Revival: Spiritual Awakening in the Reformed Tradition

by Michael A.G. Haykin

Is there room for revival in the Reformed tradition? Historian Michael Haykin examines awakenings heralded by Calvinist ministers, including Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and more, to answer with a resounding “Yes!” With these accounts, Haykin provides a robust paradigm to discern the Holy Spirit’s true outpourings. Read this inspiring historical study to stir your heart to pray for revival in our day!

184 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2024

About the author

Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin is the Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality and Director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He is also the editor of Eusebeia: The Bulletin of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. His present areas of research include 18th-century British Baptist life and thought, as well as Patristic Trinitarianism and Baptist piety.

Haykin is a prolific writer having authored numerous books, over 250 articles and over 150 book reviews. He is also an accomplished editor with numerous editorial credits.

Reviews

[David Nalley · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Return, O Lord, and visit thy churches, and revive thine own work in the midst of us." - Isaac Watts and John Guyse

This is a wonderful short book on stories of revival (some I knew before hand and others were new to me).

The strength of this book was learning about different situations in which God brought about revival in His people and churches.

At times, I wished Haykin had lingered on a person or time period, giving more details to the readers.

Overall, this is still a wonderful book that will encourage and inspire God’s people to serve Him in this world.

[Nicholas Abraham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful historical primer on revival in the evangelical tradition.

[Pig Rieke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I only listened to this one on Hoopla.

In Michael Haykin’s Revival, the Christian historian looks at significant outpourings of God’s saving grace during and since the Reformation. These brief surveys look at particular moments in history where large numbers of unbelievers were converted, dull Christians were awakened, and prolonged faithfulness ensued. Where as “revival” came to be known in the second half of the nineteenth and twentieth century as an event, Haykin looks as genuine revival in which towns, regions, and countries where noticeably changed for decades at a time by God’s sovereign working. In all of the revivals covered, Haykin highlights the particular means and people God used to awaken the dead to the reality of the triune God.

[Phil Cotnoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to revival in the reformed tradition through the study of particular historical case studies.

The book is full of fascinating, stirring, and edifying stuff. Two simple takeaways that were impressed upon my own mind are:

First: "The history of the church is the history of revival." Yes. This is such a profound and important statement that the various narratives in the book support. It reminds me of what I learned from Richard Lovelace, in his book 'Dynamics of Spiritual Life'.

Secondly, I really loved this quote from Benjamin Francis (1734-1799):
"O that my thoughts and affections were more as a well of living water, rising as high as the throne of God and the Lamb! What shall I do with this vain and roving heart, which is my daily burden? When shall heaven prevail over the earth, and bear away all the pollutions of my corrupt nature? I often think, whatever opinions others may entertain of me, that I am in myself a chaos of ignorance and a mass of deformity. I need the Holy Spirit to cleanse me, and a lively faith in the atoning Lamb, now as much as ever."

[Derrick Kenyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great lay-level introduction to the history of revivals that confronts the wrongheaded idea that Reformed pastors and theologians don’t care about evangelism, missions, or revivals. Overall, I really enjoyed listening to this one and would highly recommend. A good complement to Revival and Revivalism by Murray.

[Irene Roth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this a solid 3.5. This book is packed with interesting information but was a bit of a hard slog to get through it.