I’m very thankful for the recent rise of the Christian documentary. Over the past few years we’ve been treated to quite a number of excellent productions that focus on key Christian characters, on important topics, and even on the whole sweep of Christian history. We are blessed to have access to this bounty of riches. New to the field is Revival: The Work of God. Directed by Dan Pugh, written and presented by Jeremy Walker, and backed by Reformation Heritage Books, this film documents the history of revival. Better said, it documents the history of true revival, for the term is used in ways that are precise and imprecise, ways that speak of an unusual act of God and ways that speak of methods manufactured by men. What is revival, or true revival? Revival is a supernatural, unexpected, deeply desired work of the Holy Spirit in which God’s people hunger for his Word and long for his glory. It is accompanied by an unusual sense of the presence of God, a deep awareness of sin, an overwhelming joy at forgiveness, and a passion to reach the lost. Though such revivals are rare, they have happened at a number of points in history and have often been carefully documented by those privileged to have experienced them. Revival is essentially a journey through church history that pauses at a number of the incidents of revival to consider what happened and what we can learn from it. Though the film does offer passing reference to the early church, … Continue reading Revival