Reflections on Asbury
Over the last few days, something has been up at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. Some are calling it a revival, some an awakening, some a stirring, and yet others are referring to it as a distraction, a confusion of truth, or a manipulation of students. There has been no shortage of blogs and reactions on social media since this started. To be sure, I do not simply want to add to the chorus of evangelical voices giving thoughts on this situation. I do, however, feel like I may have a unique sort of insight into such situations. I work at a small, Christian liberal arts college in a rural setting, similar to Asbury. Though I currently work in housing at a college, I also have experience working in churches and have a master’s degree in divinity (for what that’s worth to you). I’ve studied church history and theology for much of my educational journey, and have been privileged to sit under extremely intelligent teachers and professors on that journey. I also grew up in the South, a South which is seemingly obsessed with the concept of revival. Revival has been in my regular vocabulary since I was a child. More about that later. But that’s enough about me.
I want to write with some freedom during this post. This will not be a typical post of mine. I try to keep on topic and stay quite organized in my thoughts. This will be a bit more “stream-of-consciousness” in its organization (or lack thereof). I am simply trying to process my thoughts and be charitable to what is going on, understanding all sides and attempting to bring more light than heat.
Reframing Revival
First, I want to start with language. Many are referring to this situation at Asbury as a ‘revival.’ In my experience, our concepts of revival are heavily influenced by the 19th-century evangelist and preacher Charles G. Finney. Finney was a leader in what is called the 2nd Great Awakening. Finney, and those of his ilk (which is still a movement very much alive today), saw a revival as “a purely philosophical result of the right use of the constituted means.” In other words, rather than being a work of divine means, Finney sought to reframe revival as a manmade event, accomplished by the right setting, right words, and right response. Finney, and those who have come after him in the American revivalist strain, have even sought to use emotional manipulation to encourage conversions.
I do not want to wade into Finney’s theology (in short, it was seriously flawed and in error). I simply want to frame our concept of revival. What Finney began as a “revivalist” still continues. Billy Sunday, Dwight Moody, and Billy Graham all experienced national fame and recognition for evangelistic services (revivals, crusades, et al). All over North America – mainly in the South – revival services are still scheduled as congregations attempt to recover this revivalism. The revivalist movement has its strengths. But like all movements, it has its weaknesses.
True revival from the Lord happens on the Lord’s time in whatever place he wills. Surely, there have been revivals of great significance in church history, wherein many people in a particular region have experienced God’s grace in salvation at one time. Revival is not an event. Revival cannot be scheduled. Revival is the sovereign work of God wherein he calls many people to faith in Christ in a short period. Revival is possible, for with God all things are possible, but I don’t think it looks like we think it does: as an event. Revivals are good. They are from the Lord. Revivalism is the movement that tries to fabricate this movement through human means.
I want to be slow to attach the “revival” name to what is happening at Asbury. We may look back in 20 years and attach that name to what is going on. It’s hard to tell right now. But we ought to be cautious to attach that word to any movement until we can see the long-term fruit. Much of what we thought were revivals in the mid-20th century did not bear long-term generational fruit. I hope that the Lord is calling people to himself in salvation in droves at Asbury. But I don’t know that at this point.
Outright Rejection?
While I am advocating for cautiousness when attaching the word ‘revival’ to what is happening at Asbury, I am not going to outright reject it. By now, many have written tweets, posts, and blogs rejecting this movement on its face. Many are basing this rejection in an aversion to charismatic theology and the historic holiness movement. Now, I am not charismatic in my particular theological expression. However, I do not want to simply discredit what is happening in a place because we differ in our doctrine of how the Holy Spirit operates in the lives of believers today. I am not sure that I am a cessationist fully. On this particular doctrine, I take a middle road between the two main views. That may rub some the wrong way, but that’s really not my concern in this post. My concern is the temptation to reject a movement because it disagrees with how we think the Holy Spirit ought to move.
The doctrine of spiritual gifts in the lives of believers today is not salvific. In other words, whether or not you speak in tongues doesn’t affect your salvation. I believe that a person can be a charismatic and be a Christian. Some fringe groups may elevate the doctrine to a first tier, but Scripture does not. We need to see that not every worship expression that differs from our worship expression is strange fire. Yes, Asbury has historic ties to the holiness movement in America and tends to lean toward a charismatic theology. That differs from what I am used to, especially as a Southern Baptist. But that does not mean that God is not moving at Asbury now.
Every movement has its excesses. Every movement has its impostors. But we cannot be too quick to dismiss outpourings of the Spirit. We cannot be given over to a spirit of pessimism. Instead, I am advocating for cautious optimism. We are called by God in Scripture to ‘test the Spirits’ (1 John 4:1-3). God is not calling us to reject movements, nor is God calling us to wholesale accept a movement. Each believer must do the hard work of measuring a spiritual work using Scripture to see if it is from God. This is cautious optimism. This prevents us from being “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Ephesians 4:14).
We don’t make the rules when it comes to the work of the Spirit. God is God and we are not. God chooses where he will move and when he will move and among whom he will move. Insofar as movements are bound by Scripture (which is broader on these topics than some are comfortable with), we can join in the movement, awakening, or revival. As I have watched this movement at Asbury from afar, it seems that an outright rejection would be inappropriate. Let’s move forward in this with cautious optimism.
College Campuses
For some reason, movements like what is happening at Asbury (and spreading to other campuses) have special connections to college campuses. I am not sure why this theme happens, but it does have historical precedent. Perhaps students have a greater sense of freedom when they are away from their parents, home churches, and the influences they grew up with. Perhaps they are reading their Bibles for the first time. Students on a college campus are with many others their age, and feel a greater sense of belonging and comfort than they might have in the churches where they grew up.
In my own experience working on a college campus, I have seen students express a new level of comfort and freedom in worshiping Christ. College campuses (particularly Christian campuses) are places where many young people experience God for the first time or are refreshed in their faith. College is make-or-break time for many young folks. In that time, most people either walk away or get serious. I think awakenings like Asbury are times when many young people choose to get serious. Sure, groupthink can happen. Some can simply be swept up in the emotion of the moment and be planted in the shallow soil.
But God is not calling us to be soil-testers. He is calling us to spread seeds. College campuses are great fields in which to sow the seeds of the gospel. Students are hungry to learn. Some will repent and turn to Christ. Then those students will tell others about their newfound faith. Students at colleges are living in close community with each other. The closeness of a college campus community makes it harder to hide faith in Christ. When God saves one student, that movement can spread like wildfire through a campus. When God leads one student to share, or when God leads one student to radically repent of their sins, then that can spread like wildfire to other students.
We should desire this on campuses. We should pray for this on our campuses. We should indiscriminately spread the gospel to all students so that by all means God may save one.
After Awakening
I think God is moving at Asbury. But an outpouring like this will not last forever. We need to be more open to Spiritual movement outside the bounds of our normalcy, though this is not normative. The Lord regularly moves through his means in the local church and those regular movements, but we cannot tell the Lord to move in a certain way. But we need a plan for after awakening. Life might be righteously disrupted for a time, but at some point (sooner than we’d like), life will return to its normal routines and rhythms. So what do we do to move forward? Revivalism is no way forward, but we cannot stop praying for revival. Awakenings are their own things, and this might be an awakening. Let’s join in praying for continued awakening.
But we cannot become discontent with normalcy in the Christian life. God does use some times for awakenings, and that seems to be happening today. But we need to be content with God even when everything is normal. We need to be content with our daily Bible reading, going to work and being a witness for Christ, leading our families in the gospel, attending and giving our lives to the local church where the word is preached and Christ is exalted, and all of the regular rhythms of life. That’s our game plan for after awakening: Follow Christ in the everyday. Pursue faithfulness in the mundane regularity of life.
Conclusion
Here are some quick takeaways that I am applying to myself:
‘Revival’ is a loaded word with many backgrounds and needs interpretation. We won’t know what to call the movement until years later. For now, I am sticking with ‘awakening,’ hoping and praying that God is awakening many hearts unto salvation, and leading them to lifelong repentance and faith.
Cautious Optimism: Before dismissing a potential move of the Spirit, we need to test the spirits against Scripture. If the movement seems to be in alignment with Scripture, we can move forward in cautious optimism that the Lord is moving and growing the kingdom.
We need to prepare for life after awakening. God sometimes uses extraordinary services and outpourings to awaken many people. But God always uses the regular means of grace in the study of Scripture, his local churches, and walking in faithfulness to the Bible.
While any movement has its weaknesses, excesses, and maybe even impostors, we must ‘test the spirits.’ We need to be slow to discount any movement not of our particular denomination, theological persuasion, or worship style. I believe that God is genuinely at work in the lives of students at Asbury, and I pray that it continues to spread. Time will tell whether or not this is a revival, or simply a regional awakening. Whatever it is, may God be glorified in what is happening with the students on this campus, and I pray for the same in my own context. Will you join me?