Christian revivalism: spiritual reality, emotional experience, or both?

What has been happening at Asbury University?

An interesting phenomenon began on February 8, 2023 in Wilmore, Kentucky when some students on the campus of Asbury University decided to remain in Hughes Auditorium after the completion of a regular chapel service. The university’s own main web page describes the ongoing event as follows:

Since February 8, 2023, Asbury University students along with faculty, staff, administrators, local community members, and visitors from out-of-town have been gathering in Hughes Auditorium for a time of spiritual renewal. The Lord is at work as radical compassion, confession, change and transformation are taking place.

There have been as many critiques as praises offered regarding this development, and to be sure, both should be considered. For some time, I avoided commenting about Asbury, but I find I am no longer able. So I must ask, Is this a move of God that some are claiming? Is it an “outpouring” as Asbury’s website is now calling it? Is it simply something manufactured and protracted by human will? The only way to properly gauge what is happening at Asbury is to evaluate it in light of Scripture. This is a little long, and I’m sure some will take issue with much of what I have to say. I only ask that you consider it honestly. I will welcome any comments or criticisms and respond inasmuch as possible.

From what has been reported - this has been all over mainstream media, “Christian” reporting, and social media - most of the time is being spent in singing, some in prayer, and lastly (and least, from what has been reported) “preaching”. Videos available support this reporting. From what I’ve seen, there has been a lot of singing, and a good bit of prayer. I have seen little more than this. These are all well and good, but for the most part, rather than look to outside sources, information from the university itself and those in attendance should be used. I am not there, so to rely on what other people who also are not there have to say about Asbury would be to rely at best on hearsay. Therefore, looking back at what is present on the main page of the Asbury University website, we can formulate a few questions: What is “radical compassion” in a gathering of Christians in a chapel? What is “radical confession”? What evidence is present of “radical change and transformation”?

Of the works listed, confession would be most readily apparent, and it is (or should be) a regular part of the Christian life. So what makes it radical in the case of Asbury? As for the rest, how is compassion being shown? By hosting others from elsewhere? What makes that radical? Who has changed or been transformed, and in what radical way that is evident among the crowds that have gathered? I don’t believe any of these can truly be measured, at least, not at the moment. In a sense, such claims become almost unassailable, as the primary defense will be, “we have to wait and see what happens, see if the changes are real or persistent, and see what comes of it when it is over.” If that is the case, how can anyone at the moment then attribute this to God? If we have to wait to see if the event brings about long-lasting transformation of those who attend, what is then the basis for already claiming this is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit?

This brings us back to Scripture. The one biblical event to which most have pointed in support of the Asbury “revival” being a “move of God” is the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’ apostles at Pentecost:

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.”

But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:

‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘that I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on My bonds laves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit,’ and they shall prophesy.

Acts 2:1-18

How does what is happening at Asbury compare with the experience of the apostles and those in Jerusalem? There is a clear distinction between the two: the apostles were gathered together, apparently outside, and when the Holy Spirit fell on them, they began preaching the gospel to others around - with Asbury, Christians are going in to gather with other Christians, not going out to preach the gospel. That in and of itself does not, however, mean what is occurring at Asbury is not of God or not biblical, right? It does not. It does, however, invalidate the comparison.

What about other instances of the Spirit coming upon people? Thanks to the age of technology, the Scriptures are easy to search for all such occurrences. In the Old Testament, every time the Holy Spirit came upon someone, they were imbued with physical power (such as Samson), emboldened for battle (such as Othniel and Gideon), endowed with wisdom to lead (such as the 70 elders who with Moses bore the burden of the Israelites), or granted messages from the Lord to prophesy (such as Samuel, Azariah, and Zechariah). In the New Testament, whenever the Spirit was poured out on people, either they were given “power” to preach the gospel, as Christ declared (see Acts 2 as referenced above), or it was at the moment of their salvation while the gospel was being preached and they exalted God in response. What is happening in Asbury resembles none of this.

The reason I have given so much focus to the “outpouring” of the Spirit is that it is how Asbury is now characterizing their gathering. On a page of the Asbury website titled “Outpouring” is found the following statement from the University’s president:

At the completion of a regularly scheduled chapel service on February 8, 2023, at Asbury University, students lingered to pray, worship, and share. They have not stopped and, moreover, have been joined far and wide by hungry men and women across the world who desire to seek the Lord in this space. Since the first day, there have been countless expressions and demonstrations of radical humility, compassion, confession, consecration, and surrender unto the Lord. We are witnessing the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

We continue to seek to discern the right balance between orderliness for our university students, faculty, and staff and our campus visitors—and creating space for individuals to have a life-transforming, Christ-centered encounter.

We are also tremendously thankful for the men and women who have worked so hard and diligently to create space for this special move of God. Hosting such a significant moment comes with a cost—and the goodwill and humility of our community has been inspiring. Finally, we cannot fully express the profound gratitude we have for stewarding this outpouring in the life of our school and beyond. Ultimately, we pray that our efforts in these days point to our Savior.

— Kevin J. Brown, Ph.D.
President, Asbury University

https://www.asbury.edu/outpouring/

That students “lingered to pray, worship, and share” is awesome. I assume the word “worship” here means “sing”, and I would only take issue with that unfortunately common (mis)use of the word “worship” (but that is a topic for another article). That said, how does this equate to an outpouring of the Holy Spirit? If not the Holy Spirit, what is being poured out? As with the main page of the site, the president likewise classifies the experiences taking place as “radical.” Also as with the main page, I am forced to ask: what makes any of it “radical”? “Humility, compassion, confession, consecration, and surrender” are hallmarks of the Christian life; these should be considered typical for Christians, not radical.

The more important question is, as Brown here points out, why do “men and women across the world…desire to seek the Lord in this space”? (emphasis mine) Jesus told us there is no particular place in which we must worship (John 4:21-24). Where in Scripture do we see believers traveling to a place where they’ve been told there was an outpouring? Nowhere. Yes, Christians gathered together to pray, sing, break bread, and be taught, but there are no Biblical examples of Christians traveling from afar to do so. It is even more interesting that Asbury claims to be the center of several historical “revivals”. What makes Asbury so special? What would make Asbury University the focus of God’s plans?

This brings us to what is perhaps the most critical issue at hand with Asbury and the way it is being characterized. Let us address the characterization first.

The student body president was interviewed by a popular conservative news personality.  When asked, “what is this do you think?” she responded, “right, what is this? That’s what we can, I mean, that’s the question, right? An, um, a theme or a Bible verse that we’ve all been sharing with each other is Habakkuk 1, and the Lord says, ‘Look at the nations and watch, for I’m doing something in your day that you wouldn’t believe if you were told,’ and it’s happening, and we can hardly believe it.” Unfortunately, this verse to which she refers has nothing to do with anything that is happening at Asbury, and it is quite troublesome that she and others there would so glibly misuse Scripture in this way. Let’s look at what Habakkuk 1 really says:

“Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days— you would not believe if you were told. For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous people who march throughout the earth to seize dwelling places which are not theirs. They are dreaded and feared; their justice and authority originate with themselves. Their horses are swifter than leopards and keener than wolves in the evening. Their horsemen come galloping, their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swooping down to devour. All of them come for violence. Their horde of faces moves forward. They collect captives like sand. They mock at kings and rulers are a laughing matter to them. They laugh at every fortress and heap up rubble to capture it. Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty, they whose strength is their god.”

Habakkuk 1:5-11

This passage elucidates God’s plan to execute judgement on the Israelites for their disobedience by raising up a fierce enemy against them. This has nothing to do with a prayer meeting or Christians gathering to sing.

Another statement from an interview illustrates what I mentioned above as the most critical issue. An attendee was asked about coming to Asbury, and he responded as I would expect someone traveling to such a meeting would:

When I was saved, I got the Holy Spirit, but, always looking for more and, really hoping when I walk through the doors it’s poured out on me.

This exemplifies what is happening at Asbury. People are seeking an experience, an emotional high. The problem with this is that, just like with drug addiction, when the high wears off, another high is needed to keep going. The person must seek another experience. This sort of experientialism and emotionalism does not foster true faith. The Christian faith is never described in such a fashion by God’s word. People do, however, try to use Scripture to justify this behavior.

While the event is couched in Christian terms and practices, it is not much different than a concert, a football game, or even a political protest. Before you say I’m just jumping to conclusions based on the statement of a single person, realize that even Asbury described happenings from their 1950 “revival” similarly:

In February 1950 a student testimony led to confessions, victories, and more testimonies. This went on uninterrupted for 118 hours and became the second leading news story nationwide; it is estimated that 50,000 people found a new experience in Christ as a result of this revival and witness teams that went out from it.

bold in the original, italics mine

It happens a lot. People don’t feel their faith, so they go looking for experience. Dr. Craig Keener, a professor at Asbury Seminary, wrote first a description of the event, then a defense of it. In the defense, Dr. Keener wrote:

After years of prayer, Asbury University is experiencing a collective outpouring of the Spirit…

Not everybody is feeling it, but that’s not the point. It’s not about us: it’s about honoring God. It’s not about Asbury either. Nor should we be looking to something called “Revival.” True “revival” instead invites us to look to the Lord.

emphasis in original

Notice he says “not everybody is feeling it.” He does go on to insist that is not the point, however, in his other article describing the event, here is what he says:

On Sunday, the spirit of worship felt deeper, and I felt more aware of God’s awesome holiness.

For him, it actually is about feelings, about emotion. Further in the same description, he talks more about “outpourings”:

What we find in the Book of Acts are outpourings of the Spirit (for that wording, see Acts 2:17-18; 10:45, but other terminology, like the Spirit falling on or filling people, is also used)…

One characteristic Luke reports in connection with the first two outpourings is concern for the needy (2:44-45; 4:32-35). This observation suggests that these outpourings involved not simply an initial emotional experience (though some did—see 2:13!) but a deep, long-range impact in how Jesus’s followers treated one another, related to what Paul calls the “fruit” of the Spirit.

His assessment here is absolutely inaccurate. Acts 2:44-45 and 4:32-35 are descriptions of those who had been redeemed by receiving the gospel as it had been preached by those upon whom the Spirit had been poured out. All Christians should have concern for the needy; this is part of the Christian life, the transformation that is wrought in us when we are saved. There is no evidence that this was an emotional experience, especially not in Acts 2:13 wherein some present accused the apostles not of speaking by the Spirit but of being drunk. The fact is, when people want to find an emotional experience, they will, and if they want to spiritualize it, they will find a way to twist Scripture to support it.

Many don’t realize, but there is a good bit of psychology at play here. One aspect of it is a type of hypnotic effect. Just as people driving a familiar path on a road can fall subject to a phenomenon known as “highway hypnosis”, people singing repetitive music can fall into a hypnotic state and even be left open to outside influence:

When something repeats over and over, especially music, an interesting phenomenon takes place in our brains. As Margulis points out in her book, On Repeat: How Music Plays the Mind, repetition changes nothing in the object repeated, but it does change something in the mind that contemplates it. In this sense, it’s a phenomenon well suited to exposing the mechanism of perception and how perception colors an experience beyond the elements that make up its obvious characteristics.

Chris Otchy, The Hypnotic Power of Repetition in Music
https://chrisotchy.medium.com/the-hypnotic-power-of-repetition-in-music-8d59ab12b615

According to another study on repetition in music and its effect on attention:

‘‘Repetition progressively frees the mind from attention to details ...and reduces the extent to which consciousness must concern itself with the process.’’

Huey, E. B. (1968). The psychology and pedagogy of reading. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. as quoted here https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293640700_Effects_of_Repetition_on_Attention_in_Two-Part_Counterpoint).

We are told in Scripture, however, to be of sober mind and to avoid such influence - 1 Peter 5:8 is one of the most pertinent such verses. Yet Christians often fall into the trap of singing songs that can easily lead to this type of hypnotic, suggestible state. The music in the videos of Asbury and other universities where similar events have arisen reveals this same hypnotic, monotonous pattern. Most such music is merely repetitive, mindless pablum that is often theologically void or inaccurate, but it makes people feel good, and can lead to a trance-like state.

People are depending on their feelings, not Scripture, to understand and justify what is happening. This is contrary to what God tells us. According to the Bible, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). We cannot trust our feelings to guide us; our feelings must be guided by God’s revealed word.

Christianity is reasonable. It is sober, even in prayer: The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer (1 Peter 4:7). It may lead to emotion, but it is not driven by emotion. To believe that people singing for hours or days on end is an alleged “great move of God” is just not something at all seen in the Bible.

The other psychological aspect involved is known as emotional contagion. This is like when someone starts the wave at a football game. Everyone is so caught up in the moment that, though they did not think of raising their hands, they do it because everyone else does. It is like people all raising their hands and swaying to the music at a concert, some holding lit lighters aloft. It is akin to people being worked into a frenzy by others present who stoke negative emotions, as with the mob mentality present at a riot or during the protest at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Emotion can spread like a wildfire, and it is easy to be caught up in it. If one is seeking such an experience, there is less resistance and the likelihood of catching the emotion is high.

According to an article on positivepsychology.com:

The 1967 “Summer of Love” in the United States was characterized by large gatherings of mostly young people in San Francisco and other urban areas. These gatherings were known for spreading feelings of generosity, “peace and love,” and general caring for one another. Such feelings and attitudes were reportedly modeled by group leaders like artist Michael Bowen and psychologist Timothy Leary.

https://positivepsychology.com/emotional-contagion/

There was no movement of God involved here. If anything, there was an evident lack of Christianity. It is notable that young people are particularly susceptible to this phenomenon, though not only young people. Since Asbury has been covered tirelessly both in the mainstream media and on social media, the concept of emotional contagion also can easily explain why similar events have taken place at other universities in the time since it first began at Asbury. Which begs the question, why is this not happening at Churches as well? If this is God at work, where are the congregations following the same pattern? There is no rationale for attributing such an event to the Almighty when He has provided no indication that any such manifestations would occur. As a matter of fact, if anything, the Bible tells us that in latter times, hearts will grow cold and there will be a great falling away - not a great ingathering (Matthew 24:10-12, 2 Thessalonians 2:3). It is not, therefore, wrong to be skeptical when so-called “revivals” arise. Events such as these, to me, are somewhat analogous to saying, “‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is’,” as Jesus warned would happen (Matthew 24:23). I realize people are not saying this in the sense of Christ’s return, as these verses specifically describe, but it is similar in the sense that people are claiming “God is here, come see.” The fact is, in the Bible, when God did a great work, people were not told to come see, but rather, those who were present went out and told of what they had seen. This is why I am skeptical.

I am sure many in attendance are sincere in their desire for the Lord, and I am likewise sure that many are seeking according to emotion rather than Scripture. If we truly want an experience of the Spirit, we should walk daily with the Spirit which will lead us to holiness and righteousness and will help us to not fulfill the sinful desires of the flesh (Ezekiel 36:27, Romans 8, 9). We should seek instruction from the Spirit (John 14:26). We should learn from Him and be convicted:

But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

John 16:7-15

In following these principles as outlined in Scripture, having a proper understanding of the working of the Holy Spirit, we can then bear the fruit of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

One final reason I am skeptical is the glaring absence of the word of God. I have heard there was some preaching, but I have not seen any of it reported. Even in the statements from the president of the university and the president of the student body, where is God’s word in all this? As mentioned earlier, any time God did something major, His people spoke His word boldly. Here I have heard of singing, compassion, hospitality, confession, surrender, and transformation, but nothing of preaching. How does transformation come without God’s word being involved? Romans 12:2 tells us we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. How are our minds renewed if not through the reading, preaching, and hearing of the Word?

I did not write this to rain on anyone’s parade, to be a wet blanket, or even to call into question the sincerity of those involved at Asbury. I wrote this because I feel people are seeking an experience rather than truly seeking God. We are warned many times over in Scripture to not be deceived. We are told there will be false prophets, false teachers, false signs and wonders, to the extent that even the elect would be deceived if that was possible. Therefore, we must always be on our guard, be sober-minded, and we must view events through the lens of Scripture, not our emotions.