[Note: I was invited to speak at the Cane Ridge Meeting House on June 17, 2023, to discuss the Cane Ridge revival and how it compared with other modern-day revivals, such as the one that occurred at Asbury University a few months earlier. A recording of this lecture will be included at the bottom of this article. This article is based on my notes from that lecture.]
The Cane Ridge Meeting House in Bourbon County, Kentucky, was the site of a revival in 1801. This momentous occasion has been called “America’s Pentecost.” The event helped launch a movement – often called the “Restoration Movement” or the “Stone-Campbell Movement” (named after Barton W. Stone and Alexander Campbell). Barton W. Stone preached at the Cane Ridge church and played a leading role in the revival that occurred in that place.
From time to time, we hear of “revivals” happening today. Recently, a “revival” at Asbury University drew national attention. What should we think about such events? The revival at Cane Ridge that occurred over two hundred years ago has some lessons that can help us answer that question.Continue Reading