A Fifth Great Awakening?

by Rebecca Bynum

It is being argued that America is beginning to experience a religious revival similar to the series of “Great Awakenings” which occurred in four waves from the late 17th century up to the mid 19th century, which was about the time when scientistic material determinism began gaining converts.

There was a religious revival happening all around me in California in the mid-1970s which is the subject of a new movie called The Jesus Revolution which I had thought would be a small, limited release, but discovered that no, it’s in wide release and is selling out. The movie stars Kelsey Grammar and Jonathan Roumie (who plays Jesus brilliantly in The Chosen).

This revival started in Newport Beach, California and I lived close by in Huntington Beach. It was led by young people searching for truth — spiritual Truth — and who had found no help or direction from secular society. Two women with whom I worked at the time were part of this “Maranatha movement” and I will never forget how they came to me with the message that God wanted me as his child and that he actually preferred people to be either hot or cold, but not lukewarm, concerning belief in him.

I was ice-cold at the time – a fully convinced Darwinian materialist – and thought they were deluded fools. I thought I had it all figured out and I even felt somewhat sorry for them. But I never forgot their words or the kindness they showed me.

I was the fool.