We should test the spirits and examine the fruit
By Warren Cole Smith - Posted at MinistryWatch:
Published October 17, 2025
There’s been a lot of talk about revival lately.
You’ve probably heard some of it. Some cite sales statistics to make the point. They note that Bible sales are up, some say by more than 40%. Christian app downloads are up 80%. Christian music streams are up 50%.
Others cite attendance at events. A recent women’s rally hosted by Allie Beth Stuckey drew more than 6,000 to an event in Texas. An event called “Communion America,” hosted by New Apostolic Reformation leader Lou Engle last weekend drew thousands to Washington, D.C. This event promoted a “communion table” that it says was more than a mile long. Some point to the Charlie Kirk Memorial as evidence of a spiritual revival. That event had tens of thousands of people attending in person, and millions watching on television. Reaching back a couple of years, we remember the Asbury Revival of 2023, which attracted national attention to Asbury University, where a chapel service turned into a 12-day event.
All this talk of revival got me thinking. What is true revival, what are the signs of true revival, and are we seeing those signs in American life and culture? Doctoral dissertations have been written on these questions, so we can hope to do only so much in just a few hundred words, but I did want to turn to a few people who study American religious life and see what they had to say.
You’ve probably heard some of it. Some cite sales statistics to make the point. They note that Bible sales are up, some say by more than 40%. Christian app downloads are up 80%. Christian music streams are up 50%.
Others cite attendance at events. A recent women’s rally hosted by Allie Beth Stuckey drew more than 6,000 to an event in Texas. An event called “Communion America,” hosted by New Apostolic Reformation leader Lou Engle last weekend drew thousands to Washington, D.C. This event promoted a “communion table” that it says was more than a mile long. Some point to the Charlie Kirk Memorial as evidence of a spiritual revival. That event had tens of thousands of people attending in person, and millions watching on television. Reaching back a couple of years, we remember the Asbury Revival of 2023, which attracted national attention to Asbury University, where a chapel service turned into a 12-day event.
All this talk of revival got me thinking. What is true revival, what are the signs of true revival, and are we seeing those signs in American life and culture? Doctoral dissertations have been written on these questions, so we can hope to do only so much in just a few hundred words, but I did want to turn to a few people who study American religious life and see what they had to say.