Cautiously Optimistic: The ‘Quiet Revival’
In recent months, much has been written about the so-called “quiet revival.” In essence, what is being reported is that we are seeing an increase in people, especially younger people, attending church, with a growing interest in the Bible. In my work with The Open-Air Mission, I have certainly seen a far greater number of young people showing interest in the good news than I have previously observed. People are open to talking about the gospel and reading God’s Word. These are all good things, though I remain cautiously optimistic.
I am encouraged by the growing interest in church attendance, but at the same time, I do have concerns. What we are witnessing is an increase in cultural Christianity, not a revival in the sense of the lost being saved and Christ’s Church being renewed. We are certainly not at the point of an evangelical awakening. What seems to be happening is that many young people are growing tired of the emptiness of secularism, and with the rise of Islam, many are concluding that the only answer to ‘saving’ Western culture is to return to traditional Christian values and beliefs. My concern is that they want all the blessings of Christianity without the Christ of Christianity.
One of the positives of cultural Christianity is that it has created a greater openness to talk about the message of the Bible. The negative is that people often think their religious deeds and church attendance are enough to make them right with God. Two of my regular outreaches take place in the cathedral cities of Winchester and Salisbury. In both locations, I’ve spoken with young people who have started attending divine services. The problem is that many of them think mere attendance at the cathedral or parish church is sufficient to classify them as ‘Christian.’
In Winchester, while preaching, I was heckled by a man who worshipped at the cathedral. He declared that Winchester was the most Christian city in all England, so I shouldn’t be preaching there. I pointed out that Jesus preached in the shadow of the Temple, so there is still a need—even near a cathedral—for the gospel to be proclaimed. This man had bought into the idea that the cathedral was enough—but Jesus and His call to repentance and faith were a step too far.
On that day, another man was listening. He shared with me afterwards that he had formerly been an atheist but had started attending church and reading his Bible. Then he said these words: “I thought cultural Christian practice was enough, but I’ve seen today that I must deal with the claims of Jesus.”
While we rejoice that church attendance is increasing and that more people are interested in the Bible, we mustn’t become complacent or assume that these numbers reflect conversions. We must keep the gospel central and repeatedly share it with this new generation that has come into our churches. It is only through sharing the good news that this “quiet revival” will become a true revival. Let’s be cautiously optimistic—the Lord is at work, but we must continue faithfully to share the good news of Jesus.
_____
Josh receives his salary from The Open-Air Mission. Any financial contributions made through this website will be allocated towards supplying evangelistic resources and addressing requirements associated with gospel-related activities.