March 23, 2020

IEW Advanced Communication

Myah Coffey

When Revivals Turned into Revivalism

Throughout the 18 and 19th century, and even during the Civil War, revivals were

frequent. Throughout these spiritual awakenings, many searching individuals were drawn

to this communal excitement. And that is what it sometimes evolved into…an experience.

While some truly received Christ’s gift of salvation, others were seemingly forced into a

“salvation” that morphed into an unbiblical agreement by way of guilt. God used revivals

in numerous ways, yet when the mindset of experience and “spiritual highs” set in, there

was a doctrinally immoral shift.

Revivals brought hope and encouragement to the thousands of soldiers who risked

their lives daily for their freedom and ours. These services provided a place where

believers could grow and for those who didn’t have a relationship with the Lord, to learn

about who He is. In such a vulnerable, painful, and discouraging time, these men could

be uplifted by these revivals. Asahel Nettleton, for example, was intentional about

preaching something that his listeners could apply to their lives and truly understand. To

accomplish this, he would live among them for weeks or even months to acknowledge

what they were going through and to be able to relate to them through his sermons. This

proved most beneficial because he was reaching hearts with the Gospel. 30,000 people

came to faith by God’s work through Nettleton, and since he valued discipleship, the

majority of believers continued strong in their faith. Revivals originally began because of
the lack of spiritual discipline and understanding of the Gospel among many Americans.

These hopeful meetings were incredible ways to offer encouragement to these people.

In contrast, revivals easily turned into revivalism when the pastor’s goal was to reach

numbers rather than hearts. Charles Finney, who believed that a believer could be

perfected, was both a fantastic and emotional speaker, which proved to be very

convincing for his audience. Though it seemed he led many to Christ, most fell away

because they didn’t receive any discipleship. Once, a missionary asked a man if he could

tell him anything about Jesus. The man responded that he had just moved there so the

name didn’t ring a bell. This type of response was common. Another reason for their

ignorance was that they had a lack of respect for the past. Frontier life toughened these

families. They often experienced death and had no context to put good news in. With this

in mind, hearing the hopeful news of the Gospel surely astounded them. Yet salvation

was easily romanticized and spiritual highs idolized. Valuing experience over redemption

or emotion over the Gospel is reason for concern. Revivalism was a dangerous trap many

revivals slipped into.

In the description of Iain H. Murray’s book titled “Revival & Revivalism” on

Amazon, it states, “ Fundamental to the book's thesis is a rejection of the frequent

identification of 'revival' with 'revivalism'.  The author demonstrates that a common

understanding of the New Testament idea of revival was prevalent in most denominations

throughout the period 1750-1858. Revivalism, on the other hand, is different both in its

origin and in its tendencies. Its ethos is man-centered and its methods too close to the

manipulative to require a supernatural explanation.” It is clear that there is a distinction

between revivals and revivalism. So much so that Murray penned an entire book on the
subject. Perhaps this is a subject many haven’t considered or a fact that hasn’t been

brought to their attention. But when studying history, it is important to distinguish the

preachers as having a revival view or as being revivalism minded. There is undoubtedly a

difference.

Through the evidence noted and the facts relayed, revivals are clearly more impactful

when revivalism didn’t forcefully infiltrate the meetings. Praise God for those who

faithfully shared the Gospel with faith that God would reach hearts, not numbers. Praise

God for those like Nettleton who intentionally preached the Word and discipled

believers. Ultimately God’s plan was accomplished and we can learn through past

mistakes, when revivals became man centered and turned into revivalism.