bius told of people flocking to the re-
ligion of Christ, with pagan altars
deserted and the cultic mystery re-
ligions virtually put out of business.
formed by the Lord that I should
concern myself for the salvation of oth-
ers." Columba and others in the spirit
of revival founded churches, schools
and monasteries. We "swarmed like
flies," declared Augustine of Canter-
bury, "into the dark places of hea-
then Europe." In the 12th century,
the Waldenses, for whom "every rock
was a monument," prepared the way
for the Bohemian Revival in which
John Huss was martyred.
tury Lollards (preachers) under John
Wyclif. At the heart of the revival
was "making known the Scripture."
John Savonarola, unprecedented as a
preacher, changed the very face of the
corrupt city of Florence so that even
the Sultan of Turkey ordered his ser-
mons to be translated into Turkish!
Savonarola's aim was simple: "to be
a regenerator of religion."
lions from spiritual bondage, much of it
through his prayers, study of the Word
of God and an emphasis on strong doc-
trine. John Calvin was converted by
reading the Bible and led a revival in
Geneva which caused the taverns and
bars to close down. John Knox, mighty
Scotland in 1559. "O Lord," he prayed
incessantly, "give me Scotland or I
die!" God gave him Scotland!
Fox heard a voice declare, "There is
one, even Jesus Christ, that can speak
to thy condition." He yielded his life
to Jesus, stressing prayer, the Bible
and the "inner light," and founded the
Quakers (Society of Friends), which
influenced The Salvation Army.
at a love feast in Fetter Lane, London
on January 1, 1739, but was itself pre-
ceded by the Moravian Revival under
Count von Zinzendorf. Their "bands"
underlined the settling of differences
and disputes and the ever�burning
flame of prayer. Jonathan Edwards
helped to bring in the Great Awak-
tory. Vibrant testimonies blistered our lips (as in the photo above of an
Open Air meeting in New York City's Bowery in 1915). What of today?