Revival in the Land

The other morning, I saw a wave of pastors, media figures, and ministry leaders from across the country saying, “The revival we have been praying for is finally here.” If you grew up in American Christianity, you probably know how often this word gets used. Pastors often say the country needs a revival. Churches put on events with 'REVIVAL' in huge letters on the flyers. There are even speakers who travel around the country talking about how we need God again. But this time, something feels different. What are they talking about? The memorial service for Charlie Kirk, headlined by almost the entire current administration.

Is this a revival?

There have been several events throughout America’s history that have been classified as revivals, and they all looked different and had a different effect on the land. But what does this word even mean? Where did it come from? What should it look like? That's what we want to explore for a bit today: what does a Biblical Revival actually look like?

MEANING

Simply put, a revival is an act or event of being revived or being made alive again. Its a simple but important definition as we move forward. For as often as we hear the word today, it may surprise many to hear that the word revival doesn't show up in either Testament. The word does not show up in any form until the 16th century in France, during the middle of the Religious Wars. But while the word itself may not appear, the concept of what we typically associate with the word does. Throughout the Scripture, we find the concept of New Life everywhere, because it is the central goal of both the Old and New Testaments. 

IN SCRIPTURE

Throughout the Old and New Testaments, we see God working to create New Life in His people. God is a God of redemption and the sustainer of life. Revival, in its most literal terms, is the goal and desire of God, both personally and on a much grander systemic and cultural scale.

• God is the Creator (Genesis 1, Genesis 2, John 1, Colossians 1, Romans 11, Hebrews 11)

• God is the sustainer of Life (Genesis 1, John 1, Colossians 1, Romans 11, Hebrews 1)

• God is a God of Redemption (Genesis 3, Genesis 12, Genesis 15, Exodus 20, Psalm 130, Ephesians 2, Ephesians 3, Hebrews 9, II Peter 3)

• God is a God of Freedom (Exodus 20, Luke 4, Ephesians 2)

• God is a God of Salvation (Exodus 20, I Timothy 2)

Because of this, even though the word is not found in the Bible, we can make a compelling case for what a biblical revival looks like culturally.

• New emphasis on community (Leviticus 1-7, 2 Chronicles 7, Jeremiah 29, 

• Removal of Idols (Exodus 20, II Kings 23)

• The poor are provided for (Luke 4, Acts 2, Acts 4, Galatians 2)

• The hungry are fed (Luke 4, Acts 2, Acts 4)

• The Sick are healed (Luke 4, Acts 3)

• Oppression is resisted (Luke 4, 

• Peace is the mission (Jeremiah 29, 

• Hierarchy is humbled (2 Chronicles 7, Luke 4, Philippians 2, Ephesians 5)

• The Church grows in size and mission (Acts 2)

These don’t all come at once, and they may look different depending on the region or scope of the movement. But without these types of changes, is what we should expect to come from a movement focused on the Jesus of the Bible. 

REVIVALS BRING ABOUT LIFE

Revivals bring about Spiritual Life

For a revival to be a revival, the first sign is a movement of Spiritual change in the individuals involved. We talk about this a lot, but before that, there can be a cultural change, and we have to change inwardly. A revival in our spirit should produce a desire for a renewed mind towards the will of Christ, a humble attitude in line with Christ Jesus, and a commitment to discipleship, growth, and service. 

Revivals bring about Cultural Life

Revivals are not revivals without there being some type of larger physical results. A revival should bring about the ministry of Jesus in the world. A ministry that is good news to the poor, freedom to the captive, and healing to the sick. Sometimes this comes from cultural movement towards justice and care of neighbors, sometimes this is localized in the Church being the Church, but a true revival will affect the community beyond just a spiritual renewal. The gospel is incarnational, and so are its effects. 

Revivals point to Christ as the source of Life

For it to be a true revival, the focus of that revival should be on the source and sustainer of life. How can we claim to be revived if the source of that life is anything outside of Jesus. Revivals should be Christocentric in every aspect. From the Spiritual changes within, to the cultural changes outside, if it is not focused on Christ, then it is not a true revival. 

Based on this list, we should examine past revivals in American history. 

IN AMERICAN HISTORY

You have the First Great Awakening, in which the headlining preachers were slave holders who preached slave holder theology. This view of God caused the colonies to begin to look more inwardly at their Spiritual conditions, and in turn developed a new cultural identity for the colonies. 

The Second Great Awakening, which was headlined by the denominations formed out of the First Awakening, seemed to have seemingly opposite results. Out of the Second Awakening, social policies and concerns became more and less important depending on the denomination. It sparked the abolition, prohibition, and suffrage movements in the US. However, it also highlighted the continued segregationist tendencies in the mostly white denominations. This movement also led to new eschatological views like Dispensationalism and Postmillennialism. These eschatological views eventually led to the rise of white evangelicalism and theonomy within the United States.

After this, we saw the Businessman Revival of 1857-1858. This is much less known, and the impact is not as easy to see, but what began as a simple prayer meeting became an international movement of prayer. The initial impact led to a massive increase in protestant church attendance and set the stage for future evangelism movements. However the initial reasons for this movement taking off was financial concerns across the country, and a seeking of God’s favor to return, setting the stage for the rise of prosperity theology in the coming decades.

The Third Great Awakening came on the heels of the Businessman Revival, led by the evangelists of the first Muscular Christianity era, a new emphasis on the physical effects of the gospel came about. Increased Abolition, Prohibition, and women's suffrage movements all grew from these movements, as well as massive global evangelism movements. However, this period also led to the fundamentalist takeover of evangelicalism and was the true catalyst for Cold War Theology taking hold within the White Church.

In the midst of the Third Great Awakening, the Azusa Street Revival broke out in Los Angeles. This revival was distinct from the other revivals of the early 1900s, largely because it was Pentecostal in nature and was racially integrated. This led to the formation of the Assemblies of God Church and the spread of the Pentecostal Missions movement.

The last major movement was the Jesus movement of the 1970s. This movement challenged the standard perceptions of the Church and American culture, much of which came out of the Third Great Awakening. This movement reemphasized the importance of college-aged kids within the Church, prompted the Apostolic church’s growth, and launched the Vineyard Church movement. 

Since this movement, small revivals have broken out throughout the country, largely on college campuses like Asbury in 2023. What is interesting about this history is how they are remembered and by whom. Many of us have learned about the First and Second Great Awakenings as part of American History, and they are presented in a positive Spiritual light. But they did not provide the cultural change that a real revival should have. Meanwhile, the Azusa Street and Jesus Movements are often talked about as cult movements within Evangelicalism, even though the cultural changes were easy to see. 

Within our American Church History, this idea of revival is something that we have idolized and allowed to change our perspective on the role of the church and what we determine to be the work of the Spirit in our world.

WHAT ARE WE SEEING

So what then are we seeing right now? What does this current movement show? It was born out of the tragic killing of a right-wing media influencer who preached racism, misogyny, conspiracy theories, and nationalism. Since his death, we have seen from those declaring this a revival anger, calls for the destruction of enemies, calls to end relationships, and calls to make America Great. Weapons are continuing to be idolized over life, HBCUs received threats, ICE still kidnaps and terrorizes the country, and more school children are continuing to be slaughtered in the classroom. There are threats of more wars, violence, and oppression against anyone who disagrees. The movement is not one that is bringing about life, spiritually or culturally, and it is one that is pushing an attitude that Paul refers to as the “enemy of the cross” in Philippians 3. 

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN

The current movement is not a revival, at least not in the Biblical sense. It is a movement that has given new life, but not to the teachings of Jesus, not to the Church, and not even to the nation. It has instead given new life to the culture of death, greed, pride, and oppression that has plagued this nation since the Puritans arrived. If this is truly the revival that many have been praying for, then it means that many have not been praying to the Jesus of the Bible, but to the Jesus of White American Supremacy. Revival is possible, and it can come, but only if we do as Israel was called to do, and remove the idols that plague our land and hearts. 

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This post was written by Andrew Fouts. The founder and main content creator for Ministry Misfits. He is also one of the writers for the Overwhelming Victory Blog, as well as one of the directors and writers for KFM Broadcasting Network.

This post was edited by Joseph Dea. Joe is a writer for his own blog at https://kfmbroadcasting.wixstudio.com/buddywalkwithjesus and is one of the directors and writers for KFM Broadcasting. Find out more about Joe Dea and his other projects at