The nonstop, two-week prayer session at Asbury University that brought tens of thousands of people from across the USA to the Christian campus in Kentucky has finally ended. But speculation is continuing about why and how the event, now known as the ‘Asbury revival’ or ‘outpouring,’ occurred – and what it means.
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is in no doubt. Speaking exclusively to Evangelicals Now, Senior Advisor Tom Phillips said ‘This is more than just a spark. It’s becoming a flame, and young people are leading the way.’
Writing on the UK Evangelical Alliance website, Emma Sowden was keen to place Asbury in the context of other revivals in history, notably that of Moravian refugees in 1727 or the Hebridean revival on Lewis in 1949. She commented: ‘Many have noted that it is simply too early to tell if Asbury can be characterised as a revival. Unlike Moravia or the Hebrides, we don’t yet have the ability to look back on the cascade of justice, mercy and renewal that events like this can catalyse. We may reflect on the events of this month and conclude it was simply a two-week long worship gathering of 18–25-year-olds. If so, brilliant. Jesus was worshipped, people were brought to faith, and the world heard about what God was doing, as news of the gathering spread like wildfire over social media.
