Thinking Through the Asbury Revival

Approximate Reading Time: 33 minutes

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The “Asbury Revival” is a big topic in Christian circles. For some, it’s a work of God that carries the hope of America finally turning to God. For others, it’s a man-centered event that only appeals to emotions. Let’s test what really happened instead of what our hopes, fears, and expectations make us want to believe. This will not be a short discussion, but those willing to take the time will be thoroughly equipped to see more than what’s right in front of us.

Asbury, in a nutshell

On February 8th, there was a fairly mundane chapel service at Asbury University in Kentucky. Afterward, students stayed behind for prayer. Some shared it on their social media, prompting more students to join them. A student wrote about it in the university’s online newspaper, likely sparking excitement that encouraged more students to join them. The students continued praying throughout the night and the next day, mixing in singing with their prayers.

As the days progressed, more people around the state and nation became aware of these events. Many people made the trip to the university to participate. Attendees started live-streaming the event. Others continued reporting their experience, with many Christian celebrities and social media personalities amplifying the excitement around the events.

Prayer, worship, and Bible reading have been going non-stop since it started. For the sake of the university’s functioning, the leadership ended the event with a final service on February 19th, officially closing the doors to the chapel at 1 a.m. the next day. 

What is revival?

Many Christians in America grow up in church hearing prayers of revival. A church may host semi-annual revival meetings, possibly in a big tent. Others may have a special speaker who specializes in stirring listeners to commit to God. Still, others may have special prayer sessions for their community or an entire country.

In America, revival seems like part of the church’s DNA. We look around at the state of the country, even the world, and long for the days of Great Awakenings. We want Christianity to be a normalized, even celebrated, part of everyday life. People are praying for revival, which is exactly what people say is happening in Asbury.

But as the heading asks, what is revival? It’s certainly not a biblical term. We cannot pray for revival from the Psalms, gospels, or epistles. It’s a loaded term that changes between denominations. 

When people outside of Charistmatic theology think of revival, they picture the effects of things like the Great Awakenings. They desire to see whole communities experience impactful repentance from sin, excitement for holiness, generations of changed lives, and a widespread embrace of Christianity. Ignoring the desire to slip into Christian Nationalism, many who pray for revival will know their prayers are answered by changed lives.

That’s a fundamental issue with this entire discussion. An exciting moment doesn’t mark traditional revival, but what comes out of that moment. It’s not a matter of “What’s happening in Asbury right now?” but rather “What happened in the years following the events at Asbury?” 

If we desire God’s word to be our guide, we should look to it for a biblical pattern of what it looks like when God changes entire nations. We see this when kings like Josiah (2 Chronicles 34-35) recognized the sin of him and the nation of Israel, resulting in the people tearing down pagan worship objects and rededicating themselves to obeying God. We see communities changed in Acts as well, and all of them result in life changes. If singing was present, it was as a result of revival, not the revival itself. 

The argument around whether this is a revival ultimately shows our impatience. We want to hastily label it something before we’ve seen what results from it. There are certainly issues, as we’ll see below, but we can’t ignore that God will work through, or despite, the events of Asbury. Whether or not it’s a genuine revival or just a fad will be seen months and years from now.

It’s also worth noting that the Asbury leadership isn’t calling this a revival. Even their official website calls it a “spiritual renewal.” Social media and news websites have attached this label to it, likely from a combination of 1) a student labeling it a revival in the university newspaper and 2) the number of clicks the word “revival” is likely to get from an American audience. 

Evaluating this revival through Scripture

Praying for revival may not be commanded in Scripture. Still, a Bible-based understanding of what should happen at gatherings like this can fuel our prayers and help us better evaluate whether something truly is genuinely from God. 

We may best evaluate revival-type meetings through Jonathan Edwards, the pastor God used to kickstart the Great Awakening in the 1700s. As he cautiously reflected on what God did through Edwards’s church and New England, and especially as he defended it from critics, he wrote “The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God.” In this, Edwards used 1 John 4 to help people in his day understand whether or not God granted this revival, and it serves as a wonderful guide for us as well. Edwards understood, as we must, the important command of: 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1 LSB)

Here is a summary of what Edwards says should be the mark of godly revival:

#1 It points people to the true, biblical Jesus Christ

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. (1 John 4:2-3 LSB)

One risk we must be aware of in evaluating Asbury, or anything else, is whether it points to Jesus or a Jesus-like figure. Jesus is still hugely popular in our culture, but there are so many false versions of Him that it’s not a simple matter of “Do they say positive things about Jesus?” We must evaluate what’s said about Jesus and the gospel alongside Scripture, not just the version of Jesus or the gospel we prefer. 

The services I’ve encountered will have a speaker say a little bit about Jesus, but most of the experience seems centered around singing songs, sharing uplifting testimonies, or giving brief (sometimes vague) challenges instead of teaching the truth of the Bible. 

For example, this speaker makes an altar call based on some vague references to burdens people brought there. While valid, even unbelievers can find relief by going through the ritual of approaching an altar and figuratively leaving their burdens behind without Jesus being the one to remove them. 

Other speakers I’ve heard seem to follow a similar pattern. They get a handful of minutes to speak in between hours of worship music, their comments are uplifting or comforting, yet rarely present repentance from sin and trust in the sacrificial work of Jesus as more than freedom from emotional guilt and pain. So Jesus is present, but I don’t know how many speakers give a clear gospel message compared to how many insist on the audience’s need for “healing and restoration,” allowing people to attach any number of meanings to that.

That’s not to say others aren’t genuinely representing Jesus. It’s difficult to understand most of the speakers in the live streams, so others may be more articulate about Jesus and the gospel. But one thing is clear: who Jesus truly is, and what He did on the cross, must be central to any work of God.

#2 It opposes the work of Satan in the world

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world hears them. (1 John 4:4-5 LSB)

Again, we must evaluate this alongside Scripture and not our preferences. Many would argue that it’s Satanic to speak against LGBTQ+, abortion, or other sin-related issues the church has historically stood against. Self-doubt, low self-esteem, and emotional guilt are seen as sins that must be healed with encouragement, inner strength, and loving ourselves. In churches with the Prosperity Gospel, the works of Satan may be opposed when people speak against the sinful spirits of poverty and sickness. Again, we can’t evaluate whether sin or Satan are opposed, but whether the things said about sin and Satan are biblical, and especially how and why people can find victory over those sins.

#3 God’s divinely-inspired word is highly regarded and intentionally taught. 

We are from God. The one who knows God hears us; the one who is not from God does not hear us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:6 LSB)

People sometimes read from the Bible at Asbury. The important question, of course, is how people use it. Do people try to motivate and inspire by misusing verses like Jeremiah 29:11? Do they cherry-pick that talk about the good without the bad? Is the Bible preeminent, or is it a participant in something more important? 

Although some songs have biblical references, the Bible itself doesn’t saturate the event, nor is it being taught beyond a verse or two supporting a call to holiness or confession after hours of singing. That doesn’t mean it’s not being taught, but that much of the teaching is through song lyrics and brief words from speakers, both of which may reference the Bible but don’t teach from it. And later, as we get a better understanding of how many in the audience and on stage understand the function of worship, it’s not very surprising.

#4 People leave understanding truth

From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:6b LSB)

People can say true things, but if they aren’t told fully and accurately, many will likely leave with false understandings. But what is this spirit of truth? It’s a mix of man’s teaching and the Holy Spirit’s illumination of some critical things in the life of every person: God’s existence, His hatred of sin, our guilt of breaking God’s law, our guarantee to stand before Him in judgment, our inability to save ourselves, that Jesus Christ alone offers forgiveness and salvation, our need to repent from sin and trust in Jesus to save us, and finally the call for Christians to live holy lives.

To paraphrase Edwards: A teaching that pulls us out of darkness and puts us in the light must offer truth and free us from deception. If the teaching lacks clarity, or if it relies on an emotional experience to move people, then truth isn’t being taught, and thus is not the “spirit of truth” that is evidence of God’s work. God may still reveal truth to people, but it may have to be despite the teachers, rather than through them.

#5 People learn a love for God and others

No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. (1 John 4:12-13 LSB)

Edwards carries this point through 1 John 4:6-21. An event that leads to true revival will instill a deep love for God, and through that a love for others. However, as with everything else, we must exercise caution in our modern context.

Love for God doesn’t rest in how we feel in the moment, but in what we know. True love doesn’t come from emotion, but understanding. The more we understand God, the more we will love Him because of who He is. That love for God will simultaneously reveal who we are, prompting us to walk in humility as we love those who are just as broken and in need of Jesus Christ. We love God and others by what we know about Him and what His holiness reveals about us.

Thus, it’s not enough for a Christian event to create feelings we associate with a love for God based on when and where we feel them. We can’t say we’re genuinely loving people because we’re swept up in a crowd of people praying for one another. Those are pleasant experiences, but they’re also possible without God. People can easily be caught up in an emotional, music-driven event. They can confuse love with camaraderie for people who are experiencing similar emotions to their own.

The realities from #4 are the understandings that create an authentic love for God. Love is a natural response when we truly know who God is, what sin is, what we are, and what Jesus has done. Love that feels magnified because of our atmosphere, especially if that atmosphere is vague enough that even unbelievers can be swept up in it, isn’t a love for God.

Before we’re too critical

I’ve pointed out some failings at Asbury, but with a purpose. It’s so easy to point to what they’re doing and say “They talk about Jesus! They use Bible verses! They talk about love!” and assume we’ve genuinely evaluated what’s happening. It’s far more difficult to be discerning and look beyond what’s happening on the surface to see if Christ is truly being magnified, or if it’s just something Christ-adjacent. We’ve all seen allegedly-Christian groups and events use many of the right words without clearly calling believers and unbelievers to biblical repentance, salvation, and holy living. We don’t want to immediately label something “of God” just because people reference God during it.

However, it’s worth noting that it’s difficult to completely know how far to take our concerns for Asbury for a few reasons. 

The first of which is that it’s challenging to hear what’s being said by the speakers. The music is a bit more clear because the entire building is singing, but individuals are standing in balconies and using their phones to live stream an individual speaking through what is likely a very basic sound system. For example, one eight-hour stream had three teachers and a handful of testimonies and prayers, yet I could only pick out most of what two teachers said and couldn’t understand anyone else I heard. The speakers I’ve been able to understand haven’t been very biblically-focused, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t hearing the gospel from other speakers.

Second, there have been over 200 hours of worship and speakers. Unless someone goes through and transcribes what every person has said, we can only look at a few speakers that were recorded (and could be understood) and try to understand the tone of teaching from those.

Third, it’s worth considering who’s doing this. This is primarily led by students and teachers who weren’t prepared for this. I know I like to have at least 20 hours of preparation and study time before I teach something, yet those at Asbury may have only had a few hours. Many of these people were likely cobbled together while people scrambled to accommodate everything else happening. Not only that, but several students have gotten up to speak. And although Asbury University is a Bible university, the sad reality is that most university students don’t know how to articulate the gospel and holy living adequately, nor have most been trained to separate their emotions from truth. 

None of this is an excuse for where the teachers or student speakers may fall short. Yet we must remember that this is on par with what happens at Christian colleges and young adult ministries nationwide. It may not be great, but we should be consistent with our standards for teens and twenty-somethings in our own circles. 

Noteworthy leadership decisions

If you’ve seen the sermon that preceded the spontaneous prayer time, you’ll realize this was neither a pre-planned event by leadership nor a response to a world-shattering sermon. It started simply, and a regular university couldn’t have predicted what was coming next. This context lets us appreciate the wisdom of many leaders’ responses.

Most impressive is that they didn’t capitalize on the fame. They declined coverage from Tucker Carlson, a talk show host. They also allegedly refused a musician’s offer to lead worship services, opting to allow their students to lead worship. They also reportedly knew that a false teacher named Todd Bentley was in town and were making sure he caused no issues. They’ve also made various requests and restrictions that prioritize high-school and college-age students so that an event at a university can best serve whom they exist to serve. 

It’s hard to deny that the leadership was thrown into the deep end as they tried to coordinate a flood of people, maintain safety, and encourage what they see as a work of God amongst their students and community. It’s very easy to sit back with all the facts and critique what a small university is doing wrong amid unprecedented national attention and an unexpected horde in and around their student chapel. However, whatever our opinion on the event itself, and even with some problematic teaching and worship, it’s worth appreciating the humility and wisdom displayed by many leaders so far.

Easy believism, camp decisions, and altar calls

Throughout the history of America, something all attempts at revival deserve criticism for is “easy believism.” Closely linked to altar calls that Charles Finney popularized in the 1800s, and central to the Billy Graham crusades of today, easy believism desires to make the gospel simple and approachable. But because it encourages people to make decisions for Christ in the midst of intense emotion, it irresponsibly produces an incredible number of false converts. It’s the approach that says things like:

“Just pray this prayer to be saved.”

“Raise your hand if you’d like to accept Jesus.”

“Ask Jesus into your heart and you’ll be saved.”

The issue here isn’t necessarily what is said, but what comes before and after those statements. The gospel that precedes these things is often very manipulative and is designed to scare people into Heaven, filled with promises of hope and comfort without an accurate understanding of sin and the cross, or exposes the guilt of sin and offers emotional relief. Few people who accept Christ in these mass-revival settings truly understand what’s happening and thus can’t truly repent and ask for forgiveness.

Following that, people who pray these prayers don’t receive discipleship afterward. Those who have a false conversion may not realize it for years, or may not know it until the final judgment. Those who Jesus truly saves are frequently left to coast through life as a baby Christian, never learning how to grow in holiness and sanctification. At most, someone may tell them to attend a church (without any guidance on finding a gospel-centered church) and read their Bibles (with no explanation of what that looks like). Most, however, are celebrated when they respond and are then abandoned to figure things out on their own.

This lack of discipleship is a massive problem faced by many Christians. People are emotionally manipulated and then told to respond, whether to salvation or dedicating themselves to God, because their current emotional state confirms their need to do so. This is very often seen at Christian camps, and is such a common occurrence that people who have gone to Christian camps know what I mean by “camp decisions.” 

But whether at camp or during an altar call, the problem with these easy commitments to salvation or serving God is that they rarely last. They feel so right at the moment, and a speaker has stirred up an individuals emotions to the point that they feel ready to abandon everything if it means they can have Jesus. However, their devotion to God lasts as long as their emotions. When the moment has ended, they’re left devoid of the joy they once experienced.

This “turn and burn” approach to repentance has plenty of issues, but there are three issues worth considering now. First, it gives people a false assurance of salvation, and the lack of follow-up does nothing to change it. Second, it teaches them that they experience God through intense emotion they must continue to chase. Third, it sets a precedent for an inconsistent spiritual life filled with extreme highs followed by devastating moments of emptiness and joylessness.

When thinking about what we’ve seen in Asbury, we must question what speakers call people to do during these intensely emotional moments. What is the foundation of their commitments? Are they being equipped to serve once the music and emotions have ended? Are people being told their sins were paid for on the cross just because they approached a stage and prayed some kind of prayer? Are the altar calls preceded by solid biblical truth and followed by intentional discipleship?

Things like altar calls and camp decisions create big responses and yield big numbers. But because they’re built on emotion instead of truth, they rarely result in genuine conversions or lasting commitments. Those few Jesus does save are, quite unfortunately, left spiritually immature for years.

Confusing emotionalism with conviction

As we read or listen to the testimonies of those who attend, it’s easy to notice a trend. People arrive, often not sure what to expect. They then experience something during the singing or spontaneous prayers amongst people and suddenly feel a deep sense of conviction from God. Those who arrive as skeptics often feel their doubts fade as worship sweeps them along.

Here’s just one of many examples: 

I was still an anxious skeptic as we entered the chapel service; I hoped we hadn’t wasted our time. I was standing there looking around, ready to critique what I saw and heard, when I felt a sudden sense of conviction. I watched as my wife worshipped beside me, and then I began to allow myself to be in the moment. It became clear, the biggest obstacle to my participation in this worshipful revival was my own cynical heart. [Emphasis mine]

The writer was skeptical that it was emotionalism, but he was proven wrong when he gave in to his emotions. So many people report similar conviction, but about what? What truth is being proclaimed that leads people to a deep-seated awe of their God and an honest examination and hatred of their own wretchedness? From most reports, it’s simply the feeling of the moment. People confuse a wonderful experience with Spirit-filled conviction.

Make no mistake, God can convict us with the most unlikely things. The Holy Spirit often spends days, even years, preparing our hearts for a single “Aha!” moment where He uncovers an area we must surrender to God. It’s arrogant to think absolutely no one can be convicted through singing, prayer, or just being with God’s people. However, as with easy believism above, ignoring how our emotions confuse reality is also foolish. It’s far too easy to feel the “presence” of God through heightened emotions, then lose it when the emotions end and everyday life resumes. 

When in a unique situation with many people seeming to experience God, and especially if we go there already knowing we should expect a similar experience, it’s very simple to feel an unusual emotion and correlate it with God. Yet just because we feel emotion while God is mentioned doesn’t mean it’s a direct encounter with God. If we’re feeling a deep conviction without substance, it should make us wonder if it’s God speaking or if we just respond well to our atmosphere.

Wesleyan roots

Asbury University is proud of its Wesleyan heritage. Like many denominations, it has beliefs that Christians can agree with or debate. One of those is whether or not supernatural gifts like healing or speaking in tongues have continued. John Wesley, the father of the denomination, can best be described as a cautious Charismatic. He certainly believed the gifts were still active today, though perhaps less prevalent than more modern groups would insist. 

Both Charismatics and Pentecostals claim that Wesleyanism set the stage for their own denominations. This helps us better understand why people have reported students exercising the gift of healing, with one student even testifying he was miraculously healed, as well as the presence of other supernatural gifts. Although things aren’t as outlandish as many other Charismatic churches, people in the chapel worship with the full expectation that God will, and there does, work miracles in their midst.

Revival and worship in Charismatic theology

By understanding the university’s Wesleyan roots, we can better understand the context of other things being said and done. As I’ve listened to speakers and testimonies of those who attend, there’s a clear and intense mark of the Charismatic Movement. And because some of the most popular worship music used in churches come from Charismatics like Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation, we may not realize how much this terminology and theology has become normalized by even suit-and-tie Baptists.

Simply put, emotional worship is central to the Charismatic life. This is why Charismatic worship is deeply personal, highly emotional, and repetitively repetitive. Emotional reactions during worship aren’t just a side benefit of worship; they are worship. 

According to Charismatics, we must also understand that worship isn’t about human emotions. Those within this theology believe these emotions are evidence of God’s presence. When we sing, we aren’t just feeling emotions, but experience God’s presence coming down from Heaven and the Holy Spirit flowing out of us. The more intensely a person feels during worship, the more it proves God’s presence.

To quote Darlene Zschech, a former Hillsong music leader:

Our praise is irresistible to God. As soon as He hears us call His name, He is ready to answer us. That is the God we serve. Every time the praise and worship team with our musicians, singers, production teams, dancers, and actors begin to praise God, His presence comes in like a flood. Even though we live in His presence, His love is lavished on us in a miraculous way when we praise Him.

It seems like a lot of good is happening at Asbury. However, their words and phrases may not mean what we think they do. Understanding how Charismatics view worship, we can look at common things said during or after this multi-day worship event and interpret them properly.

• People feel God’s presence. They feel intense emotions and believe God is making His presence known. The more this is repeated, the more they teach others to interpret their feelings as the presence of God. This stems from a common misunderstanding of when Jesus said “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20 LSB) 
• They must be filled with the Holy Spirit. By believing that supernatural gifts are still active today, performing things like healing, tongues, or prophecy is a sign that the Holy Spirit is flowing out of them. Acts 2 serves as the basis for this statement. In many circles, this also refers to the “second baptism of the Holy Spirit,” an event that happens sometime after salvation to grant these supernatural gifts and sanctification.
• People need to have an encounter with Jesus. This isn’t just a clever metaphor for realizing the weight of their sin and turning to Christ for salvation. People need to literally experience Jesus at a personal level. They need to feel His presence, hear His voice, and look for confirming signs that He’s in their heart.
• People claim God spoke to them. Those who come out of the Charismatic Movement explain this the same way. People are taught to listen to their feelings and interpret them as God’s voice. They may get it wrong sometimes, but that’s okay. The important thing is a willingness to be open to hearing from God, despite the Bible’s warning: The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9 LSB). 

Now we may better understand what people mean by “revival.” Asbury Unversity students say they’d been praying for revival for years. But what does revival mean for them? 

Fortunately, the university itself has collected stories from a similar event that happens in the 1970s. If we read these stories in light of what people understand about worship, a clear thread of emotionalism runs through almost all of them. For many, revival wasn’t a changed community but a significant moment that gave them a uniquely emotional experience.

Definitions of worship and revival matter, as does how we interpret emotions. Although Asbury’s leadership isn’t calling this a revival, people can only define their emotional experience with that term. Visitors are making hours-long pilgrimages to experience the emotional high of “God’s presence,” and many are convinced it’s a revival because so many people are having a similar, emotional experience simultaneously. 

As noted at the start of this discussion, “revival” throughout biblical history is an acknowledgment of sin and an immediate life change that lasts for years. The revival desired in Charismatic theology will ideally result in life change, but as we see in Asbury, the revival is successful because a large group of people has an emotional experience. We can praise God that the Holy Spirit is changing some people, but we must be so cautious when we listen to the emotions and experiences of others and use that to claim it’s the work of God. We can’t get swept up in their definitions if we disagree with Charismatic theology.

Social media and FOMO

Remember planking? The Ice Bucket Challenge? Flash mobs? The Harlem Shake? Have we all forgotten when people recorded themselves eating saltines, cinnamon, or Tide Pods? Did you know people would set themselves on fire and share it online? Have you lived your life without seeing people take up the “Kylie Jenner Challenge” to give themselves massive lips? 

Today, social media grips many generations. People want to share their lives with the world so badly that they’ll stage photos and videos to manufacture the identity they portray to others. And as they see others participating in different activities or challenges, they feel compelled to be a part of the group by doing it themselves and sharing it online, endlessly repeating the cycle until people move on to a new fad. When 

Another issue many face is the “fear of missing out,” or FOMO. This has grown alongside social media as we watch others enjoy unique experiences and, in this fast-paced world, feel compelled to participate lest we miss out. FOMO is, ultimately, jumping off a bridge because our friends are doing it. Then we post about it on social media just like everyone else.

Mark Whitworth, vice president of communications at Asbury University, said “It has absolutely been social media that is the mechanism that people found out about this.” Social media has fueled what happened at Asbury, from the flood of students to the thousands of people visiting from around the country. The university’s leadership knows social media is to thank, but we must also acknowledge how it’s to blame.

Consider the sequence of events. People shared their excitement that revival was breaking out when a few students stayed after chapel to pray and worship. People joined them because they didn’t want to miss out on the revival that was such a big part of the university’s history. More people shared their experiences online, prompting others to want to join in. 

We must also remember that social media rewards those who post things that get engagement. Thus, people post highly-emotionalized posts or share photos/videos that create likes, comments, and sharing. As popularity spreads, even celebrities feel compelled to be part of it, posting about it to thousands of followers and prompting even more people to go.

According to CBN News on Thursday, Instagram had over 1,000 videos of the event and TikTok had over 24,000,000 views on the #AsburyRevival hashtag. Social media and FOMO have exposed millions to the viral phenomenon at a small Kentucky university. And because it’s the popular on social media, people want to be part of the conversation.

The cycle of Asbury’s popularity has all the marks of every other craze fueled by social media. Like the Ice Bucket Challenge and nearly every other thing people do because they want to be part of the latest internet sensation, few people likely participated with any real understanding of what they were doing. Instead, in a culture dominated by social media, so many people spent hours in the car and many more hours standing in line just to be part of what everyone else was doing. Millions of others saw it, trusted it, maybe shared it, and moved on.

If we ignore the temptation to be excited about this just because people call it a revival from God, it’s tough to distinguish this from everything that social media encourages people to participate in.

The weight of expectations

Asbury has a long history of revivals. Right now, many point out the 1970 revival, but the university itself has documented 8 previous revivals, with one as recent as 2006. Like a college with a history of winning major football games, the faculty and students live under a great weight of expectation to continue the university’s revival legacy. 

During the sermon that seemed to launch this whole event, the final prayer asked God for revival. Hours after the event started, a student posted an article in the school’s online newspaper titled “Revival Strikes Asbury Once Again.” As the event progressed, that same online paper published at least ten more articles calling it a “revival.” People around the country latched on to the term and became convinced we were witnessing another Great Awakening that could bring the entire country back to God.

Let’s consider how Wesleyan theology defines “revival” and what this supernatural and highly-emotional understanding would do to those who truly desired a revival like those in the university’s past. Students and faculty likely made “revival” a normal part of their prayer. They attended the school knowing these events are part of their legacy, and they “grew up” hearing stories about the university’s past. 

We don’t want to accuse people of nefariously manufacturing this event. However, we can’t ignore the desperation people would carry to see something, anything, happen. If we were Asbury students, we’d have likely seen spontaneous prayer sessions break out regularly as people desperately waited for God to answer their prayer for revival. This desperation explains why students were hasty to label this a revival after only a few hours.

Consider how people at the university would have reacted to hearing their school was experiencing another revival. After all, it wasn’t just an American revival but an Asbury revival as God poured out His presence and Holy Spirit. The university’s legacy could continue if the students were faithful stewards of what God was starting in their midst. 

What student would miss an opportunity to be part of the school’s history? Who wouldn’t be so excited that they wouldn’t spread the historic moment around campus and social media? Thus, students flocked to see this revival. And like a self-fulfilled prophecy, they signaled to others that it was a revival because so many students were attending.

Students at Asbury had a great weight of expectation hanging over them. Asbury seemed like a unique place where God wasn’t afraid to create their definition of revival. This weight fostered a desperation to see the potential for revival at every moment. Add to this the superficial and always-connected nature of social media alongside our culture’s “fear of missing out,” and it’s not hard to understand how something that started as a few students earnestly desiring to pray could balloon out into something else.

The worldview of an entire generation

The participants of Asbury have largely been Generation Z, primarily high-schoolers and people up to age 25. When we look at why something is popular with any particular generation, it’s worthwhile to examine the worldview of that generation. Just as people have historically noted the frugality of those who lived through the Great Depression, it’s worth considering what Generation Z faces, and has faced, that might make the events in Asbury so desirable. Not all of these may accurately reflect reality, but they do explain their reality.

First, as noted, they live in an interconnected world. Most of what Gen Z learns about comes through social media and YouTube. They don’t hover around one or two news sites but instead learn about things more organically through friends, influencers, and whatever websites are promoted by their preferred platform. So when these sources push a new and exciting thing at them, it’s only logical that they will participate.

Second, it’s a generation of exhausting fakeness. So much about their world is manufactured to manipulate what they think, so they learn to be cynical. Most of them know that, despite the centrality of social media, they and those they follow are faking much of their online persona. They see, over and over, the hypocrisy and lies that people not only tell Gen Z, but that older generations are willing to ignore (or perpetuate) for political, religious, or social reasons. 

Asbury becomes appealing because of how simple, unmanufactured, and honest it feels. No one seems to be fake. No one is coming at them with a hidden motives. It’s just a real people gathered together, singing and being genuinely positive.

Third, they’re isolated. We all know it’s far simpler to sit on a phone than to go out and socialize. It’s easy to go online and have your only human interactions be picking fights with strangers or simply spectating because you don’t want to deal with internet toxicity. With the ease of feeling connected through social media, they may not realize that they lose out on the genuine human connections that God designed us for. We also can’t deny the toll the pandemic and lockdowns took on people who were trapped with an abusive or distant family, cut off from whatever human connections they did have, and left struggling with things like anxiety and depression with no one they felt they could connect to.

On the other hand, Asbury was a small building packed to the brim with people with no agenda. They could talk to people and be accepted, no matter the differences they otherwise shared. People were praying for one another, singing to God as a community, and sharing an experience in person instead of living vicariously through what others posted. 

Fourth, many of them have experienced dead religiosity. Today, Christianity is filled with Christian consumers who claim the religion and maybe even go to church, but are largely uninterested in holiness and sanctification. The Bible is seen as a rulebook, a collection of inspirational quotes, or a thing that collects dust while people live like the rest of the world. They live hypocritical lives. People talk about the importance of having faith and trusting God, yet so few offer any reason to believe in God beyond “It’s what I believe and you have no right to challenge my beliefs.” To many, Christianity is a dead religion that is believed out of tradition or self-interest rather than because they’re genuinely convinced of the truths of God.

Gen Z sees this. They’ve grown up in a family, or a world, of weak Christianity that can’t offer any hope of standing up to science or social needs. They’ve learned a religion of selfishness, spiritual deadness, and even spiritual abuse. Even if they didn’t grow up in a Christian home, social media and news sources bombard them with scandals and abuses within Christianity. Their worldview sees the needs and suffering of others, then they witness Christians ignore, belittle, or even cause this suffering.

It becomes no surprise that the vibrant and emotional atmosphere of Asbury would be so appealing. In a world where Christianity seems dead, outdated, hypocritical, and loveless, they see people their age filled with love and spiritual vitality. It’s everything they’ve felt was missing from modern-day Christianity, and it must be incredibly refreshing for those who do want God in their lives, but not the God that so many in their world don’t seem to actually follow.

Fifth, their world is a terribly hopeless place. War, plagues, earthquakes, and death aren’t just signs of Christ’s return; they’re a regular Tuesday for high school and college students. Social media and internet algorithms know people are more likely to respond to scary or divisive headlines. That means the more time people spend online, the more they will see how dangerous, broken, and hopeless the world is. 

Gen Z, like everyone, needs hope. We all need something we can lean on when we realize how powerless we are in our own lives. Spending days, even hours, in a group of people singing and praying with nothing but hope is a welcome reprieve from their world.

When we try to understand the motives, beliefs, and worldview of Gen Z, we can better understand why this event is so meaningful.

Answering the obvious criticism

Before wrapping this up, it may be worthwhile to briefly address the common criticism I’ve seen throughout many other articles, YouTube videos, and online discussions. It’s the idea that it’s far easier to criticize Asbury than to enjoy and appreciate what’s happening, and it may even show that someone isn’t truly a Christian. While the first part can be valid, it’s not as noble and spiritual as many make it out to be. And the more it’s repeated, the more people feel compelled to embrace what’s happening, even if they have reservations.

If anyone has read this objectively, it should be evident that this isn’t a nitpick or complaint that people are doing things I don’t like. The goal of this hasn’t been to be dismissive or cynical, but to look beyond the hype and assumptions that many people make to see if there’s true substance in what’s happening. I’ve tested whether this can only be from God, or if we’re settling for the seeming spirituality of the event without filtering it through a biblical worldview.

Before anyone accepts what I say because it fits their opinion or rejects it because it doesn’t, I only ask that they honestly weigh what I’ve said. See if the things discussed here match reality. 

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1a LSB). 

The events surrounding Asbury may not be the work of false prophets, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t primarily fueled by the worldliness of emotionalism, social media, and the desperate desire of students who live under the shadow of past revivals.

A final note of warning

God has saved or convicted people through these events. Some, hopefully many, will look back and see Asbury as the beginning of a life they’ve surrendered to God. However, as Christians, we cannot say that the ends justify the means. 

People are also saved through everything from fearmonger preaching to the Prosperity Gospel. God may save people despite why Asbury has become a popular destination. But we can never look at the results and claim that the methods used to get there are justified.

Likewise, we must be very wary of those who are already trying to reproduce the events of Asbury. So many will try to carry the emotional momentum of this event throughout the country and even the world. Thanks to social media and our own hopelessness or frustration for our spiritual lives, many will feel the weight of expecting to see God work through an Asbury-like revival. And these people will fall into frustration or doubt when it either doesn’t happen or doesn’t feel as “real” as it should.

Similarly, those thousands of attendees who think they felt God’s presence will serve as testimonies to the rest of the world. These are no longer camp decisions that we joke about in the privacy of our friend groups; Asbury received national attention, and we must consider what will happen when the fervor and excitement don’t extend beyond the emotional music and viral social media hashtags. The world loves pointing out Christianity as just another life choice that people make, but it’s just as valid as any other religion that some people feel they need. If all the prophetic claims of revival don’t break out across America, especially if those who were on fire for a few days see no genuine change, the world will notice. 

A final note of hope

Despite our impatience at wanting results now, our God is always patiently working out His plan. Whatever failings we may find in the origins, continuations, and fallout from Asbury, we must never forget that we don’t rely on human programs or newsworthy events to prove God is winning. Even if the world soon forgets about Asbury and its short-lived revival, and if it’s not a revival as we often think of it, that doesn’t mean God won’t use it for His ultimate good.

As Christians, we have a few responsibilities to keep in mind. The first is that the world is looking at Christianity with different eyes, and we have an opportunity to accurately explain the gospel to those who may otherwise not be willing to listen. We also have a responsibility to not only understand why we believe what we believe, but guide those who are new or immature in the faith so they don’t have to rely on emotionalism for their proof of God in their lives. Lastly, we can eagerly wait to serve God as He uses everything for His glory.

For some, this showed how much we rely on emotionalism in our spiritual lives. If we got swept up in the hype of Asbury, it might reveal that we don’t have a firm understanding of worship or revival, but have let others define it for us. Use this event, and even this very discussion, to help you grow in your understanding.

It may have also revealed how dismissive we are of anything “other” from our own religious traditions without understanding why we’re against it. Many have shown that they don’t know why they don’t agree with what happened in Asbury, they just know that it’s different and they don’t like it. In a way, a kneejerk dismissal may also reveal that we’re controlled by emotions. What a wonderful opportunity to learn humility while trying to better understand whether anything is spiritually lacking in Asbury or if it’s just our preferences masquerading as spirituality.

Embrace the opportunity to understand your own faith, what you believe about “revivals,” and how to engage with believers and unbelievers who want to understand more about God. This is our opportunity to represent God to the world. If you realize that you aren’t ready, then you can also embrace this opportunity to find a mature Christian willing to help you grow in your own faith.

Lastly, pray for so many people. 

• Christians who attended and made commitments to God
• New Christians who were genuinely saved and need guidance as they grow
• Unrepentant people who had a false conversion and still need the truth
• All those who will feel lost, cold, or confused when time overcomes such an emotional moment
• Leaders who feel compelled to manufacture their own revival
• Communities who experience genuine, biblical revival
• Christians blinded by emotionalism without understanding a biblical worldview
• Christians blinded by cynicism without understanding a biblical worldview

God may not use Asbury in the way social media claims, but that doesn’t mean He won’t use it. As faithful followers of Jesus Christ, we want to serve our God however He calls us to. Let us be ready to celebrate those lives that are truly changed by these events, equip those in need of a firm foundation for their faith, comfort those who are left lost or hurting, patiently engage with those we disagree with, and always be ready to explain and defend our faith.

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and fear, having a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. (1 Peter 3:15-16 LSB)