Scholars Crossing SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations 1982 The Need for Revival Edward Hindson Liberty University, [email protected] Ed Dobson Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/sor_fac_pubs Recommended Citation Hindson, Edward and Dobson, Ed, "The Need for Revival" (1982). SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations. 144. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/sor_fac_pubs/144 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Holy Terror fanatically use any and every means to make converts; those continued from page 9 who make extreme and ridiculous statements in the name of God, etc. True Fundamentalists must reject and denounce Can W~ for what it really is - a bitter diatribe against religion! "We such extremists as not representative of biblical Christianity. _ There cannot live as machines," the authors say, "programmed by We must be careful to say only what the Word of God says Scriptures ... surrendered to Christ and computers" (p. 347). and no more. Also, we must pledge ourselves to be fair and \1 the chur At least one Catholic leader, Monsignor George Higgins, is accurate in the way we treat secular humanists, in spite of ',never be reported (Charleston Daily Mail, Sept. 28, 1982) to have their ridiculous and prejudiced treatment of us. Millions of jlit is too I ithe "La( resigned from the People for the American Way because of people freely attend our churches every week, not out of !cannot II Lear's sponsorship of Holy Terror, with its cultic constraint, but because of their deep personal commit­ l "simplistic ... almost fanatical abhorrence of any and all ment to Christ. Fundamentalism represents an ever-widening II we are ir ilrhey rat forms of religious fundamentalism." The monsignor has called spectrum of American society. revival. : upon theological liberals to take seriously the New Right's The authors keep complaining throughout their book that II concerns about the breakdown of moral values in American they couldn't find anyone to interview in Lynchburg, society. Virginia. All I can say is they did not look very hard! We Fundamental Christianity has always had to make its own have nearly 200 teachers at Liberty Baptist College. These tlistory r way. We did not have the financial support and endowments highly qualified faculty members hold graduate degrees and groups ~ of the main-line denominations. Therefore, we have always doctorates from more than one hundred schools, including past we! had to survive in the free marketplace of ideas. Contrary to Cornell, Rutgers, Boston, Chicago, Purdue, Johns Hopkins, workin8 ' the opinion of the authors (p. 203), we have always had to ap­ Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, Iowa, illinois, Minnesota, peal to the rational and volitional response of people to U.C.L.A., Southern California, Manchester, and London. believe the gospel. It is precisely here that liberal Christianity Surely, one of them would have granted an interview! Wheneve has failed. Thinking people do not want a religion based on Since it is so obvious that Conway and Siegelman do not happen ~ myths and fables. If the Bible is not true - throw it out! If know what fundamentalism really is, I am personally sending happen, Jesus is not risen from the dead, we have no message of hope them a subscription to the Fundamentalist Journal! Perhaps a "it canno to give the world. Liberal Christianity is in trouble, not firsthand reading of what Fundamentalists are saying about said man because of the rise of fundamentalism, but because of its themselves will help them know who and what they are talk­ When thl failure to answer man's questions and meet his needs. In this ing about. These authors think we Christians are duped by refused tc sense Conway and Siegelman are right. The real option is one religion. The tragedy is that they are duped - by the There between supernatural Christianity and antisupernatural "religion" of secularism which they espouse with uncritically there wi] secularism. blind faith. Holy Terror is wholly error when it comes to Through! There is much that we who name Christ as Savior can understanding fundamental Christianity. A better title for religious learn from Holy Terror. The authors delight in citing extreme this misinformed volume would be Secular Sarcasm: The ,tion) whc examples from the "lunatic fringe" of Christianity: those who Humanistic War on America's Freedoms in Religion, Politics, and posing re keep setting dates for the second coming of Christ; those who Our Private Lives! 0 History 1 which op •always by in His . apostasy! Also 1 . late for r based u): Revelatio that the church c history at century I e eed for evival mains to by Ed Dobson and Ed Hindson "system" churches "periods" Noticf flash the message of Christ around the world. This is a nation Was a SI famous Scottish theologian remarked that no one with' deeply embedded Christian roots. According to the Minor. It living in the English-speaking world and born after Gallup Poll, 31 million Americans consider them8,dves It still he World War I, has ever witnessed a genuine revival. evangelical, 69 million people eighteen and over hope to ~o to said of th Although God visited America with revival in both the eight­ heaven because of their personal faith in Jesus Christ, and 04 I rebuke eenth and nineteenth centuries, there has been no such na­ percent of Americans believe that the Ten Commandments therefore, tionwide outpouring in the twentieth century. Yet, this is the are valid for today. These are encouraging signs, but the fact, the era of bigger churches and mass communication systems that strongest need of this hour is a third great awakening. SOunds li1 churches! 10 FUNDAME]\ITALIST JOURNAL :e converts; those ts in the name of increased with goods and have need of situations. They provide a rainbow of :t and denounce Can We Have Revival Today? nothing; and knowest not that thou art hope to all Christians everywhere who ical Christianity. wretched and miserable, and poor, and desire to experience an outpouring of There are prophets of doom within blind, and naked" (Rev. 3: 17). God's power. God has promised: "If my ford of God says the church today who say there will res to be fair and Secondly, notice the instruction people, which are called by my name, never be another real revival. They say mists, in spite of given to this lukewarm church which shall humble themselves, and pray, and it is too late for America, for we are in )f us. Millions of Jesus (though grieved) still loved. "I seek my face, and turn from their the "Laodicean Church Age." God veek, not out of counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in wicked ways; then will I hear from cannot revive an apostate church, and the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and heaven, and will forgive their sin, and Jersonal commit. we are in the "age of apostasy." Thus, an ever-widening white raiment that thou mayest be will heal their land" (2 Chron. 7:14). · they rationalize away all hope for clothed, and that the shame of thy revival. Man is an unusual creature. The Nature of True Revival It their book that nakedness do not appear; and anoint Since revival has been so long in Lynchburg, thiI\e eyes with eyesalve, that thou awaited by the twentieth-century k very hard! We mayest see" (Rev. 3:18). The instruc­ church, and since we have experienced t College. These History has proven that those tion here, though symbolized, is ob­ such a dearth of genuine Christian uate degrees and which opposed revival in the vious. Each depicts righteousness: gold, commitment and life in the latter part :hools, including past were always bypassed by the righteousness of character; white rai­ of this century, many people do not , Johns Hopkins, ment, righteousness of life; eyesalve, · workin8 of God in His church. understand the nature of true revival. lois, Minnesota, righteousness of vision. Therefore, many false concepts of er, and London. What is the message to the Laodi­ he has not seen something cean Church? "Be zealous therefore, revival exist today. Often one will drive 1 interview! and repent" (Rev. 3: 19). This is always past a church advertising "revival ser· 3iegelman do not and cannot seem to make it vices," but the services' are not revival ersonally sending he will always conclude that the message of Christ to the unrevived services at all! They are, rather, oumal! Perhaps a . cannot happen." This same attitude church. Dead orthodoxy always results evangelistic services or "Christian-life" are saying about said man would never get to the moon. in lukewarm practice. Nowhere in this services. The tag of "revival" has been hat they are talk... When the astronauts landed, some still passage is this church reprimanded for ms are duped by refused to believe it! heresy, but for spiritual poverty. If uped - by the There are great dangers in saying there is a modern Laodicean Church, it Genuine revival is not mere is the fundamental church with its self­ with uncritically there will never be another revival. emotionalism. nor is it mere sufficient, self-righteous complacency! hen it comes to ·Throughout church history, every intellectualism. Qevival of God's religious group (denomination or fac­ Begin to preach righteousness and '\ better title for people must come throu8h the ar Sarcasm: The tion) who took this view ended up op­ repentance to this church, and revival simple and honest prescriptions of igion, Politics, and posing real revival when it did come.