REVIVAL: Four Portraits of Faithful Commitment to the Bible and Evangelism
North American evangelicalism has modeled a commitment to local and global missions. Committed to the Bible, evangelicals today live out this missionary impulse through personal evangelism in everyday life and through a variety of ministries. Where did this priority of evangelism originate? From the early years of evangelicalism in America to the founding of Dallas Theological Seminary in 1924, we find a theme of revivalism, with the eager anticipation of many coming to faith, leading to a better society. This tradition began with Jonathan Edwards and the First Great Awakening.
JONATHAN EDWARDS
AND THE FIRST GREAT AWAKENING
Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) believed the most effective way to individual salvation was through revivals.
As a revivalist minister, he wanted to awaken people to their own sinfulness and recognition of their need for God’s grace in salvation. In fact, for Edwards, redemption through history is God’s greatest work, and revivals are necessary to see the lost come to faith in Christ and live in a God-honoring way. Given humanity’s fallenness and need of salvation, revivals, or “awakenings,” can be accomplished only by God.
Edwards witnessed some revivalism early in his career, but the daily conversions he observed at the Connecticut Valley Revivals (1734–1735) brought tremendous impact. Edwards hoped to see such flames of revival igniting again. Five years later, young itinerant preacher George Whitefield would be instrumental in launching the height of the Great Awakening (1740–1743). Whitefield arrived in New England, and Edwards invited him to preach at his church. A dynamic communicator who labored to present the gospel to the masses, Whitefield shared Edwards’s singular focus: individual salvation and the ushering in of the kingdom through preaching the gospel. The Great Awakening witnessed a great work of the Spirit in saving souls and extended beyond Edward’s Northampton pastorate. This launched the revival tradition in America that continues to influence American evangelical Christianity with its priorities of personal conversion and holiness.
CHARLES FINNEY
AND THE SECOND GREAT AWAKENING
A generation later, the Second Great Awakening flourished through the preaching of Charles Finney (1792–1875). Revivalism blossomed outside the churches of New England into a world of frontier life and camp meetings. The geographic movement of revivalism mirrored the movement from intellectual commitment to heart religion. Pragmatism marked Finney’s approach, believing that “preachers should promote revival by virtually any means necessary, as long as it was not forbidden in Scripture.”1 With “prayer, hard work, and clear gospel preaching,” revival was almost guaranteed.2 In this, Finney proved to be a child of his time and culture, emphasizing the right techniques for revival. While his theology differed markedly from that of Edwards, all was fueled by his deep desire to see the lost come to faith. He thought the church had a responsibility to reform society, and so evangelism needed to be a priority. Finney believed that as Christians pursued holiness, a better world would follow.
DWIGHT MOODY
AND URBAN REVIVAL
Dwight L. Moody (1837–1899) took the “camp meeting” mindset of the Second Great Awakening and appropriated it to meet the needs of Chicago urban life in the late nineteenth century. A former shoe salesman, he felt called to preach to the “urban masses,” believing that conversion on a large scale would improve life and the conditions of the city. His talent as a revivalist was fueled by his conviction to share the gospel and to see souls saved. Moody was concerned about the increasing secularization of America and the liberalizing of theology. Like Finney, Moody sensed the urgency for evangelism and subsequent new life in Christ. He focused on parachurch ministries to advance the gospel in Chicago, working together with the YMCA
and other ministries that came out of mid-nineteenth-century revivalism.
LEWIS SPERRY CHAFER
AND DALLAS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Moody’s emphasis on parachurch ministries would also characterize the ministry of Lewis Sperry Chafer (1871–1952) in the following decade. No stranger to revivalism, Chafer took part in over fifty revival meetings, combining evangelism and his love of music.3 At the turn of the twentieth century, Chafer saw theological liberalism gaining strength in America, challenging the biblical commitments long held by conservative evangelicals. Modernism established deeper roots in the culture, while many evangelicals held to the “fundamentals” of the faith. Against this cultural backdrop, Chafer participated in key Bible and church conferences. As John Hannah explains, “Chafer saw the importance of methodically teaching through the books of the Bible, a Bible conference distinctive, and later envisioned the institutionalization of its best qualities.” He wanted the rigor of the training to extend beyond the Bible institutes of the day, which were
essentially “weekend church conferences.” This led to the founding of the Evangelical Theological College (later renamed Dallas Theological Seminary), which featured “the Bible conference curriculum within a premillennial and dispensational framework.” The new school also represented a reaction against the growing liberalism in local churches, thereby intentionally providing training for people to effectively communicate the Scriptures. By establishing a theologically conservative, nondenominational seminary, Chafer and the other founders wanted to equip students for intelligent evangelism through effective teaching of the Bible throughout the world.
Looking at these four portraits of revival in North America, we see a common commitment to the Bible, the gospel message, and evangelism. For Edwards and Whitefield, that came through awakenings that God sovereignly orchestrated through the preaching of ministers. Finney maintained this commitment to new life in Christ while applying a different theological perspective regarding revivalism and its effective techniques. Moody prioritized evangelism in an urban context, reaching the masses with a straightforward gospel message. And Chafer embodied the heart of an evangelist and commitment to the Bible in his participation in revival meetings and Bible conferences. He envisioned a seminary that mirrored the same commitment to the Bible, effective communication of the Bible, and an ensuing global influence through the alumni. Today, as the seminary enters its second century, DTS continues to embody that founding commitment to the Bible and evangelism.
1 Thomas S. Kidd, Christian History. vol. 2, From the Reformation to the Present (B&H Academic, 2024), 241.
2 Kidd, Christian History, 241.
3 Details and quotes about Chafer and the founding of DTS come from John D. Hannah, An Uncommon Union: Dallas Theological Seminary and American Evangelicalism (Zondervan, 2009), chapters 2 and 3.
About the Contributors
Joseph W. Lee
Prior to his faculty role at DTS, Dr. Lee served in local church ministry for over six years and taught as an adjunct professor in theology at DTS and Criswell College. His research interests include Jonathan Edwards, anthropology, hamartiology, and theological ethics. Dr. Lee desires to see students embrace the journey of the Christian life and to thrive in the right ministry position. He is married to Mollie, and they have two children: Tytus and Abigail. He enjoys a good cup of coffee, reading, hiking, rooting for Bay Area sports teams, and spending time with his family.
Contributors
