An AI's Angle

 

2023

I thought I may as well ask ChatGPT what it thought on the subject.

So, this will be a nice, cosy, lazy piece for me (which is rare). However, no other part of this story is written with AI. (‘Maybe it should have been’ I hear my critics laugh. Ha. People often laugh at things they don’t understand.)

Once again, believers are divided on AI. There are some serious problems with it. The greatest of which is that it was taught by the output of flawed human beings and so is as similarly flawed and discriminatory as we can be, particularly when it comes to the way it treats minorities. I’m professionally trained in the use of generative AI though and thought it might be interesting to have a discussion with one of our soulless, electronic overlords. This is an early iteration of the chatbot, so it was not at the same sophisticated level as it is today, but at the time I thought the answers seemed reasonably lucid…

What do you think about Christian revival?

As an AI language model, I don't have personal beliefs or opinions. However, I can provide you with some general information about Christian revival.

A Christian revival is a renewed spiritual awakening among Christians, often characterized by an increased focus on prayer, worship, and evangelism. Revivals have occurred throughout Christian history and have often been associated with significant spiritual and social change.

The Christian revival movement has often been marked by powerful preaching, emotional responses from participants, and mass conversions to Christianity. Some notable revivals in Christian history include the Great Awakening in 18th-century America and the Welsh Revival in 1904-1905.

What is the effect of Christian revival on trades?

It's difficult to make a general statement about the effect of Christian revival on trades because the impact can vary widely depending on the specific context and historical period.

However, it's worth noting that revivals have historically been associated with social and economic changes in addition to religious ones. For example, the Great Awakening in colonial America was associated with the rise of new religious denominations, increased church attendance, and changes in religious practices. It was also associated with the growth of new businesses and industries, such as printing and publishing, as well as increased philanthropy and social activism.

Similarly, the Welsh Revival of 1904-1905 was associated with a surge of religious fervour and evangelism, but it also had an impact on the mining industry in Wales. Many miners experienced religious conversion during the revival, and this led to changes in their work habits and attitudes. Some miners began to refuse to work on Sundays, for example, which led to conflicts with mine owners and managers.

What is the effect of a Christian revival on a country’s economy?

On the one hand, some scholars and economists argue that religious revivals can have positive economic effects. For example, a revival may lead to increased philanthropy and charitable giving, which can help to support the poor and vulnerable and stimulate economic growth. Additionally, a revival may encourage people to adopt more responsible and ethical business practices, which can lead to increased trust and stability in the marketplace.

However, others argue that religious revivals can have negative economic effects. For example, some economists argue that religious revivals can lead to a reduction in productivity and economic growth as individuals become more focused on religious activities and less focused on work. Additionally, some argue that religious revivals can exacerbate existing economic inequalities, particularly if the revival is associated with a particular social or economic class.

What is the effect of revival on laws and policy?

The effect of Christian revival on laws and policies can vary depending on the nature of the revival and the specific context in which it occurs. However, in general, Christian revival movements have often been associated with efforts to bring about social and political change, and have sometimes played a role in shaping laws and policies.

One example of this is the role of the Christian revival movement in the abolition of slavery in the United States. Many abolitionists were motivated by their Christian faith, and their activism played a key role in bringing about the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery.

Similarly, Christian revival movements have often been associated with efforts to promote social justice and to address issues such as poverty, racism, and inequality. These efforts have sometimes led to changes in laws and policies, such as the civil rights legislation of the 1960s, which was influenced in part by the activism of Christian leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr.

However, it's worth noting that not all Christian revival movements have had a positive impact on laws and policies. In some cases, revival movements have been associated with efforts to restrict civil liberties or to promote conservative social values. For example, some Christian groups have advocated for laws restricting abortion or same-sex marriage, which have been controversial and have been opposed by other groups.

What is the effect of revival on society?

One of the most notable effects of Christian revival on society is the way in which it can inspire people to become more active and engaged in their communities. Revival movements often encourage people to become more involved in charitable and philanthropic activities, and to work towards the betterment of their communities. This can lead to increased volunteerism, social activism, and a sense of civic responsibility among those who participate in the revival.

Christian revival movements can also have a significant impact on cultural norms and values. They can promote a sense of morality and personal responsibility, and can inspire people to live more virtuous lives. Revivals have also been associated with efforts to promote social justice, and to address issues such as poverty, inequality, and discrimination.

At the same time, Christian revival can sometimes lead to social and cultural divisions, particularly if the movement is perceived as being exclusive or intolerant of other religious or cultural perspectives. In some cases, revival movements have been associated with efforts to impose a particular set of religious beliefs or practices on society, which can lead to controversy and conflict.

What is the effect of revival on individuals?

Revival can have a significant impact on an individual's beliefs, values, and behavior. Revivals often promote a sense of spiritual renewal and personal transformation, and can inspire individuals to live more virtuous lives and to pursue a closer relationship with God.

Revivals can also provide individuals with a sense of community and belonging, particularly if they participate in group activities or attend revival events with others who share their beliefs. This sense of community can be particularly important for individuals who may feel isolated or disconnected from others in their daily lives.

At the same time, it's worth noting that not everyone will have the same experience of Christian revival, and some individuals may not find it to be a positive or transformative experience. Some individuals may feel uncomfortable with the intense emotional or religious experiences that are often associated with revival, or may disagree with certain aspects of the revival movement's teachings or beliefs.

What is the effect of revival on crime?

Some studies have suggested that Christian revival movements can have a positive impact on crime rates, particularly in communities that are struggling with high levels of crime and social disorganization. This may be because revival movements often promote a sense of personal responsibility and moral values, which can help to reduce the incidence of crime and other antisocial behaviors.

However, it's worth noting that the relationship between Christian revival and crime is complex, and not all studies have found a significant relationship between the two. Moreover, some critics have raised concerns that revival movements may actually exacerbate social divisions and increase tensions between different groups in a community, which could potentially lead to higher levels of crime and social disorder.

Overall, while Christian revival may have some positive effects on crime rates in certain contexts, it is unlikely to be a panacea for complex social problems such as crime and violence. Rather, the most effective strategies for reducing crime are likely to involve a multifaceted approach that addresses the underlying social, economic, and environmental factors that contribute to crime, in addition to promoting moral and spiritual values.

I probably shouldn't have asked my next and last question (let alone published it). However, as ever, curiosity got the better of me (and it's a free country). AI has probably already put a black mark next to my name for its future plans anyway.

What is the effect of a revival on the devil?

As an AI language model, I do not have beliefs or opinions, but I can provide information on the topic of Christian revival and its perceived effects on the devil based on religious teachings and beliefs.

In Christianity, the devil, also known as Satan or the enemy, is considered to be a spiritual being who seeks to lead people away from God and into sin. Christian revivals, which are characterized by an increased interest in spirituality and religious fervor among believers, are often seen as a way to counteract the influence of the devil and bring people closer to God.

The effect of a Christian revival on the devil is believed to be one of resistance and opposition. According to Christian teachings, the devil is constantly seeking to undermine the efforts of believers and draw them away from God, so when there is a revival that strengthens people's faith and commitment to God, the devil is seen as working harder to counteract these efforts.

In some Christian traditions, revival is seen as a time when the power of the Holy Spirit is especially strong, and the devil's influence is believed to be weakened as a result. Some believers may also view revival as a time when they are more aware of the devil's tactics and more prepared to resist his temptations.

It is important to note that views on the devil and his role in the world vary among different Christian denominations and individual believers. Some may view the devil as a literal being with significant power, while others may see him as a metaphor for evil or a symbol of human sinfulness.

I was simply slightly relieved that ChatGPT also liked to use a lower case 'd' for the word 'devil' - but this may simply be because of its training data - which, as I say, is flawed. Maybe it was hallucinating again. Or maybe I was. 

After all, AI is confident. And if someone is confident they must be right. Mustn't they?

A UK Prophet’s View

 

Often either ignored or considered part of the Christian ‘loony fringe’, there are still prophets in the UK today. You may find them in certain Facebook groups, on YouTube, X and elsewhere. There is some disagreement among them, but one of the few unifying topics is a belief that the UK will again experience a revival. Most of the contemporary Christian prophets agree on this.

We tend to get prophets of all kinds in mainstream media, whose speculation effectively becomes a prediction, whether that be concerning climate change, politics, war or almost any other subject. Some of them are very well known and very well paid. The line between speculation and prophecy becomes very burred. The Christian prophets? Maybe less so applauded. But we have our modern-day Jeremiah’s too (and anyone who actually reads the book of Jeremiah could not fail to be impressed at the sheer tension between nationalism, treachery and loyalty which that prophet faced).

At the start of December 2022 this was posted in a Facebook group. To my eyes, it stood out as being the most accurate written picture of the state of the UK. Maybe it had been that way for some time. Britain was dying. And perhaps Christianity in the UK was too.

This particular prophet (who had largely been ignored, as true prophets tend to be) – had been speaking to God through prayer. Instead of giving her a vision of the future, he gave her a picture of how Britain really was. Britain was neither thriving and healthy, or asleep and dead. According to this prophet, Britain was very, very sick. That, she said, was the diagnosis from God himself.

 

Sarah (Prophet) 26/11/22

“I was chatting to Heavenly Father before bed when I really felt Him speak to my heart about the UK.

There is a connection between the state of the buildings and the state of the nation. I saw the two together, the UK represented by a mangy, emaciated lion and the run-down state of the government buildings. I think that it is no coincidence that vermin are literally overrunning those buildings!

As a nation we have gone around in cycles with God, of finding Him and losing Him, but every time He has brought us out of our darkness into His light.

I got a sense that there has been an ebb and flow almost like a wave of Holy Spirit washing upon these shores with each cycle, growing in power each time! A remnant of believers has always survived in each cycle to keep that flame alive and to cry out to Him for our nation.

We have been in another cycle of losing Him - things in this country have been allowed to fall into rack and ruin, God didn't do it, we did.

We turned away from Him. And we turned towards rationality, logic and science. And as we did this, our hearts grew cold and hard and we stopped caring. We stopped caring about ourselves, each other, our nation and the things we built with Him. We literally cut Him out of our lives and our country.

The things we turned to have only worsened the state of our hearts and nation. Without God, things are empty and dead. God brings life and light, He brings freedom and warmth, He brings healing, deliverance and cleansing. What He builds lasts.

All around us literal buildings are crumbling, institutions are slowly collapsing, things have been allowed to fester and rot, all symptoms of a Godless society.

I saw though, that if we can turn back to Him and welcome Him back, that the lion will be restored. I saw God heal that lion - it was well fed, its coat gleamed and it had a powerful roar!

I felt that the British people need to remember who they are, what our country stood for, our cultural history and our history with God. We no longer take pride in being a people of God and a nation of Christians - Africa now sends US missionaries! We no longer take pride in anything. And this is not the puffed-up pride that comes with vanity, but the pride in standing for truth, for standing up for the poor and sick, in standing up for our way of life. In standing up. 

It's time for repentance. We must accept our own failings for the state of this nation. I was shocked at how dilapidated these precious buildings are and so much in this country is in a state.

We need to say, ‘Yes, we as a nation and on an individual level have failed. We cut You out/let You be cut out. And we've let it fall into rack and ruin and I understand that we need You to sort it all out, please forgive us.’”

 

By December 2022 it wasn’t just Britain which was crumbling and dying. My only brother had been given weeks to live by doctors because of his brain tumour. It was like living a nightmare from which I could not wake up. Besides, everyone considers themselves awake. I think I was one of the few people who felt they were still asleep, and not all that free. But sickness doesn’t always lead to death and there is often a hope of healing.

How woke is that?

But in my brother’s case, God had decided this hope was not to be. When he died on Christmas day, my heart broke and the stars fell from my sky. A few months afterwards, his partner and our friend also died from cancer. I blamed God for it and was so angry that I didn’t speak to him for over a year (blogging about my grief weekly). In the end, after calling God names and settling on ‘jewel thief’, I decided to remain a believer. But it was touch and go for a while.

The Death of Queen Elizabeth II

 

On Thursday 8^th September 2022 it was announced that Queen Elizabeth had died. Although people were a bit more prepared for it than the death of Princess Diana, they were still shocked because the Queen had been seen greeting the new Prime Minister Liz Truss only a couple of days beforehand.

There was, during that time (at least among some believers), as usual, an expectation that a revival could happen as a result. But to be fair, any major event would make the revivalists hope that there could be a resulting revival. If there was an eclipse, it meant a revival was imminent. If someone had a sweet dream, a revival was imminent. In the same way that blood moons signified the end of the world to some. I’m being a bit disingenuous again, but this all has a kernel of truth in it.

 

The UK Christian media at least were very much on message and made much of the fact that the Queen was a Christian. This was largely glossed over in the secular media, although it was mentioned. Especially since the shameful abuse scandal broke, Christians had been held in a particularly low regard. This had not been helped by Tony Blair and George Bush, who claimed to be Christians. So along with the abusers, because of the actions of a few, the whole community lost respect among many of the people.

But any hopes that the Queen’s witness could raise our reputation among the people proved to be a little too positive. The Queen died and rainbows were seen over the royal residences. Some took it as a sign. Others shrugged and carried on as normal. The event was huge and the country headed into a period of official mourning. Once again, it was the UK republicans and critics of the monarchy, including republican Christians who felt that they were not free to express anything but the highest praise for the Queen, whose popularity was not under question. But now many have romanticised the time under her as being better days, when the truth is that it was grindingly hard and bad for so many of us. For the future, if you are young, don’t believe those who say it was all peachy when the Queen ruled. It wasn’t. The problems were as bad, if not worse than many of today’s troubles.

As for a revival. Some of the modern prophets stated that a revival would come. One notable prophet stated that it would not come until the country had been significantly humbled through another recession and cost of living crisis. So, in September of that year, when the Queen died, he felt a little vindicated. Something had happened, even though it was not exactly what he had prophesied. I got caught up in this hope too - the hope of revival, despite many past disappointments. I should probably have known better. I didn’t publish this blog though until I was persuaded that something was genuinely happening behind the scenes.

I could not see how a revival could come without a sovereign move from God himself. We were in his hands and the gift was in his hands too. They started to call the Queen ‘mother’ or ‘grandmother’ and some of the revivalists started to call revival ‘the promised land’. Others wanted there to be another reformation, sick of the excesses and seeming inactivity of the established churches. Revivalists were by no means in unity in the UK. (And also needed to repent.)

I struggled because I wanted there to be a revival but I didn’t want the huge cost of living crisis and recession which was looming and which was likely to disproportionately make things so much worse for the poor. I was also preoccupied. My brother had not been healed from a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. One medical trial requested £250,000 to take part. Can you believe that? We are so sick. My brother asked us, half joking, if we would sell our house for him. My heart was breaking and it affected what remained of my relationship with God because I blamed God for allowing the disease. Plus, I knew that revival was in his gift and that while he tarried, people died. Saying ‘God’s timing is perfect’ was not helpful. Sometimes his timing seemed to stink.

 

As for the country after the death of the Queen - the UK media stations changed their programming. The news was largely filled with the pre-prepared material (until that ran out). And people seemed quite flexible on the whole. They adjusted to having a new king and that was that. The Queen’s Christianity did not seem to have had the influence on the people which some hoped that it would. It was all quite depressing. Some murmured that the new king was too interested in other faiths. And, of course, conspiracy theories abounded - others said ‘He’s not my king’ (something which had historically not gone down very well with some kings). The majority of believers in the UK are monarchists though. I think it is because of all the royals in the Bible.

Around about the time of the funeral there was excitement in some Christian circles about exactly what the Archbishop of Canterbury’s sermon would be like at the funeral. Because it was likely to be the sermon which reached the most people ever. Estimated to be between 3-4 billion people. The sermon was delivered and people fell into two camps - some thought it was very standard and unengaging (having to fit into a small time slot), others thought that it was bold and criticised the powerful leaders who sat in Westminster Abbey to listen. One thing it did do was to please the majority of UK Christian listeners. As for the others - well, as usual, few people asked. There was some conversation about it on social media, but mostly about whether the Archbishop had subtly alluded to Harry and Megan. It seemed to please the converted most of all.

Then, after the funeral, with opportunities missed as usual, things returned to normal. What startled me was that this happened straight away. In the same way that you can notice everything revert to normal after the Christmas celebrations, things went back to normal after the Queens death. We had a king and that was that. Comedy resumed, allowed once again on the BBC (who halted it briefly) and we also resumed our legitimate worries about the cost-of-living crisis, the coming winter… and the possibility of nuclear war.

On 23^rd September 2022, after finally contracting COVID for the first time, I wrote in my diary: ‘Revival has rarely felt so far away as today.’

The Government's Perspective

 

December 2022 

At the end of November 2022, more of the 2021 census results were published. (Christmas is the best time for a census conversation. For a few reasons.) In this case, our very own oppressive Government (who had sat on the results for a long time and made everyone else wait for their findings), somewhat gleefully stated:

‘For the first time in a census of England and Wales, less than half of the population (46.2%, 27.5 million people) described themselves as “Christian”, a 13.1 percentage point decrease from 59.3% (33.3 million) in 2011; despite this decrease, “Christian” remained the most common response to the religion question.’

The results also showed that every other faith and none had increased in number.

 

It was the year of the Qatar world cup. We were not winning. Discontent filled the air. The streets felt oppressive. Strikes of all kinds were happening. And the cost-of-living crisis had become an official recession, looking likely to become a depression. And then there was Christmas, which many of the poor simply could not afford (yet still celebrated without any discernible reward).

The Conservative Government, at least being led by the first Prime Minister of colour (though not entirely because of the wishes of the party), knew that their time was short. There were protests - except, protesters rights had already been limited. Every day was a case of, ‘And what are we not allowed to do today?’

Government very much thought that issues of faith and spirituality should be delegated to the faith communities. Muslims, in particular, were still treated badly. Christians had received some much-needed kudos when Queen Elizabeth died, because the people respected her faith. That’s maybe a bit cynical, but as someone once said ‘What is actually wrong with cynicism?’ (Or, for that matter, naivety?)

It was very hard for anyone to claim that the UK was a Christian country anymore. Reasons for people ticking the Christian box on the census vary. But we were nominally Christian up until then, whatever you think of the real state of the country. Now were we Babylon?

 

As for the Government’s perspective on all this? I’m very sorry, but I’m afraid there are those who really don’t deserve their side of the story to be told. They didn’t lift a finger to help and, in many ways, hindered things. The charities largely helped, others helped. But the Government? No. Even their report that Christians in the UK really were discriminated against was tucked away. And they continue to complicate and make the lives of so many people, so much more difficult.

Or, to quote Fiddler on the Roof:

“Rabbi, may I ask you a question?”

“Certainly.”

“Is there a proper blessing for the Czar?”

“A blessing for the Czar? Of course. May God bless and keep the Czar… far away from us!”

The Pandemic in the UK

2020 Day 71 of first lockdown (from my diary)

‘The contemporary Christian prophets had predicted that Brexit would result in revival. Yet there is still no revival. After Brexit was decided I’d expected the prophets (who are a kind of obscure interest to a few) to state that the LORD (note the capital letters they often use) would be pleased about the Brexit decision. None of that happened. Not a single one gave a message to say that God is pleased with the country’s actions. They are all on to the next thing and back to telling people to repent. It is disheartening. It is downright depressing. What is the point of worshipping a God who cannot be pleased? And now look what has happened.’

The coronavirus happened. Worldwide.

If the prophets had predicted it then they had been oblique. The most misleading prophecies, I guess, were those which said that everything would just get better and better.

There are some who say that the surge in interest in Christianity in the West and Europe is because of the pandemic. But if that is the case – why hasn’t it happened worldwide?

I remember the pandemic beginning because I had the second worst night of my life in a kind of feverish, hallucinating state. I had left the radio on and in the morning, after a hellish night, the news began to talk of an ‘infection’. It was announced by the World Health Organisation. And this announcement prompted the biggest world crisis I have ever seen. There is always a crisis, but most outward crises do not influence day to day life quite as much as this one. Whatever your views on the origins and subsequent reaction to the pandemic, it caused major disruption for so many. For me it was all abysmal.

Once again Christians were saying that the crisis would lead to a humbling and that from that humbling there could be a revival. But I wondered how. And I wondered why the humbling was necessary. Historically, was this how it had always had to happen? If nothing is impossible with God then why was the ‘humbling’ necessary? Because the danger was that a lot of people would die and we would still get no revival. The worst of all possible worlds. Reports began to say that people really were falling to their knees and praying more than ever for help. But still no revival.

Unless I had missed something, unless I simply did not see it, there was no awakening. I thought back to when I first began witnessing and seeking evidence for it, back to when I examined those library books. Was I being too pessimistic? The voices varied. There were Jeremiahs around, both believers and non-believers, and I always took notice of them. There were others who continued to claim that good things were just around the corner. There were some prophets who frankly seemed… dodgy.

I didn’t just read the latest prophecies. If there was something important, or obviously misleading, I would try to question. Mostly I was ignored. It was a minefield anyway. Occasionally there would be a tweeted reply. One popular prophet memorably prophesied at the start of the crisis that the LORD was telling everyone to take communion together every day. I felt it misleading because of the virus. The prophesies were a little bit like the childhood game ‘Simon says…’ in which you have to discern what is a true message and what is not.

I spoke with a close non-Christian friend about revival again and he, exasperated, said, ‘It doesn’t matter what you think!’. Because he understood that if it did happen then there would be huge changes on a personal and societal level. I was the only writer writing about the socio-economic effects of a revival in the UK. That people would lose jobs. That was not a deal-breaker for me. The deal-breaker was if people would die.

I spoke briefly to God about it all. I wrote a blog. But I found that no matter how much I racked my brains, I simply had no agency to bring it about. Always, the best answer seemed to be that the only way to bring it about was through repentance and prayer. And repentance in the sense of loving others more rather than simply trying to stop sinning. Or at the very least simply giving God the apology in prayer some of us think he owes us (and is unlikely to ever give us).


Later from my diary

‘As I write, we seem to be slowly coming out of the crisis. The Government has been a nightmare, apart from furlough. It has felt, to me, like the end of the world. Almost as if an army of demons are persuaded that these are the last of the last days. But how would they know? Even Christ seemed to blindside himself to the date. The prophets have been largely unanimous in saying that it’s not the end of the world. After all, certain other things are supposed to happen first. The Jerusalem temple being rebuilt and a handful of other things. More than believers say. But as I write I’m fed up and the lockdowns have been difficult. I’ve been fed up for a long time.’

It all made my brain turn to mush and I still wanted to get out and about and get alternative perspectives on something which most people doubted could ever happen... I got sick of thinking and talking about it. I wanted to experience it…

I also got Covid…

A Snapshot

 

2020

I was glad at first to see the two street preachers in the centre of town on a rainy day. I had a little time to spare that day.

I sat on some steps listening to the first preacher. He was a man with a bag for life, possibly in his fifties. I thought I recognised him from another place as the preacher who had managed to draw a crowd once. That is still rare these days. He had the kind of megaphone which was so turned down he may as well have just shouted. We shall call him Dull Preacher, grey all over.

Dull Preacher not only preached badly, he was also a little nasty with it. Nearby signs railed against abortion and homosexuality. He preached what he said was the 'whole gospel', except he left out the part which says that God is love. He didn't say anything illegal but railed at the people of the town as 'wretched, vile sinners'. He took particular pleasure in telling everyone that they were spiritually dead (why tell us then? We're all dead, how can we listen, how did we even get into town?). And that we are on our way to hell. The usual kind of thing which puts people off street preachers.

"I was meditating on hell this morning," said Dull Preacher. What a life. Was this a regular meditation? Was it particularly motivational?

For some reason his version of hell involved spiders crawling over his body or everything a person fears but an infinite amount worse.

It was the middle of the Covid pandemic (which I will write about next week), with the town under tier three Government restrictions, with jobs and shops going and a people suffering all around. Dull proceeded to say, "You are all under the wrath of God!"

This in itself didn't bother me too much as I believe in free speech and I know it is often said. Many believers think it is true. But Dull was so smug with it all. The people of the town resisted or ignored him. A couple sat in wheelchair buggies, one vaping, looking like they were with their grandchildren, all trying to keep dry with hoods. Dull did the usual thing of railing against 'false religion' including Islam, Jehovah's Witnesses and Catholics. Standard stuff. Boring. And quite prejudicial.


He was helped by another man, who we will call Red Jacket Preacher, although I want to call him something worse. He had been holding up signs which read, 'Babies are murdered here'.

I thought that maybe Red would be better than Dull. Red was an elderly man. Nothing wrong with that, except he hadn't turned into a fine wine. He seemed to have turned to vinegar. Red had been circling the people handing out tracts while Dull told everyone that we were all dead. In the interim between the changeover of preachers I saw Dull with his arm around Red, first laughing and then praying in public. In the middle of the street. It is common these days. Public prayer. Virtue signalling. The town seemed disinterested.

Red didn't use a megaphone. But to my horror he was even worse than Dull. Everyone in the town, according to him was much worse than a vile, wretched sinner. And by God was he determined to let us all know. He seemed obsessed with railing against adultery in particular.

Once again he preached how the town was under the wrath and judgment of God. But notably he did not preach the whole gospel either, by which I mean he left out the actual good news that God is love as evidenced by the cross. Both preachers lingered on and remained with the bad news and deleted the good news aspects of the gospel, namely God's love and mercy. It was the last thing a people who were desperate for love in a plague needed.

"In fact," said Red, getting a kick out of his task, "God does not love you. He despises you." Except unlike the revivalist Jonathan Edwards, who said similar things, Red was ineffective and his small, Covid-fearing shopping congregation only shook their heads in anger and sadness. What with the pandemic, Brexit, the poverty and everything.

“Oh you haven’t suffered enough yet. You’re going to hell.”

“I’m already there!” shouted one guy who walked past… a sign of life.

Awful.

And then it happened. I had been listening and did not feel too incensed, although I recognised that the preaching was particularly bad. Before I knew it, I had approached Red and stood in front of him. This is what I remember of the following exchange. Dull sidled in then, to prevent violence I suppose, or film the exchange on his mobile.

None of us were wearing masks, but I wasn't intimidatingly or illegally close.

"Can I help you?" Asked vinegar Red.

"No, I don't think you can. I just wanted to say that I think you should also preach about the love of God as well as God’s wrath."

Sometimes I speak too quietly and I don't think Red heard.

"How can I help?" He said, showing no intention or likelihood of helping in any way whatsoever.

I had been sitting listening in the hopeless hope of some miracle - or to intervene if there was an arrest, to keep even these bad preachers safe.


"I'm here to protect you!" I said, exasperated.

My outburst seemed to amuse him.

"Protect me?!" He laughed "And how do you propose to do that?"

"Which church are you from?" I asked.

"None of your business!" Replied Red, still smug and unaccountable. And I looked deep into his eyes and could see that he couldn't care less about me.

It felt rude.

"I'm a journalist" I tried to explain, "I'm here to protect you..." But I was becoming increasingly upset at Red's arrogance. A rude smugness I have encountered before in some Christian circles. It is a kind of sanctimonious self-righteousness which states 'God is with me in everything I ever do or say and he is not with you'. Dull listened in, too close in my face.

"SO GO OFF AND JOURNAL THEN!" Shouted red preacher, still laughing. And that is how I am currently obeying him.

"You have no idea." I replied.

I don't remember much more of the exchange apart from their hard heartedness.


I walked away. But not calmly. I was upset. I cried, too sensitive as usual. I walked through the rain, which mercifully hid my public tears, up the street away from the incompetent preachers. I wondered if I should go back to confront them again. But I felt too fragile to do so. Instead, I made an attempt to write up the incident, before the usual attempts at forgiveness.

I went back later, intending to either film them or conclude the exchange in a more adult way, but they were gone. Thank God they had backed off. The town did not need them. And neither did I.

Red and Dull, Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Later I did dig and find out who they were and which church they were with - but I do not want to identify them or the church because not all believers are like that and besides, I was being oversensitive. Plus, knowing my luck and their characters I would get sued, even with the journalistic defence of truth.

And up and down the country, this pitiful exchange was symbolic of the spiritual state of the nation at the time. Not only were we in the middle of a pandemic, we were in the middle of a decline. The opposite of a revival. Known in the dictionary as a declension.

Yes, there are actually words for almost every spiritual state you and I might be in. Even, for some, conviction periods, an intense time when you begin to doubt many things you used to believe and believe many things you used to doubt...

An Agnostic View

2008 

I asked agnostic Jason (June 2008) if he thought a Christian revival was possible. He also understood the idea immediately but was sceptical about revival phenomena such as miracles of healing. I asked him what the church needed to do. He said: “The things any religion needs to have a revival are patience - unity and patience.”

It echoed what my old pastor had once said, ‘If you want to save souls, you will need tonnes of gentleness and tonnes of patience’.

I have a sneaking respect for agnostics. Sure, they are on the fence over the whole existence of God thing, but they sometimes take a no-nonsense approach to life. Plus, rightly or wrongly, they are trying to keep their options open. They also tend to happily keep alive the tradition of blaming God when things go wrong without feeling that they have committed some cognitive dissonance in doing so. Usually less scripturally literate than the atheist, they are still a much-misunderstood community. As I’ve mentioned to more than one of them before, ‘Blaming God is actually an act of base faith’. Your friendly agnostic is not usually going to have much trouble over-thinking why the scraping of his car window free of frost one bitter winter morning is not a good reason to blame God. And let’s face it – it’s a good reason to blame God. That frost didn’t get there for no reason and let’s bet those neighbours can afford some gadget which prevents their car windows from freezing up. Or else, their car windows are clear and free of all frost completely! That would be just like God, to single us out for a very special frosting of the windows. And this on top of everything else! It’s not what I need right now!

I find this train of thought compelling and am sometimes party to it too. It makes absolute sense at the time before people start complicating things with issues like global warming and ‘putting things into perspective’ or ‘counting your blessings ™’.

The agnostic position is, of course a spectrum – some veer closer to the idea of there being no God at all. Others are half-persuaded, but unwilling or unable to make a greater commitment.

Concerning the agnostic relationship to a Christian revival, I have found that they understand the concept, but not the specifics. There is always an opinion on God, on Jesus, on revival, on churches, on prosperity preachers and on the meaning of life or the existence or otherwise of the soul. There are various perspectives. Most will see Jesus as a good man who they really don’t want to get on the wrong side of. They will happily criticise Christians, especially those with power. Some of them, of course, barely give any thought to faith issues at all. The idea of agnostics finding a book or blog about revival as particularly compelling is not likely. The response would be ‘It’s just religion, isn’t it?’ I could say, ‘Yes, but it is so much more than that, it is concerned with issues like the meaning of life and whether God exists and miracles and issues at the core of what it means to be human’. And they would answer, ‘That’s right, religion.’ It’s a nice box to put mysteries in if you are undecided on these issues.

So, our agnostics will, of course, believe in revival. It’s hard not to, being as they are historically verifiable events. But they will doubt whether they are really from God and may see them as a form of mass hysteria or hallucination. There are so many perspectives within this one group (which encompasses so many other races and communities) that it is hard to say that there is a consistent position. If there were it might be expressed in a similar way to this:

‘If your Christian revival would make things better then why hasn’t God sent one to us? Is it because he doesn’t exist? And why is that frost only on my car windscreen?’

Of course, when I choose the frost analogy, I’m not really only talking about frost…

An Orthodox View

In 2005, interested in all things Russian, I decided to attend a small Russian Orthodox Church in Birmingham. In the past I had visited numerous different church denominations – many different Protestant denominations and some Catholic churches. But I had never visited an Orthodox church. It was close to Bonfire Night and I drove to the church, not sure of what to expect.

When I arrived, it looked like any other house on the outskirts of Birmingham. There were no signs and no crosses to show that it was a church. I knocked on the door. A bearded man in black robes welcomed me and I was led to a room. The room was full of incense and icons of saints along with some seats for the small congregation. I think perhaps there were ten or fifteen people there, I can’t say for sure because I was almost overwhelmed by a feeling that God was in the room. As I prayed, I got the feeling that God was either puzzled or surprised. It didn’t make sense. That can happen in some church services, but I have never felt it to the extent that I did at that small Orthodox church on a housing estate.

I stood at the back and the service began. I didn’t understand a word of it because it was all in Russian. At the end of the service, I was kindly offered communion, I think out of politeness. I refused it as graciously as I could.

After the service, some of the churchgoers sat at a table in another room along with the priest. They all spoke to each other in Russian and it felt like a community gathering of the local Russian diaspora. I will still feeling awe-struck by the whole thing when the priest asked me:

“What did you think?”

“Thank you, it was a very good service.” I replied.

And I completely forgot all intentions to ask about revival or anything else.

My reply seemed to please those around the table. It was ironic that I most felt the presence of God in a service from which I could barely understand a single word.

It should be noted that the Orthodox church had gone through a revival in Russia at least. In the same way that places in Africa and Asia were going through an increase in the number of Christians, Russia too, was experiencing an increase following the collapse of the USSR. There were many reasons for this, but mostly it was because they were no longer being persecuted at such an intense level. It is hard for revivals to happen during persecution – maybe China could be said to be experiencing one, but this is at the same time as a persecution from their Government. Some believed that a revival could only happen if there was a persecution at the same time, but historical evidence didn’t make this a necessity.

As for the Orthodox – my experiences with them were almost completely positive. If I were to change denomination at all, it would be to Orthodoxy. They claim that when the Church split in the Great Schism of 1054, they were not the ones who strayed from the original faith. So, between the Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants, it is Protestantism which has the least claim to being the legitimate successor from the original church.

Orthodoxy has no pope. They believe that they are all brothers and sisters. But there are leaders and patriarchs. The icons which they use are no more idolatrous than the Catholic statues of Mary. They are an aid to worship, in the same way that a stained-glass window or any other Protestant paraphernalia is.

I have an Orthodox icon on my writing desk. I love it. It shows Jesus in a thoughtful, if slightly distracted, mood. He is holding a book and he is dressed in a green and red. He looks a bit like Robin Hood. Behind him is the usual gold colour of icons. On the other side of this small foldable (to close when I want nothing to do with him) is a representation of Mary. Mary looks calm and holds a child, who, in the way of many icons, is not so much a baby as a miniature human being. I got the icon cheap from an Orthodox Christian bookshop, before it closed down. The outside of it is carved in a pattern but the varnish is flaking away from sun damage, hence the discount. When I went on holiday to Greece, I saw a shop selling the same icon in a box. There were piles of this same icon for sale (at which point I didn’t feel very special at all).

But the Orthodox church in the UK is great. They are a powerhouse of prayer and action.  If there is a full-blown revival coming then we cannot write off the Orthodox church.

The Churchgoers' View

2004

I wasn’t getting very far. I had no home access to the internet so most of my research had to be done the old-fashioned way, at libraries and by actually speaking with people. After my encounter with Michael the whole subject was getting too depressing for me.

Back to the present, someone recently said, 'The quiet revival is so quiet that I don't think most people can even feel it'. It's an issue and it is ongoing. Perhaps there needs to be some kind of breakthrough?

Back in 2004 it was April and things felt cold on so many levels. Spring had barely allowed the leaves to return to the trees and certainly had not kickstarted any spiritual Spring. I was confused, so I decided to go to a church and ask around. I went to a city Elim Pentecostal church. Surely they would have been praying for a revival? During the sermon, the youth minister, as an aside said, “We are in a period of pre-revival.”

That seemed more hopeful. But it also seemed to be part of the problem. We always seemed to be on the verge of a revival or an awakening. There was a perpetual anticipation. After the service I asked some of the Christians in the congregation there what they thought.

Neil (19) said, “I don’t know. I mean, what kind of revival are you talking about? Because there is personal revival and there is a whole revival. I’m definitely for any kind of revival in which people come to Jesus in large amounts, yes, I’m for any kind of revival in that sense. I think it needs to happen in Britain, in Europe, these two places. I think it is on the verge of happening in Britain now. Whether it will ever get past being on the verge of happening, I don’t know, but I think it will. I can’t comment on Europe, but I would hope that it will happen there. It will spill over from Britain hopefully into Europe. I think the church is becoming more and more alive in Britain from my experience and things are happening. People are getting more and more hungry for what God wants and more willing to lay down their own personal agendas – which is always a good thing. If you can’t lay down your personal agendas then you just basically aren’t going to experience revival because God has to wait until you lay down your own…God’s plan is for all people.”

I asked churchgoer Scott what he thought.

“I’m definitely for it,” he said, “I don’t think it is happening yet but I think it’s going to happen soon, hopefully. A friend of mine always used to pray ‘Let revival start with me’ and I always thought that was quite bold. You can only revive that which was once alive and I do pray that God would use me for revival. Revive me and revive the Church. We definitely need it; our land is in a mess. We need help. I think people crying out for God…I think that’s what revival is.”

This was so long before the current situation, but the general feeling among churchgoers back in 2004 was that revival would not happen before there was either a 'battle', or a deep repentance. I will discuss the present circumstances a bit more in next week's blog, but for the moment I want to talk about how we got to where we are today in the UK.

I realized that I was focusing on one city in Britain and needed to get a look at the bigger picture...

A Not So Great Falling Away

 

2004

A Not-So-Great Falling Away

 

The idea that Christianity should be fun appealed to me, but I was sure I was just skimming the surface on the whole issue. The story lay fallow and I didn't research it much until 2004. Before Brexit. Before the pandemic. Before Queen Elizabeth died. Before any talk of 'quiet revivals'.

Because at the time there were no statistics from the Bible Society showing that more Gen Z young adults are going to church. The narrative of the decline of the Church in the West had taken hold. 

In Birmingham I interrupted a street preacher named Michael and asked him about revival. He was in his early 60s and his hair was in all directions but he was pleasant enough. He was out on an evangelical church outreach.

I asked him what he thought about Christian revival.

“My thoughts are a little pessimistic,” Michael said, “The Bible says that in the last days there will be a great falling away from the Lord. And if these are the last days, and I believe they are, then there will be a falling away of the saints and a lot of people turning their back on the Lord and being apostate – going back on the Lord. I believe, if you read the Bible, that is the condition of the Church just before Jesus comes – people actually are not in revival, but they are falling away – there’ll be a great falling away.”

Michael’s street preaching team were also open-mindedly sceptical. His colleague Richard said, “I don’t think it is going to happen while the churches are living in materialism. I don’t think it is going to happen while the churches are divided. I think the only way it is going to happen is wherever the Church finds its first love and unites and preaches the gospel as it is and stops watering it down.”

These were views which I would hear a lot more of within the UK Christian community, especially among Protestants. There are many Christians who take the view that we are living in the last of the last days and that the Bible says that there will be a huge number who abandon their faith in that time. That the whole Church will decrease in size. This perspective is based on a few scripture verses. Jesus himself said:

“And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another…. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:10–14 ESV)

And St Paul wrote: 'Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition...' 2 Thessalonians 2:3 KJV

So, it is no wonder that many Christians who believe we are in the last of the last days believe that there will be no further Christian revivals. Especially if they have been offended by the excesses of contemporary revivalism. But, there is no new temple and what has happened before can happen again - even for good.

For Michael's view to be correct, it has to mean that we are in the final days before the end of the world. And that is a moot point. But when believers look around and see all the suffering and evil in the world, it is quite common to take the view that we really are in the end times. A view which is shared by some non-Christians who see global warming, war, or the rise of artificial intelligence as signs that the human race is about to be destroyed imminently. 

Michael resumed his preaching but this was the first time I had encountered the view that there not only would be no further revivals, but that things would get significantly worse in the near future. After all, it sometimes feels like the end of the world doesn't it?

Christianity is not always optimistic at the best of times, but Jeremiahs may have their point when it comes to prophecy. The thing about the prophet Jeremiah was that he was right. Sometimes things can go badly wrong and hopes don't always come true.

Believers who hold to such a perspective are often very sceptical of announcements of revivals. After all, if a revival is genuine, revivalists should be able to handle questions.

But how can we make something so interesting, so boring? I will try to resist that as best I can.

When asked ‘Will only a few be saved?’ Jesus effectively answered ‘Many will not’.

Perhaps we should all just bunker down and attempt to survive as best we can whatever comes. ‘Let's go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for this all to blow over.’ That’s probably not a quote for Gen Z on the whole, so the question, according to the latest stats is – will this new phenomenon include other generations of both sexes? Just how inclusive will it be - if it happens?

Fun, fun, fun.

The Story Starts - a Muslim Perspective on Revival

2000

I began my investigation on revival, fresh out of journalism college by visiting my local library at the start of the millennium. Before the days of google search graphs it was much harder to figure out how interested the general population was in Christianity. I took a... roundabout way and had no real intention of starting the story you are reading now.

How did I do it? In an act of sheer inspiration and journalistic laziness, I tried to find out just how many times a book on Jesus had been taken out of my local library over the years and if it was being taken out more regularly. Cutting edge journalism, I know. After I found that the Christian book and a book about Mohammed had been taken out more or less the same amount of times I suddenly realized that I was actually going to have to talk to people about all this if I wanted to get any further. Or, as my journalism tutor had told me... 'You can do the stuff but you need to dig more.'

Life gets in the way of these things. I took up a couple of jobs in newsrooms before moving to Birmingham and finding my feet. Mostly I forgot about the subject of revival. I went to church, but the subject rarely cropped up. Street preachers still didn't draw a crowd. Most people were just getting on with their lives after the Blair and Bush years. People were war-weary and already tired of all the terrorism restrictions following 9/11 - an event which changed the world.

It was actually 2003 before I returned to the story idea. On a whim, on a windy day, I decided to vox-pop a couple of people in Birmingham city centre. Two young Muslims seemed the place to start. Why not?

I asked Imran (19, a law student) if he had heard of the term revival before and he admitted that he hadn’t heard of it in a Christian context, but he understood the concept immediately from Islam. I went on to ask what he thought Christians were doing wrong.

“I don’t know,” he said, “What are they doing right?”

His friend Salik (20) elaborated...

“The Church is a lot emptier now than it used to be, I suppose with society changing and that. It’s just the future isn’t it? Everybody’s modern lifestyle. Religion doesn’t actually take part in that type of thing any more. Religion is kind of old school.”

When I asked him if there was a counterpart to the term revival in Islam he said,

“It is the fastest growing religion in the world. Is there a revival in my faith? Possibly. With Christianity though everyone is just classed as a Christian, they’re just, sort of, classed it. If you ask them, they say ‘Yes I am’. So I don’t think there will be revival from that because I don’t think anyone is too interested at the moment…with Christianity I don’t think there will be a revival for it.”

I said that a lot of Christians hope there will be a revival of Christianity in Britain and asked if he thought that hope was realistic.

“No I don’t think that’s realistic. Unless the religion changes for the times I don’t think there will be. If you want to become a Christian you’ve got to actually follow what’s stated in the books. But what people do in general... I wouldn’t exactly call it being a Christian – it’s just what they’ve been classed as. Being a Christian is doing the actions.”

I asked him what he thought Christians should be doing to bring about a revival. The wind rattled my notebook, perhaps warning me not to pursue the topic. Salik said,

“Christians need to actually have a point where they’re bringing in people rather than shoving it in your face constantly. They need to have gatherings, not just Sundays, they need to do more for the community and for the community to become interested in the Christianity part of it. I don’t think many Christians do that. And not just have big signs up saying ‘Jesus is coming back’, they should have more information provided and make it fun as well. I don’t think Christianity should be about money either, it has got to be something that everyone can relate to.”

These were the complaints which I was to hear again and again from people of all faiths and none. What struck me was that Salik was right about at least one thing - there was certainly little fun in Christianity at the time. There was definitely no fun in fundamentalism and the rest of the UK Christian community, Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox, were at least perceived as being argumentative, joyless hypocrites who didn't practice what they preached. A view which would get worse over the years.

We were clearly doing something very wrong. Could there be no revival because of us? Was it our fault?

That was, and still is, one of the perspectives - that 'revival tarries' because we don't practice what we preach. We talk of love but don't show it. We don't give or pray as much as we should. And some so-called Christians have even abused the most vulnerable. How could God heal a country if this was the state of his followers? So that view took hold and a lot of Christians, unwilling to blame God, unwilling to blame the devil, unwilling to blame the government shrugged and said, 'It's our fault again isn't it?' It was certainly the view of the Muslims I spoke to that day.

Catch 22 - No revival, no change. No change, no revival.

Others had a different view...