An Orthodox Reaction to the "Asbury Revival"

A Photo Taken on Wednesday at the Asbury University Chapel 

By Subdeacon Jeremy Mercurius Gan (Missionary Diocese of East and Southeast Asia)

Recently, the United States has been experiencing yet another revival, this time at Asbury University, Kentucky. This university seems to have a history of revivals. Naturally, a lot of people are happy about it. However, as Orthodox Christians, we should see if we can glean anything from such phenomena.

This past week, the Asbury students and even others from different institutions came together to sing, pray, and confess their sins. People came and went, while some slept in the space right there. It does resemble the Early Church in some ways, and we can appreciate the desire to return to those times. 

It is not our place to judge, nor are we here to comment on the faith of people who participated in the weeklong service of continuous singing and praising, even if we disagree with some practices. It is astonishing to see people devote time and energy to worshipping God. We should also always confess our sins and ask God to dwell in us, as has happened in Asbury. All of this is well and good. 

From ancient times, the Holy Spirit has been poured out among men and women, granting them salvation and sometimes spiritual gifts. Older gatherings may not be as fancy as our current liturgies, but they still ask for order and reverence. Church history has consistently shown that prayer without ceasing is respectful, not loud and raucous.

Some monasteries have a tradition of maintaining a perpetual choir. The monks or nuns would rotate out after hours of singing to ensure they worshiped the Lord always. The Desert Fathers always stressed that unceasing prayer was peaceful and not rowdy. We have the Divine Liturgies that preserve order when we worship to guard us against confusion. 

Many of these modern revivals have noble goals. The Orthodox can learn to be simple and look at how the ancients met each other. The Orthodox Church stresses that anything should be compared to Scripture and Tradition. 

In Asbury, things were relatively ordered, and we can appreciate how some people controlled the participants so the situation didn’t go out of hand. While promising, we Orthodox can immediately see what they are missing, a direct connection to the Ancient Faith.

We can provide to the people attending the Asbury Revival several advantages. The Orthodox Church possesses valid Apostolic Succession all the way back to the Twelve. We can guard these new and enthusiastic people against falsehood. Orthodoxy shares its blessings with people filled with love for God, and we can do it again, giving them a direct physical, spiritual, and metaphysical connection to the Apostles themselves across space and time. 

Look at how many people from the Jesus Movement returned to Orthodoxy. The Evangelical Orthodox Church realized that a structure for them already existed, though they desired to be truly Catholic and Apostolic. Most of them are now part of the Antiochian Church. Some Jesus People even became esteemed Orthodox priests. 

We are just now healing from the COVID-19 pandemic, and many Christians crave some form of reorientation or return to old values. The Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways, and we Orthodox can welcome our new brothers and sisters in Christ with open arms. Come and see the Apostolic Faith given to us by Jesus Christ, who is in the Eucharist and the Life of the One, Holy, Apostolic, Catholic, and Orthodox Church!