Revival--True Reformation or Emotional High?
My (college) alma mater is currently having chapel, a chapel that has been going on, continuously, since Monday at 10 AM. Now, being that this is Wednesday, this is over two full days. Now, it must be said that there was a revival of immense proportions at that school in the early 70s, when my parents attended--this one lasted for days, almost a week, if I recall.
Even while at Asbury, I noticed a tendency to hark back to that revival, with almost an envious nostaglia, wishing that it would happen again (I even decided once to attend the last evening service during a "revival week" where it seemed they wanted to keep the mic open and force the issue).
I will withhold any abrupt judgments about the situation, only because I am not there, and cannot witness what is going on. However, it is important to note several things. This was a student-led chapel, and from the student comments, it would seem that this is very emotional event. Now, don't get me wrong--we are emotional beings. But I do have to slightly question the folks who begin with "God spoke to me...". God has spoken, quite clearly, through His Word. There are some within the Christian community that indicates He speaks verbally all the time, but I cannot say that this would be supported Scripturally (I firmly believe, however, that through the help of the Spirit, when you read Scripture, the Spirit can lead you to a certain answer in the Scripture).
In addition, I do not know the hearts of those involved, and I pray fervently that for those who did come forward and give themselves to Christ, that it was indeed genuine. However, since the college is most definitely Arminian in its views, they would hold that the decision invokes the regeneration and salvation of the individual, and not the other way around (evidenced by the quote that refers that the music draws people in, and them wanting to be transformed draws them--what causes this desire? well, they would say, the people themselves). It is quite easy to be sucked into an emotional feeling, and a person go forward and say a prayer (or kneel for countless hours while others are watching).
I have always been puzzled, as well, with the reference to "rededicating" your life to Christ. I may do a more extensive post on this issue, but looking to the Scriptures, Luke 9:23 speaks of daily taking up your cross and following Christ. I have to make a choice when I get up every day to follow Christ--it's a simple truth. But I also have to plead for the grace to do it, because I can't do it on my own. The problem I guess I have with "rededication" is the form that it takes--usually public proclamation. As a result, who gets the glory? My gut feeling is that the person does. I just don't see any examples in the Bible of this type of "rededication". Are the folks that are rededicating their lives actually asking everyone who is in attendance: "Will you please help me as I trudge on in the faith, correcting me when I stray?" No, of course not, because it is never presented that way--only a promise made by the declarant that they will do better than they have been. But enough about that.
I say this all as a word of caution--I do not doubt for the most part that the intention is nothing but genuine. I wish them all the best, and I hope that it does produce true reform in the students, faculty and community. The true test of whether the Spirit really moved in these individuals is to check back in six months, a year, five years. Will these same individuals be praising the Almighty God then (evidence of true saving faith)? Or will the emotional high be gone?
Even while at Asbury, I noticed a tendency to hark back to that revival, with almost an envious nostaglia, wishing that it would happen again (I even decided once to attend the last evening service during a "revival week" where it seemed they wanted to keep the mic open and force the issue).
I will withhold any abrupt judgments about the situation, only because I am not there, and cannot witness what is going on. However, it is important to note several things. This was a student-led chapel, and from the student comments, it would seem that this is very emotional event. Now, don't get me wrong--we are emotional beings. But I do have to slightly question the folks who begin with "God spoke to me...". God has spoken, quite clearly, through His Word. There are some within the Christian community that indicates He speaks verbally all the time, but I cannot say that this would be supported Scripturally (I firmly believe, however, that through the help of the Spirit, when you read Scripture, the Spirit can lead you to a certain answer in the Scripture).
In addition, I do not know the hearts of those involved, and I pray fervently that for those who did come forward and give themselves to Christ, that it was indeed genuine. However, since the college is most definitely Arminian in its views, they would hold that the decision invokes the regeneration and salvation of the individual, and not the other way around (evidenced by the quote that refers that the music draws people in, and them wanting to be transformed draws them--what causes this desire? well, they would say, the people themselves). It is quite easy to be sucked into an emotional feeling, and a person go forward and say a prayer (or kneel for countless hours while others are watching).
I have always been puzzled, as well, with the reference to "rededicating" your life to Christ. I may do a more extensive post on this issue, but looking to the Scriptures, Luke 9:23 speaks of daily taking up your cross and following Christ. I have to make a choice when I get up every day to follow Christ--it's a simple truth. But I also have to plead for the grace to do it, because I can't do it on my own. The problem I guess I have with "rededication" is the form that it takes--usually public proclamation. As a result, who gets the glory? My gut feeling is that the person does. I just don't see any examples in the Bible of this type of "rededication". Are the folks that are rededicating their lives actually asking everyone who is in attendance: "Will you please help me as I trudge on in the faith, correcting me when I stray?" No, of course not, because it is never presented that way--only a promise made by the declarant that they will do better than they have been. But enough about that.
I say this all as a word of caution--I do not doubt for the most part that the intention is nothing but genuine. I wish them all the best, and I hope that it does produce true reform in the students, faculty and community. The true test of whether the Spirit really moved in these individuals is to check back in six months, a year, five years. Will these same individuals be praising the Almighty God then (evidence of true saving faith)? Or will the emotional high be gone?
posted by Dan B. @ 3:00 PM
2 Comments:
At 12:24 PM ,
Anonymous said...
I echo Dan's reservations about the worship services that he describes. Practically all of the services that I attended throughout childhood and my college years fit this description (i.e., saturated with emotional appeals and displays). At one point several years ago, I began to doubt their legitimacy, but not in the sense that the participants were intentionally deceiving themselves or others. I had a nagging thought that there was something about worship within Christian doctrine -- something not hidden, but yet ignored -- that neither they nor I understood.
While God created humans with plenty of emotion and giving it its proper role, Scripture nor church history shows that corporate worship is synonymous with emotionalism. Modern evangelical churches tend to sacrifice a measure of reverence and quiteness in favor of a fun, "seeker-friendly" atmosphere. Ask yourself, what do you think more of when you attend church: having a happy hour and feeling good about yourself or being in the presence of God as the holy, omnipotent, omniscient, transcendent Creator and Redeemer of life.
In short, I think that this is a real problem with the modern, conservative Protestant church. If it is not remedied, we cannot function as Christ intended -- neither in our relationship to our Lord or to the world to which we claim to be Christ's witness.
At 4:06 PM ,
Dan B. said...
Chad,
Thanks for stopping by. I completely echo your sentiments--many do not grasp the notion of simply listening to the Gospel preached is a form of worship, in reverencing the Word. The "seeker-friendly" church does little to convict the hearer of their sinfulness and robs the hearer of the full Gospel.
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