signalmankenneth
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CNN —
On the campus of a small Christian college in Wilmore, Kentucky, a massive worship service has been rolling, nonstop, for nearly two weeks. The event at Asbury University is so popular, people have flown from across the country, standing in line outside of the college’s main chapel for an opportunity to take part in the singing, praying and discussion unfolding within.
The Asbury Revival, as it has been called, has captured the attention and imagination of every possible circle in the expansive Venn diagram of Christianity. Among their endless debates are some questions likely shared by those on the outside, looking in at the commotion: What in the world is going on here? And what, exactly, is a Christian revival?
What’s going on at Asbury University?
The idea of revival as a larger movement and as a spiritual gathering is prominent in the religious imagination. Hymns and spirituals are laden with symbology, pleading for God to “revive us again.” The mere word conjures images of Southern Gothic fervor; people with arms raised to the sky under big white tents, singing, sweating, fanning themselves, and being moved by the entropy of their fellow worshipers. That isn’t far off from the scenes coming out of Kentucky.
It began on February 8, as a normal church service. According to Asbury College students and leaders, a gospel choir sang at the end of the service, and some students stuck around afterward. The nascent gathering got attention on social media with content about the meeting racking up millions of views as the days passed. Videos on TikTok and Instagram show people swaying to worship music, weeping, repenting their sins and encouraging the testimonies of their fellow attendees.
Mark Whitworth, the university’s vice president of communications, told NBC News social media was the “mechanism” leading to people’s discovery of the event.
Now, thousands of people have flocked to the school, prompting some conversations about who, exactly, the gathering is for and who would be welcome. Not all denominations observe revival traditions, and the practice’s ties to faith groups that marginalize certain identities has been a point of great concern. Some find revivals to be a dangerous practice that can conflate religious and political aims.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/18/us/asbury-revival-christian-what-is-cec/index.html
On the campus of a small Christian college in Wilmore, Kentucky, a massive worship service has been rolling, nonstop, for nearly two weeks. The event at Asbury University is so popular, people have flown from across the country, standing in line outside of the college’s main chapel for an opportunity to take part in the singing, praying and discussion unfolding within.
The Asbury Revival, as it has been called, has captured the attention and imagination of every possible circle in the expansive Venn diagram of Christianity. Among their endless debates are some questions likely shared by those on the outside, looking in at the commotion: What in the world is going on here? And what, exactly, is a Christian revival?
What’s going on at Asbury University?
The idea of revival as a larger movement and as a spiritual gathering is prominent in the religious imagination. Hymns and spirituals are laden with symbology, pleading for God to “revive us again.” The mere word conjures images of Southern Gothic fervor; people with arms raised to the sky under big white tents, singing, sweating, fanning themselves, and being moved by the entropy of their fellow worshipers. That isn’t far off from the scenes coming out of Kentucky.
It began on February 8, as a normal church service. According to Asbury College students and leaders, a gospel choir sang at the end of the service, and some students stuck around afterward. The nascent gathering got attention on social media with content about the meeting racking up millions of views as the days passed. Videos on TikTok and Instagram show people swaying to worship music, weeping, repenting their sins and encouraging the testimonies of their fellow attendees.
Mark Whitworth, the university’s vice president of communications, told NBC News social media was the “mechanism” leading to people’s discovery of the event.
Now, thousands of people have flocked to the school, prompting some conversations about who, exactly, the gathering is for and who would be welcome. Not all denominations observe revival traditions, and the practice’s ties to faith groups that marginalize certain identities has been a point of great concern. Some find revivals to be a dangerous practice that can conflate religious and political aims.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/18/us/asbury-revival-christian-what-is-cec/index.html
