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Revival Happens
In order to gain a deeper understanding of revival movements, we shall focus on five separate and very diverse revivals: (1) the Protestant Reformation, (2) pietism, Wesleyanism, and the Great Awakening (3) Finney, Moody, and the Rέveil and Erweckung, (4) Pentecostalism and the Jesus People, and (5) the house church movement in China. In each case we shall discuss five major marks of revival movements:
- Prayer always precedes a true revival: prayer
- Revival is ignited when an anointed preacher or leader emerges: leader
- New avenues of worship and music develop: worship
- Revived believers seek to reach the least and the lost in society. This is sometimes called “Jesus living”: authenticity
- Revival permeates society with missional transformation. There is an intentional effort to shape society in a different mold: missional transformation
In order to build a full picture of past revival and reformation movements, we shall measure each by the same standard. Our standard will be the five marks of revival mentioned above.
The Protestant Reformation
Prayer
Later in the history of revival we shall discover concentrated, well-defined prayer movements. However, during the time of the Reformation we must assume the existence of such pre-revival prayer. Martin Luther was drawn into a life of prayer by Catholic mystics. We find him reading the German Theology, a devotional approach to Christian truth. Even in his monastic life, Luther gravitated to devotional leaders such as Staupitz, vicar general of the Augustinian order. As a boy, Luther had come under the influence of the very pious Brethren of the Common Life. All of these influences converged to compel Luther to a devout, prayerful life.1
At the same time, Calvin came under reformational influence through a Bible study and prayer fellowship held in the Paris suburb of Meaux. There he met Jacques Lefevre, translator of the French Bible. Also in attendance was Margaret, sister of King Francis I. Through this devotional group Calvin became a strong believer and a man of prayer.
Leaders
Throughout the Reformation runs a golden cord of committed leadership. The most well-known name is Martin Luther, but he represents the tip of a large leadership iceberg. For instance, in the model city of Geneva, Switzerland the standout leader was John Calvin, a Frenchman driven from his homeland because of his reformational beliefs. In Scotland, the leader was an erstwhile galley slave, John Knox, whose preaching in Edinburgh ignited the revival. Hans Tausen served at the court of Frederick I and brought the Reformation to Denmark. Olavus Petri studied under Luther at the University of Wittenberg and he spread the Reformation to Sweden. Another Luther student was Michael Agricola, who birthed the Reformation to Finland.
Worship
Prior to the Reformation, Christian worship had been defined narrowly by the canons of the Catholic Church. It was conducted solely in Latin, and music was likewise restricted to Latin. Congregational singing was unthinkable.
When Luther created the German Mass as a model for worship, he included congregational singing. The words were strong and reformational, as we see in his famous, “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” He also penned the perennial Christmas favorite of all generations, “Away in a Manger.” During the Reformation words were written in the vernacular and set to well-known folk tunes.
In Scotland, John Knox prescribed that the Psalms be set to music and sung in English, a practice that would dominate Puritanism. It even shaped the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, which was later bound together with Hymns Ancient and Modern. At any rate, congregational singing became the cornerstone of praise in post-Reformation times.
Authenticity
When we think of the Reformers, authenticity may not be the first characteristic that comes to mind. After all, most of them were fiery preachers and strong leaders. In reality they were also very honest in their quest for Christian living. For instance, in Geneva John Calvin taught the Bible every day. Common people flocked to hear him teach, and they found a warm welcome in the house of God. Luther produced a Large and Small Catechism so that children could be taught the truth of the gospel. Furthermore, the reformers had a strong social conscience. As war swept Europe, it was the Reformation believers who took in the orphans. Huldreich Zwingli, the Zurich reformer, died as a chaplain on the battlefields. The roots of modern medical care are to be found within the ranks of early Reformation Christians.
Missional Transformation
Perhaps this is the most controversial aspect of the Reformation. Each of the reformers aimed to transform society. Most notable is the work of John Calvin in Geneva. There he set the city on a course of theocratic government. He sought to apply the ethical and moral standards of Christianity to society at large.
Luther cooperated with Prince Frederick of Saxony to shape a society within the framework of Christian principles. To this end, Luther created an established church, a church where all citizens of Saxony could belong. To be a Saxon was to be a Protestant. At the same time, to be a Bavarian was to be a Catholic. This intimate identification of religion and citizenship continued well into the twentieth century.2
In fact, the Reformation produced religious establishments throughout northern Europe. Each one was distinctive because of its ethnic connection. In Holland there was a strict Reformed Church. In England the Anglican Church was born from the royal will of Henry VIII. In Denmark, Sweden, and Finland the Lutherans were sanctioned by rulers. John Calvin was virtual ruler of the city of Geneva, as was Huldreich Zwingli in Zurich.
Only the Anabaptists challenged this concept of missional transformation. They created communal living situations where the church became the municipal community. Their descendants are found today among the Mennonite communities worldwide. A blot on their history was the perversion of this concept in Munster, Germany during the period of 1532–1534.
Pietism, Wesleyanism, and the Great Awakening
Prayer
The very word, “pietism,” speaks of prayer. German pietism shaped the awakenings that swept Europe, the British Isles, and the New World during the eighteenth century. Aboard ship on his way to America as an unconverted missionary, John Wesley encountered a group of Moravians. Their prayerful calm amid a storm caused young Wesley to wonder. He craved the peace they displayed and would not give up his search until he found it in a Moravian meeting off Aldersgate Street, London. Wesley had returned in utter spiritual defeat, but the simple life of the Moravians and their reading of Luther’s commentary on Romans turned the tide. Wesley recorded in his Journal: “I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”3 The prayers of his Moravian friends wed to those of his godly mother, Susannah, had brought the new birth to Wesley.4
Leaders
The eighteenth century presented a remarkable array of revival leaders. In Europe it was the scholarly August Francke, who brought the ideas of pietism to reality. He had read Philip Spener’s Pious Desires, and at the university city of Halle Francke introduced the intimate small group Bible study and prayer fellowship. He ignited a fire of revival that would sweep the western world. It is interesting to note that George Muller was converted in a Bible study near Halle. This occurred while Muller was a reluctant student at the University of Halle. Later he would house two thousand orphans in Bristol, England.
John Wesley also was caught up in the wave of awakening when he met the Moravians. They inculcated in him the ideas of lay-lead Bible study, which resulted in the Methodist class system. Every believer was engaged in a small group for purposes of spiritual growth.
Wesley’s University of Oxford friend, George Whitefield, sailed to America, where he joined Jonathan Edwards to launch the Great Awakening. Seldom in the history of the Christian church has there been such a convergence of committed and godly leaders. Add to Whitefield and Edwards luminaries such as Gilbert Tennent and Theodore Frelinghuysen and one senses the depth of leadership for revival in the eighteenth century.
In many ways the eighteenth century awakenings created the concept of “evangelical” Christianity. In fact, British authors often refer to the work of Wesley as an evangelical awakening. The word, “evangelical,” is derived from the Greek work for “good news,” or gospel. It was the network of revival in the eighteenth century that recalled to collective memory the role of an itinerant evangelist, one who traveled far and wide preaching the gospel good news.
Worship
New life brought with it new songs. German pietism spawned a prolific band of song writers. Likewise the Moravians added an entirely new hymnology, most of which was mystical and devotional. Charles Wesley wrote the ringing words, “O for a Thousand Tongues.” It was this same Charles Wesley who shaped hymnology most of all. From his pen flowed a...