Belfast OutReach

Revival in the Church, Do We Need It?/Is It Biblical? Far from being experts on revival, it nevertheless seems rather strange to us that modern-day revivalists proclaim that "God is going to be bringing a great revival in these last days, characterized by a new and powerful working of the Holy Spirit." Yet the Bible says that God's plan for the last days is the Great Apostasy, characterized by all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders (2 Thes. 2:3, 6-10). Is God really bringing revival, or is what we see happening now that which will culminate in the greatest delusion of all time (vs. 11)? We believe the latter, and what is commonly called "revival" today, is not at all different from the revivals of yesteryear -- a religious carnival show steeped in mysticism and rampant emotionalism. The question that must ultimately be answered with respect to revival is this: "Is it proper (i.e., is it Biblical), to pray for and seek revival in the

Banner of Truth Trust , 1994 - Religion - 455 pages Murray analyses a crucial period in American religious history,with particular attention to the major theme of the nature ofreligious revival. He rejects the common identification of revival & revivalism, showing that the latter differed from the former both in its origins & in its implications. Whereas in the earlier period, revival was understood as supernatural & heaven-sent, in the later period the ethos was much more man-centred & the methods employed much closer to the manipulative. The change in perspective can be summed up by saying that revival was first viewed as OEsent down, but later seen as OEworked up. A pivotal figure in the change & a major promoter of the new methods, was Charles Grandison Finney (1792-1875). Murray traces developments from the time of Samuel Davies (1763-61), through the age of the Second Great Awakening, to the New York Awakening of 1857-8. In addition to