Mislabeled

When it comes to the Asbury revival I think it’s just a dangerous label to call it a revival. The reformation and the great awakening are revivals we can look at to define what we mean by revival in a social context. In both those cases, evangelism was a huge result of the revival. The Asbury revival is powerful and important but I don’t think it fits that category because I don’t really see it as evangelistic. It may empower people to evangelize, but it itself isn’t pushing people out into communities to talk about the gospel.

Rightful Criticism

There are reports of some “controversial” things happening in the building itself and that it is one of the many “revivals” Asbury claims has happened on its campus. These are all debatable, but the true controversy is how little the Good News is being spoken. At Pentecost, people were empowered to speak other languages so that others could hear the gospel in their language. The gospel is the main focus and maybe for such a huge event, the minimal focus on the good news is rightfully alarming.

A Lesson to be Learned

The followers of Christ who look upon this event have to stay clear of narratives that make it seem as if God is more benevolent, generous, and present at Asbury. The Holy Spirit is ever present and He is not playing favorites. Christians should view the radical nature of Asbury, and if they are to view it as pure and true and noble, they should consider that the true implication is that the Spirit wants to bring them into the radical worship and change that is possibly taking place at Asbury.