Thoughts on the Asbury Phenomena, Part 1

Thoughts on the Asbury Phenomena, Part 1
Thursday, February 23, 2023 by Dr. James W. Walraven

Categories: Apologetics / Contemporary issues / Encouraging words / Spiritual warfare / The church / Thought for Today

Asbury. If there has been a series of events that no one expected, it is what has been taking place at Asbury over the last couple of weeks. During the first couple of days, reports on social media were uniformly positive. Subsequently, a few people started asking questions and that has been followed by many negative posts. Please note that I’m deliberately staying away from using theologically charged words such as “revival” or “renewal” to describe Asbury. It is too soon to know.

My primary goal in this series is to take a look at the various social media responses to Asbury and wait until the end of the series to post my overall thoughts. I’ll say up front that I think there are many good reasons to remain optimistic and hopeful and that those reasons far outweigh the concerns that have been raised.

How does one approach those who are asking questions and raising concerns about the Asbury phenomena? I think the questions generally fall within a range of two broad categories: (1) honest questions; and (2) questions that have an underlying agenda.

Some have immediately responded, “Pharisee!” to anyone who dares to raise any personal concerns about the Asbury phenomena. To me, doing so is not helpful when someone is asking an honest question or raising an honest concern. One could build a case that in that situation, the responder is, in fact, responding in a manner of a Pharisee. However, if the question is being asked when there’s an underlying agenda, or from a place of unbelief, that is a different matter.

We have a marvelous biblical example of the difference between those two types of questions—genuine vs. unbelief—in the first chapter of Luke. The two individuals even ask almost the same question. Regarding the promise of a birth, one asks, “How can I know this?” while the other asks, “How can this be?”

God discloses that Zacharias asked his question from a place of unbelief, while Mary’s question is an honest one. Gabriel’s response to Zacharias is very different from his response to Mary. Zacharias is given a serious reprimand, being made mute, until the promised birth of John the Baptist is fulfilled. In contrast, Gabriel gives Mary a complete explanation as to how she will become the mother of Jesus.

When it comes to Asbury, it is important to discern what lies behind a person’s questions or comments. Admittedly, doing so is difficult when it comes to social media, but necessary when determining how best to respond.

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