===asbury revival===
One year later, Asbury University reflects on the 2023 revival that took the internet by storm
A line of hundreds of people trailed down the steps of a packed chapel, snaked its way through the grassy lawn, and wound down the sidewalk of a small Christian college in Wilmore, Ky. The singing could be heard from outside the large Hughes Auditorium on campus, and people waiting for the chance to get in sang praise songs in time with those inside. People knelt to pray at the altar, worshiped, and held friends and strangers alike. Overflow chapels across the street were just as full, the darkness outside broken by light streaming from the windows. (Kentucky Kernel 6/11/24) READ MORE>>>>>
A line of hundreds of people trailed down the steps of a packed chapel, snaked its way through the grassy lawn, and wound down the sidewalk of a small Christian college in Wilmore, Ky. The singing could be heard from outside the large Hughes Auditorium on campus, and people waiting for the chance to get in sang praise songs in time with those inside. People knelt to pray at the altar, worshiped, and held friends and strangers alike. Overflow chapels across the street were just as full, the darkness outside broken by light streaming from the windows. (Kentucky Kernel 6/11/24) READ MORE>>>>>
March 2, 2023: Christian Post: ‘A ripple effect from Asbury’: Secular universities now seeing revival gatherings on their campuses
As the Asbury revival movement continues to influence Christian universities, churches and secondary schools, some secular institutions of higher learning are also seeing students gather on their campuses to hold worship gatherings.
Students at Western Kentucky University of Bowling Green have been holding gatherings, including one last week that was attended by a few hundred people on the main lawn of the campus to worship and pray together and share their testimonies.
As the Asbury revival movement continues to influence Christian universities, churches and secondary schools, some secular institutions of higher learning are also seeing students gather on their campuses to hold worship gatherings.
Students at Western Kentucky University of Bowling Green have been holding gatherings, including one last week that was attended by a few hundred people on the main lawn of the campus to worship and pray together and share their testimonies.
Feb 28, 2023: Religion News: The Asbury revival is over. What happens now?
After more than two weeks and worldwide headlines, revival services at Asbury University in central Kentucky came to an end recently.
But the revival goes on off-campus.
After more than two weeks and worldwide headlines, revival services at Asbury University in central Kentucky came to an end recently.
But the revival goes on off-campus.
Feb 25, 2023: USA Today: Measles case in Kentucky linked to viral Christian revival at Asbury University, officials say
A measles case has been identified in Kentucky and is linked to the large, two week-long revival on the campus of Asbury University, a Christian school in Wilmore.
On Friday, state health officials said the Jessamine County resident, who is unvaccinated, attended the Kentucky Asbury Revival on Feb. 18.
Thousands of people from all over the country and globe attended the religious service – which captured the attention of social media users worldwide as the revival went viral on TikTok.
A measles case has been identified in Kentucky and is linked to the large, two week-long revival on the campus of Asbury University, a Christian school in Wilmore.
On Friday, state health officials said the Jessamine County resident, who is unvaccinated, attended the Kentucky Asbury Revival on Feb. 18.
Thousands of people from all over the country and globe attended the religious service – which captured the attention of social media users worldwide as the revival went viral on TikTok.
Feb 24, 2023: WKYT: Group working to continue Asbury’s ‘spiritual movement’ in Lexington
The group Pulse is working to continue the movement at a new location.
According to a Facebook post, a revival service will be held at Rupp Arena on Sunday from 2 to 11 p.m. They say the priority for entry will be for ages 11 to 25.
Asbury University is not officially involved with the event but university officials say they are “thrilled” the movement is continuing.
The group Pulse is working to continue the movement at a new location.
According to a Facebook post, a revival service will be held at Rupp Arena on Sunday from 2 to 11 p.m. They say the priority for entry will be for ages 11 to 25.
Asbury University is not officially involved with the event but university officials say they are “thrilled” the movement is continuing.
Feb 23, 2023: God TV: ASBURY UNIVERSITY LEADERS HALT NON-STOP WORSHIP TO SHIFT REVIVAL TO ‘SENDING’ MODE
Asbury revival attendee, Jim Garlow, shared on Facebook his conversation with the President of Asbury University, Kevin Brown. It was the first time he met him on Sunday night. He also attached a photo of him inside the Hughes Auditorium along with the post.
Asbury revival attendee, Jim Garlow, shared on Facebook his conversation with the President of Asbury University, Kevin Brown. It was the first time he met him on Sunday night. He also attached a photo of him inside the Hughes Auditorium along with the post.
Feb 23, 2023: Christianity Today: ‘No Celebrities Except Jesus’: How Asbury Protected the Revival
The revival began at a chapel service on February 8. Zach Meerkreebs, the assistant soccer coach who is also the leadership development coordinator for the missions organization Envision, preached about becoming love in action. His text was Romans 12.
As he started, Meerkreebs told the students, who are required to attend three chapels per week, that he wasn’t aiming to entertain them. And he didn’t want them to focus on him.
“I hope you guys forget me but anything from the Holy Spirit and God’s Word would find fertile ground in your hearts and produce fruit,” he said. “Romans 12. That’s the star, okay? God’s Word and Jesus and the Holy Spirit moving in our midst, that’s what we’re hoping for.”
The revival began at a chapel service on February 8. Zach Meerkreebs, the assistant soccer coach who is also the leadership development coordinator for the missions organization Envision, preached about becoming love in action. His text was Romans 12.
As he started, Meerkreebs told the students, who are required to attend three chapels per week, that he wasn’t aiming to entertain them. And he didn’t want them to focus on him.
“I hope you guys forget me but anything from the Holy Spirit and God’s Word would find fertile ground in your hearts and produce fruit,” he said. “Romans 12. That’s the star, okay? God’s Word and Jesus and the Holy Spirit moving in our midst, that’s what we’re hoping for.”
Feb 23, 2023: Religion News Service: Will the zeal of Asbury University’s revival connect with God’s justice?
The Hebrew prophets, whose sermons are found in the Christian Bible, might agree. Micah, Amos, Hosea and Isaiah consistently connect zeal for God with social justice.
When Micah said “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God,” he was speaking to neighbors who’d recently rediscovered a passion for the religion of YHWH. Isaiah preached a similar sentiment, saying, “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” Amos echoed these two, saying, “Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
For the biblical prophets, the worshipping community’s comfort with injustice stands in contradiction to its religious fervor. That contradiction can only be undone when the worshipping community channels its sudden religious zeal into social action aimed at ending oppression.
American great revivals of the 18th and 19th centuries are decent — although imperfect — models, as they made subverting America’s racial hierarchy part of their work. The revival meetings of the Second Great Awakening are credited for their part in inspiring the abolitionist movement against chattel slavery. Some historians suggest the movement spurred many Americans to adopt “renewed morals, which centered around the idea that all men are created equal in the eyes of God.”
The Azusa Street Revival, which began in 1906 under the preaching of a Black Holiness preacher, William J. Seymour, included integrated worship services, in that way being a form of civil disobedience.
The Hebrew prophets, whose sermons are found in the Christian Bible, might agree. Micah, Amos, Hosea and Isaiah consistently connect zeal for God with social justice.
When Micah said “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God,” he was speaking to neighbors who’d recently rediscovered a passion for the religion of YHWH. Isaiah preached a similar sentiment, saying, “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” Amos echoed these two, saying, “Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!”
For the biblical prophets, the worshipping community’s comfort with injustice stands in contradiction to its religious fervor. That contradiction can only be undone when the worshipping community channels its sudden religious zeal into social action aimed at ending oppression.
American great revivals of the 18th and 19th centuries are decent — although imperfect — models, as they made subverting America’s racial hierarchy part of their work. The revival meetings of the Second Great Awakening are credited for their part in inspiring the abolitionist movement against chattel slavery. Some historians suggest the movement spurred many Americans to adopt “renewed morals, which centered around the idea that all men are created equal in the eyes of God.”
The Azusa Street Revival, which began in 1906 under the preaching of a Black Holiness preacher, William J. Seymour, included integrated worship services, in that way being a form of civil disobedience.
Feb 23, 2023: CBN: 'Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!' A Few Thoughts About the Asbury Awakening and What Comes Next
First, an army can't go into battle if its members are wounded. To begin reversing the dual plagues of porn and anxiety, this phase of the awakening is like a holy hospital of sorts, bringing some deeply needed spiritual and emotional healing for this generation.
Second, the biblical model couldn't be clearer – start in Jerusalem, then move out to Judea, and then to the ends of the earth. So if God wants to start on Christian campuses, and then move out from there, I think we older members of the church need to step up to the plate and pray fervently for the next phase.
I'm not good at predicting the future, but so far the awakening has already spread with power to multiple campuses, including Lee University, Samford University, Cedarville University, Texas A&M, Eastern Kentucky University, Valley Forge College, Hannibal-LaGrange University, and the University of the Cumberlands, among other locations.
It's clear to me that God is on the move, and this generation of young believers in Jesus Christ simply isn't ready to quit the awakening just yet. They're too grateful, too full of new life and new hope to contain the true revival that's begun in their hearts. They're gonna keep praising Jesus no matter what – because they're not done, and God's not done either.
First, an army can't go into battle if its members are wounded. To begin reversing the dual plagues of porn and anxiety, this phase of the awakening is like a holy hospital of sorts, bringing some deeply needed spiritual and emotional healing for this generation.
Second, the biblical model couldn't be clearer – start in Jerusalem, then move out to Judea, and then to the ends of the earth. So if God wants to start on Christian campuses, and then move out from there, I think we older members of the church need to step up to the plate and pray fervently for the next phase.
I'm not good at predicting the future, but so far the awakening has already spread with power to multiple campuses, including Lee University, Samford University, Cedarville University, Texas A&M, Eastern Kentucky University, Valley Forge College, Hannibal-LaGrange University, and the University of the Cumberlands, among other locations.
It's clear to me that God is on the move, and this generation of young believers in Jesus Christ simply isn't ready to quit the awakening just yet. They're too grateful, too full of new life and new hope to contain the true revival that's begun in their hearts. They're gonna keep praising Jesus no matter what – because they're not done, and God's not done either.
As revival meetings move away from Asbury’s campus, and continue to pop up around the country, the alleged outpouring of the Holy Spirit is liable to be co-opted by charismatic Christian nationalists, some of whom traveled to Kentucky to be part of the goings-on. Other pastors tweeted their support, trying to claim the young people’s fervor for white conservative ideals. If it stays true to the call of the Hebrew prophets, the Asbury revival won’t stop at summoning young people to personal piety but will spur a passion for the complete abolition of oppressive institutions. It will prompt repentance, a turning away from America’s original sin of systemic racism to follow Jesus’ greatest commandment — to love one’s neighbor — to its logical conclusion.
One can only hope.
--Andre Henry; Religion News Service 2.23.23
One can only hope.
--Andre Henry; Religion News Service 2.23.23
Feb 23, 2023: Gospel Coalition: Hearts Strangely Warmed at Asbury
On Wednesday, February 8, 2023, some students at Asbury University lingered after the usual morning chapel service to pray a little longer, worship together, and bask in the felt presence of God’s peace and love. More students joined in. Hundreds of hours later they were still meeting, and thousands of pilgrims were on their way to Wilmore, Kentucky, to experience a remarkable, ongoing season of spiritual renewal. The university has called it an “outpouring”; the seminary across the street has referred to it as an “awakening”; the internet has picked it up and called it a “revival.”
On Wednesday, February 8, 2023, some students at Asbury University lingered after the usual morning chapel service to pray a little longer, worship together, and bask in the felt presence of God’s peace and love. More students joined in. Hundreds of hours later they were still meeting, and thousands of pilgrims were on their way to Wilmore, Kentucky, to experience a remarkable, ongoing season of spiritual renewal. The university has called it an “outpouring”; the seminary across the street has referred to it as an “awakening”; the internet has picked it up and called it a “revival.”
Feb 23, 2023: The Atlantic: When a Christian Revival Goes Viral
On February 8, after a regularly scheduled chapel service on Asbury University’s campus, in Wilmore, Kentucky, a group of about 20 students lingered and began to worship and pray for one another. The chapel speaker that day, Zak Meerkreebs, had exhorted the students to “become the love of God by experiencing the love of God,” and closed with a prayer asking God to “revive us by your love.” According to the students, as they stayed and prayed, an unexplainable, surreal peace descended upon the room. As minutes stretched into hours, many students who had gone to class returned to the auditorium when they heard what was going on. They would eventually be joined by faculty, staff, and community members who trickled in to participate in worship and prayer.
On February 8, after a regularly scheduled chapel service on Asbury University’s campus, in Wilmore, Kentucky, a group of about 20 students lingered and began to worship and pray for one another. The chapel speaker that day, Zak Meerkreebs, had exhorted the students to “become the love of God by experiencing the love of God,” and closed with a prayer asking God to “revive us by your love.” According to the students, as they stayed and prayed, an unexplainable, surreal peace descended upon the room. As minutes stretched into hours, many students who had gone to class returned to the auditorium when they heard what was going on. They would eventually be joined by faculty, staff, and community members who trickled in to participate in worship and prayer.
Feb 23, 2023: WKYT: Asbury University revival comes to an end
The 16-day spontaneous spiritual revival on Asbury University’s campus is in its last day in-person.
The non-stop praise and worship have been going on for almost 400 hours.
“At the end of service, students were dismissed; a few students lingered, and we had a really strong sense that we should
worship, and the more that we worshipped, we can sense God’s presence,” said Wimore resident George Dumaine.
Dumaine says after the first day, the right ingredients were present to keep the spiritual fire burning.
“And then God breathes his breath of life into a room it will just self-sustain for as long as people remain humble, remain unified,” Dumaine said.
The 16-day spontaneous spiritual revival on Asbury University’s campus is in its last day in-person.
The non-stop praise and worship have been going on for almost 400 hours.
“At the end of service, students were dismissed; a few students lingered, and we had a really strong sense that we should
worship, and the more that we worshipped, we can sense God’s presence,” said Wimore resident George Dumaine.
Dumaine says after the first day, the right ingredients were present to keep the spiritual fire burning.
“And then God breathes his breath of life into a room it will just self-sustain for as long as people remain humble, remain unified,” Dumaine said.
Feb 20, 2023: Religion Media Centre: Asbury revival unites young generation in divided society where religion is in decline
For the past 10 days, students at Asbury University, a Methodist establishment in the quiet town of Wilmore, have been engaged in continuous prayer and singing in the chapel. Nobody planned this. It just took off after a sermon which the preacher thought he had delivered very badly. But after that service ended, some of the students stayed on. They started praying and singing, and just didn’t stop.
Others came by to join and relieve the original participants and so the celebration has continued. Word of this has spread across social media, and then into the mainstream so that as many as 20,000 pilgrims have arrived some days to take part in a town with a population of 6,000. On Monday the university announced that it would close the chapel to outsiders. But the participants believe they have received a transformative and personal experience of God.
The revival comes at a time when the mainstream of American Christianity is under threat as seldom before. The close identification of white evangelicals with the Trump presidency and his campaigns has distressed most other Christians and some who were brought up in that tradition themselves.
Bob Smietana of the Religion News Service said: “Revivals are pretty common in American history. They come when people feel like something’s been lost, and if you look at American religion right now, there’s a sense that it’s on the decline and especially younger people are not interested in religion.
For the past 10 days, students at Asbury University, a Methodist establishment in the quiet town of Wilmore, have been engaged in continuous prayer and singing in the chapel. Nobody planned this. It just took off after a sermon which the preacher thought he had delivered very badly. But after that service ended, some of the students stayed on. They started praying and singing, and just didn’t stop.
Others came by to join and relieve the original participants and so the celebration has continued. Word of this has spread across social media, and then into the mainstream so that as many as 20,000 pilgrims have arrived some days to take part in a town with a population of 6,000. On Monday the university announced that it would close the chapel to outsiders. But the participants believe they have received a transformative and personal experience of God.
The revival comes at a time when the mainstream of American Christianity is under threat as seldom before. The close identification of white evangelicals with the Trump presidency and his campaigns has distressed most other Christians and some who were brought up in that tradition themselves.
Bob Smietana of the Religion News Service said: “Revivals are pretty common in American history. They come when people feel like something’s been lost, and if you look at American religion right now, there’s a sense that it’s on the decline and especially younger people are not interested in religion.
“Revivals are pretty common in American history. They come when people feel like something’s been lost, and if you look at American religion right now, there’s a sense that it’s on the decline and especially younger people are not interested in religion. So, there’s been a lot of people praying for a revival. And what’s fascinating about this one, is that it’s been a unifying event for people who disagree politically. We had a reporter down there to talk to them and that’s actually what the some of the students said in the school that we’ve talked to: that the schools have been divided like the rest of America over Trump and politics and all kinds of things. And this has been a very uniting event.” --Bob Smietana; Religion News Service
Feb 16, 2023: Current: The First Twitter Revival?
It is not the first revival at Asbury, a college connected to the Wesleyan-Holiness wing of American evangelicalism. Similar multi-day revivals took place on campus in 1950 (lasting 118 hours), 1970 (144 hours), and 1992 (127 hours). As I write, the current spiritual awakening is entering its 182nd hour. It has gone on longer than the so-called Cane Ridge Revival, an 1801 Kentucky revival that went on for about a week and played an important role in triggering the decades-long “Second Great Awakening.” (The site of the Cane Ridge revival is about forty-five miles northwest of Wilmore.)
It is not the first revival at Asbury, a college connected to the Wesleyan-Holiness wing of American evangelicalism. Similar multi-day revivals took place on campus in 1950 (lasting 118 hours), 1970 (144 hours), and 1992 (127 hours). As I write, the current spiritual awakening is entering its 182nd hour. It has gone on longer than the so-called Cane Ridge Revival, an 1801 Kentucky revival that went on for about a week and played an important role in triggering the decades-long “Second Great Awakening.” (The site of the Cane Ridge revival is about forty-five miles northwest of Wilmore.)
“Our experience on campus felt much more unifying. charismatic, at least in my experience. It wasn’t even exactly the right word in the way that term is typically used.” --Kami Rice
“It shows, I think, the ways in which charismatic patterns of ministry and worship have just pervaded evangelicalism and almost become the norm. So, I don’t think the student body at Asbury or the faculty would see it as a charismatic revival. But it does show the ways in which practices, patterns of ministry that were very new, say, in the 1960s and 1970s, have just become very normal in in contemporary Christianity.
“[There is an emphasis] on intimate worship and extended manifestation or prayer, on being very comfortable with using the body, whether that is of arms raised, prostration on the floor, kneeling in confession. That’s not necessarily a new thing, but it is something that has become increasingly normal in Christian worship.”
--Dr John Maiden, a church historian at the Open University
“[There is an emphasis] on intimate worship and extended manifestation or prayer, on being very comfortable with using the body, whether that is of arms raised, prostration on the floor, kneeling in confession. That’s not necessarily a new thing, but it is something that has become increasingly normal in Christian worship.”
--Dr John Maiden, a church historian at the Open University
“I think what we were seeing is that kind of 19th-century idea coming to life. There were old people there who had participated in this hundreds-of-years-old practice and they recognised what that was.
“Because that is so powerful for the people who are there, revival is often harnessed towards political or social beliefs. Examples in earlier generations include trying to convince the American public to adopt teetotalism and prohibit alcohol. I think it’s just an American tradition that is frequently used for American politics and internationally too. We’re not the only ones.”
--Dr Leah Payne, associate professor of American religious history
“Because that is so powerful for the people who are there, revival is often harnessed towards political or social beliefs. Examples in earlier generations include trying to convince the American public to adopt teetotalism and prohibit alcohol. I think it’s just an American tradition that is frequently used for American politics and internationally too. We’re not the only ones.”
--Dr Leah Payne, associate professor of American religious history
Feb 14, 2023: Religion News: Why students at a Kentucky Christian school are praying and singing round the clock
“This has been an extraordinary time for us,” Asbury President Kevin Brown said during a gathering on Monday, more than 120 hours into what participants have referred to as a spiritual revival.
The revival has disrupted life and brought national attention to Asbury, an evangelical Christian school in Wilmore, Kentucky, about a half-hour outside of Lexington. Videos of students singing, weeping and praying have been posted on social media, leading to both criticism and praise from onlookers. News of the revival has also drawn students and other visitors to the campus to take part in the ongoing prayer and worship.
“We’ve been here in Hughes Auditorium for over a hundred hours — praying, crying, worshipping and uniting — because of Love,” wrote Alexandra Presta, editor of The Asbury Collegian, the school’s student newspaper, who has been chronicling the services on campus. “We’ve even expanded into Estes Chapel across the street at Asbury Theological Seminary and beyond. I can proclaim that Love boldly because God is Love.”
“This has been an extraordinary time for us,” Asbury President Kevin Brown said during a gathering on Monday, more than 120 hours into what participants have referred to as a spiritual revival.
The revival has disrupted life and brought national attention to Asbury, an evangelical Christian school in Wilmore, Kentucky, about a half-hour outside of Lexington. Videos of students singing, weeping and praying have been posted on social media, leading to both criticism and praise from onlookers. News of the revival has also drawn students and other visitors to the campus to take part in the ongoing prayer and worship.
“We’ve been here in Hughes Auditorium for over a hundred hours — praying, crying, worshipping and uniting — because of Love,” wrote Alexandra Presta, editor of The Asbury Collegian, the school’s student newspaper, who has been chronicling the services on campus. “We’ve even expanded into Estes Chapel across the street at Asbury Theological Seminary and beyond. I can proclaim that Love boldly because God is Love.”
Feb 13, 2023: Christianity Today: Asbury Professor: We’re Witnessing a ‘Surprising Work of God’
Most Wednesday mornings at Asbury University are like any other. A few minutes before 10, students begin to gather in Hughes Auditorium for chapel. Students are required to attend a certain number of chapels each semester, so they tend to show up as a matter of routine.
But this past Wednesday was different. After the benediction, the gospel choir began to sing a final chorus—and then something began to happen that defies easy description. Students did not leave. They were struck by what seemed to be a quiet but powerful sense of transcendence, and they did not want to go. They stayed and continued to worship. They are still there....................By Thursday evening, there was standing room only. Students had begun to arrive from other universities: the University of Kentucky, the University of the Cumberlands, Purdue University, Indiana Wesleyan University, Ohio Christian University, Transylvania University, Midway University, Lee University, Georgetown College, Mt. Vernon Nazarene University, and many others.
Most Wednesday mornings at Asbury University are like any other. A few minutes before 10, students begin to gather in Hughes Auditorium for chapel. Students are required to attend a certain number of chapels each semester, so they tend to show up as a matter of routine.
But this past Wednesday was different. After the benediction, the gospel choir began to sing a final chorus—and then something began to happen that defies easy description. Students did not leave. They were struck by what seemed to be a quiet but powerful sense of transcendence, and they did not want to go. They stayed and continued to worship. They are still there....................By Thursday evening, there was standing room only. Students had begun to arrive from other universities: the University of Kentucky, the University of the Cumberlands, Purdue University, Indiana Wesleyan University, Ohio Christian University, Transylvania University, Midway University, Lee University, Georgetown College, Mt. Vernon Nazarene University, and many others.
Feb 9, 2023: The Asbury Collegian: “He is enough” — the Asbury revival continues
“We want more of you and less of us.”
At the 32-hour mark, those words ring out across Hughes Auditorium as revival involving Asbury University and the Wilmore, Kentucky, community continues. To some, those words seem pretty counter-cultural.
Typically, we’re told to think of ourselves more and prioritize ourselves and our wants and desires more. But this revival isn’t about us. It’s not about trying to recreate history. It has been and will continue to be all about Jesus Christ.
“We want more of you and less of us.”
At the 32-hour mark, those words ring out across Hughes Auditorium as revival involving Asbury University and the Wilmore, Kentucky, community continues. To some, those words seem pretty counter-cultural.
Typically, we’re told to think of ourselves more and prioritize ourselves and our wants and desires more. But this revival isn’t about us. It’s not about trying to recreate history. It has been and will continue to be all about Jesus Christ.
|
|