On the Asbury Awakening of 2023

Last updated on: May 9, 2025 at 1:05 am by Ben Witherington

On the Asbury Awakening of 2023 2025-05-05T09:49:15-04:00 Ben Witherington

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We are now fortunate enough to have several good accounts of the remarkable outpouring of the Spirit in February 2023 at Asbury University, which became a story that spanned the globe within weeks, including thousands of people showing up in Wilmore while it was happening. You have to understand that Wilmore Ky. has a population of just over 5,000 and we now know what would happen if it would suddenly increase by 10 fold— namely utter chaos, but of a good and godly sort. Here are three titles from insiders I can commend to you if you want the inside story of that 16 day event, and its ongoing impact (not least of which it significantly increased enrollment at the school the following Fall):

Cooperating with the Holy Spirit edited by Dr. Suzanne Nicholson, a NT professor at the college. This is the one I would pick up and read first as it includes the perspectives of some 20 contributors and so is not limited to the viewpoint of just one person. The other two are by Sarah Baldwin, Vice President of Student Life at the college, Generation Awakened, and Mark Elliot’s Taken by Surprise, who was present at both the famous 1970 Asbury revival, and a part of the one in 2023. He is a church historian with some extra insight into such spiritual events. Here is a You Tube clip by him.

Suzanne Nicholson, in the volume she edited, provides a good introduction in her essay as to why this sort of event is expected and is not uncommon in the Wesleyan and Methodist tradition. John Wesley preached repeatedly on what can only be called ‘second blessing’ theology, or entire sanctification experiences, or sometimes even called baptism in the Holy Spirit, though that has had a different meaning in some Pentecostal contexts where it is expected to be always accompanied by speaking in tongues. Asbury University itself arose out of the Holiness movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which emphasized the doctrine of sanctification in some special or unique ways, not just focusing on what can be called progressive sanctification (an ongoing process), but also specific peak spiritual events subsequent to conversion that enhances a person’s spiritual life and closeness to God.

In some cases at the Awakening in Feb. 2023 there were actual conversions of some students, in some cases there were those already Christian repenting of their sins and seeking to draw closer to God, in some cases joy and a strong sense of the Spirit’s presence overwhelmed many in Hughes auditorium, including long time committed Christians who were already walking closely with the Lord. Certainly one of the lessons to be learned from the ‘outpouring’ is that conversion or justification by grace through faith is only the beginning of the salvation work God wants to do in a person’s life, such that one would say ‘I have been saved’ (justification and the new birth), I am being saved (sanctification and blessing events), and I shall be saved (by full conformity to the image of Christ at the bodily resurrection when Christ returns). Salvation is not merely a matter of initial conversion or right standing with the Lord. Indeed, all Christians however long they have been Christians should wear the T shirt— ‘Please Be Patient with Me: Christian under Construction’. Justification and the new birth are only the beginning of one’s spiritual pilgrimage.

Mark Elliot is right (as others who wrote in these books also stressed), that what this event speaks to is the profound hunger and need in the world, including in America for God to do a mighty work and reverse the downward spiritual and moral spiral in the land and around the globe. Amen to that. There are many lessons to be learned from these three studies on the Outpouring, and I commend them all. Best of all, it means God is with us, and is not finished with us yet.

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