I’ve been to more “revivals” than I can count. I grew up in churches where “revivals” were the norm, not the exception.

I actually became a Christian during a “revival” at a youth retreat. After a weekend of preaching, “prophecies”, prayers, and “casting out demons”, most of the people at the youth retreat accepted the altar call, repeated the sinner’s prayer, and made professions of faith in Christ.

Within weeks, however, the vast majority of the people who professed faith in Christ had returned to unrepentant sin. So I’ve seen firsthand how emphasis on “revivals” instead of repentance harm so many.

It’s with that in mind and the authority of the Bible that I hesitate to call what is happening at Asbury University a “revival.”

That hesitancy, however, is offensive to people who seem to think it’s Satan, not God, who said:

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1-2)

Over the past week, seemingly anyone who shares any caution or concern over some of what’s happening at Asbury University is immediately labelled a “Pharisee”, a “Doubting Thomas”, a blasphemer and other silly accusations by people who hypocritically attack their brothers and sisters in the name of defending brothers and sisters at Asbury University.

In some ways, just as woke Christians weaponized the George Floyd incident to pressure some Christians into accepting their definition of racism—some Charismatic Christians are trying to weaponize the Asbury “revival” to pressure others into accepting their definition of a revival.

But whether it’s Charismatic Christians or woke people—anyone who demands only submission or silence on their opinions over debatable issues isn’t operating in love.

Love does not insist on it’s own way. Godly people try to persuade others who disagree with them. Ungodly people, however, try to pressure others who disagree with them.

Nevertheless, the Asbury “revival” started after a 10 am chapel service last week Wednesday when a group of about 20 students and the worship team said they felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to continue worship past the end of the chapel service.

According to one of the students I talked to, a few hours later, the president of the seminary sent an email to the students encouraging them visit the chapel to join the 20 students on what he described as an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Apparently 200 students arrived for worship at the chapel soon after, and there has been non-stop worship ever since.

The student maintains the “revival” wasn’t planned. But it’s worth noting that Asbury University is part of what is known as the revivalist movement—a group of Charismatic Christians who consistently attempt to produce revivals.

This is why the university’s website says:

“Asbury University has been known through the years for its history of great revivals. There have been several occasions when significant moves of the Holy Spirit have swept the campus and reached across the nation.”

In fact, besides this current “revival”, Asbury claim they’ve had 8 revivals.

I’ve talked to current students, recent graduates, and several people who’ve visited the chapel to experience the “revival”, and there’s unquestionably several reasons why we should be concerned.

Though one student says the gospel has been consistently and explicitly preached since the beginning of the “revival”, others contradict that claim. In fact, one former student who was at the chapel this week told me he rarely, if ever, heard a clear presentation of the gospel at the school.

Another student said: “Attending the few chapels I have at seminary, apart from one [or] two chapels that preach a biblical message of repentance, it’s always been about ‘being who you are’ and God loving you ‘as you are.’ There are a lot of messages that are about being ‘true to yourself.’”

I’ve watched hundreds of videos of the “revival”, and I still haven’t seen any clips showing a clear preaching of the gospel. Of course, that isn’t evidence that people aren’t preaching the gospel.

Still, progressive Christians like Tim Whitaker at The New Evangelicals have essentially endorsed the “revival” after his visits to the chapel this week. Moreover, he says LGBTQ students at the school told him the university protects them from “conversion therapy”. According to Whitaker, the LGBTQ students who were “worshipping” at the chapel also say they’re especially hopeful the “revival” will create (progressive) change at the school.

That lines up with what one student said to me: “Unfortunately, I have first-account experience and conversations with people who are attending and speaking on the ‘greatness’ of revival who are actively living in sin (to be blunt).”

Furthermore, some of the preachers at the chapel are women. And there are also several people “prophesying”, speaking in tongues, “casting out demons”, and “faith healing” at the chapel.

So with that said, is the Asbury “revival” a real revival? 

Because of the seemingly little or no gospel preaching, the female pastors, the disorderly and charismatic chaos, I’m inclined to say, “no”.

But in a sense, whether I think it’s a revival or not that doesn’t really matter, anyway. The word “revival” isn’t a biblical term.