers do not seem to make a difference (remember the Old Testament prophets and Christian martyrs?). God’s ways can often be very mysterious, and yet, He is always faithful to His Word. Furthermore, His Word tells us that if we are faithful to Him, He will be faithful to us. What does this mean for those of us who wish to cooperate with Him in His work of revival? Galatians 6:7 tells us that a man reaps what he sows. We may not fully understand how God is fulfilling that in our lives, but somehow, we can be assured that as we cooperate with Him through His Word, through prayer, and through obedience we can be part of His great and awesome purposes!

Conclusion

In the history of modern evangelicalism, few events have been more dramatic than the mass revivals that have swept across parts of Europe and the United States. It could also be argued that few have had a greater impact on European and North American Christianity. However, the scope of this paper has been limited to those factors believed to be closely associated with revival beginnings: 1) Preaching/Teaching, 2) Prayer, 3) Being Filled By The Holy Spirit, 4) Repentance and Holy Living, and 5) Cooperating With The Divine. These are the factors that I believe have contributed to such dramatic and formative movements of God in the modern evangelical era.

The purpose of writing such a paper, however, is not just to arrange these factors in a new or more organized manner. Instead, it is to inspire in people a longing for revival in this next chapter of our history, having learned from those who have gone before us.

If you have been inspired, will you join us in the reviving work of our King?

To Him be the glory forever and ever!

Amen.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Burns, James. Revivals: Their Laws and Leaders. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1946.

Colton, Calvin. History and Character of American Revivals of Religion. London:  Frederick Westley, and A.H. Davis, 1973.

Davenport, Frederick Morgan. Primitive Traits In Religious Revivals: A Study in Mental and Social Evolution. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1910.

Edwards, Jonathan. Jonathan Edwards on Evangelism. Edited by Carl J. C. Wolf. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, Publishers, 1958.

Engle, Peter. “History of Modern Evangelicalism: BT 660,” class notes, Spring 2008.

Finney, Charles G. Reflections on Revival. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany HousenPublishers, 1979.

Finney, Charles G. Lectures on Revivals of Religion. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1960.

“Is About Me And My Experience.” 5 June 2007 [document on-line]. Available from http://mkagal17.blogspot.com/2007/06/i-will-pour-out-my-spirit.html. Internet. Accessed July 11, 2008.

Knapp, Martin Wells. Revival Kindlings. Cincinnati: The Revivalist, 1890.

MacFarlan, D. The Revivals of The Eighteenth Century, Particularly at Cambuslang. London and Edinburgh: John Johnstone, 18-?

Orr, J. Edwin. The Eager Feet: Evangelical Awakenings, 1790-1830. Chicago: Moody Press,  1975.

Piper, John. Don’t Waste Your Life. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2007.

Rawlyk, George A. Wrapped Up in God: A Study of Several Canadian Revivals and Revivalists. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Welch Publishing Company, 1988.

Simon, John S. The Revival of Religion in England in the Eighteenth Century. London: Charles H. Kelly, 1910.

Sweet, William Warren. Revivalism In America: Its Origin, Growth and Decline. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1944.

[2] John S. Simon, The Revival of Religion in England in the Eighteenth Century (London: Charles H. Kelly, 1910), 42.

[3] Calvin Colton, History and Character of American Revivals of Religion (London: Frederick Westley, and A.H. Davis, 1973), 1-2.

[4] Simon, 43.

[5] J. Edwin Orr, The Eager Feet: Evangelical Awakenings, 1790-1830 (Chicago: Moody Press, 1975), viii.

[6] Frederick Morgan Davenport, Primitive Traits In Religious Revivals: A Study in Mental and Social Evolution (New York: The MacMillan Company, 1910), vii-viii.

[7] Davenport, viii.

[8] William Warren Sweet, Revivalism In America: Its Origin, Growth and Decline (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1944), 20-21.

[9] Sweet, 10-13.

[10] James Burns, Revivals: Their Laws and Leaders (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1946), 10, 12.

[11] Martin Wells Knapp, Revival Kindlings (Cincinnati: The Revivalist, 1890), 9.

[12] Peter Engle. “History of Modern Evangelicalism: BT 660,” class notes, Spring 2008.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Charles G. Finney, Lectures on Revivals of Religion (Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1960), 28.

[15] Ibid., 29.

[16] Ibid., 30.

[17] Ibid., 33.

[18] Ibid., 34.

[19] Ibid.

[20] Knapp, 48-49.

[21] Unfortunately Davies’ book was not readily accessible to me at the time of my research

[22] “Is About Me And My Experience,” 5 June 2007 [document on-line]; available from http://mkagal17.blogspot.com/2007/06/i-will-pour-out-my-spirit.html; Internet; accessed 11 July 2008.

[23] Ibid., 69.

[24] Ibid.

[25] Colton, 75-76.

[26] Burns, 18.

[27] D. MacFarlan, The Revivals of The Eighteenth Century, Particularly at Cambuslang. (London and Edinburgh: John Johnstone, 18-?), 6.

[28] Charles G. Finney, Reflections on Revival (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany House Publishers 1979), 107-109.

[29] Knapp, 65.

[30] Ibid.

[31] Ibid, 81.

[32] John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2007), 166-168.

[33] Burns, 51.

[34] Ibid.

[35] Finney 1960, 52.

[36] Finney 1960, 52.

[37] Ibid., 124.

[38] Ibid.

[39] Ibid., 125.

[40] Ibid, 138.

[41] Ibid, 139.

[42] Jonathan Edwards, Jonathan Edwards on Evangelism, ed. Carl J. C. Wolf (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, Publishers, 1958) 72.

[43] The Spirit is known as the “Spirit of truth” – John 14:15-17, 25-27; 15:26-27.

[44] The Spirit is known to help believers pray – Romans 8:26-27

[45] Simon, 42.

[46] Finney 1960, 115-120.

[47] Finney 1979, 73.

[48] Edwards, 70.

[49] See Colton, 111.

[50] See Colton, 116; Finney 1979, 93

[51] Finney 1960, 154-155.

[52] See George A. Rawlyk, Wrapped Up in God: A Study of Several Canadian Revivals and Revivalists. (Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Welch Publishing Company, 1988), 135.

[53] Rawlyk, 139.

[54] Finney 1960, 38-39, 48

[55] Ibid., 49-50.

[56] Knapp, 12.

[57] Finney 1960, 38-39.

[58] Colton, 6-7.

[59] Ibid., 7.

[60] Finney, 1969, 14.

[61] Colton, 106.

[62] Finney, 1979, 83-84.

[63] Ibid., 66.

[64] Ibid.

This paper was provided by Joel French. Please contact him for permission to use this paper in anyway.

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