At the beginning of February, Asbury University, a small Christian college located in Wilmore, Kentucky, became the site of “the nation’s first major spiritual revival in decades.” Through social media like TikTok and Instagram, the revival went viral and was largely driven by Generation Z. A revival is defined as “spontaneous long-lasting episodes of collective worship.” Over the span of two weeks, more than 50,000 people traveled to reach the campus chapel to “pray and sing until the wee hours of the morning.”
This all started on February 8th, when a few students remained after the normal chapel service “and began to worship and pray for one another.” This continued for hours and led to students, staff, faculty, and community members joining in throughout the day. Over time, the event went viral with the hashtag #asburyrevival on TikTok and gained over 100 million views. People from all over the country traveled to Asbury University to participate. This event was deemed so important that “Valor Christian College in Ohio canceled classes, and almost the entire student body drove down.” The town of Wilmore only consisted of 6,000 people prior to this event, so 50,000 people traveling to this small town was a bit overwhelming. The event became so popular that even influencers and popular pastors made their way to Wilmore.
This revival is being described as “the nation’s first major spiritual revival of the 21st century” by many scholars and worshipers. Many have prayed for an event like this to occur, hoping for a spiritual outpouring that would bring the Christian community together. One thing that makes this revival so pivotal is that it was driven by Generation Z. The revival originated at a college campus and word of the event spread through social media platforms. According to Madison Pierce, a student involved with the Asbury Theological Seminary located across from the college, the revival is “marked by overwhelming peace for a generation marked by anxiety.” It is seen as a cause for hope for the generation and a moment of peace from all the stress that it has dealt with in such a short span of time, including a global pandemic and increasing political polarity within the nation.
While this event is considered monumental and unifying to the Christian community, it has also been taxing on the college. Asbury University is a very small school and the pilgrimage of tens of thousands of people to its chapel was entirely unplanned. The chapel on campus remained completely full, people lining up outside the doors every morning to get in and not leaving until it was closed. The school decided that as of February 24th, there would be no more events held on campus. “Students said they were ready to return to their normal campus rhythms.” Though Asbury is no longer housing the revival, it is not stopping other schools from participating. Similar events are breaking out at colleges like Lee University and Samford University, though it is unknown if they will reach the same scale as Asbury’s.
Throughout this revival’s popularity, there have been some people attempting to make the situation political. While the organizers have tried their best to keep politics out of the event, some are still trying to make connections. For example, Lance Wallnau, a popular author and activist, suggested that former President Donald Trump had “supernaturally summoned the revival himself.” This opinion is not associated with the organizers of the event; however, this revival could be used in the future to support certain political ideas and figures.
The Asbury Revival has made history and provided a sense of peace for worshippers coming from all around the country. Participants described feeling as though they were in a “sweet presence” and as if “heaven opened up.” It was a way for people from all different backgrounds to come together and celebrate their shared beliefs. Furthermore, this revival conveys the large role that Generation Z could play in the Christian community in the future. While the revival at Asbury University was nice, it is also a good thing that the campus has ended the events in order to resume normal routine on campus. Overall, many are deeming this revival as a sign of true hope for the future of American Christianity.