Best Books on Revival
Revival is a sovereign, extraordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit that intensifies ordinary Christian experience, deepens holiness in the church, and draws many sinners to saving faith at once. Reformed theology carefully distinguishes true revival, a work of God's Spirit, from manufactured revivalism built on human technique and emotional pressure. These books study both the history and the biblical theology of genuine spiritual awakening.
Start Here
basic
Revival: A People Saturated with God
Top pickBrian H. Edwards · 2019
A clear, chapter-by-chapter introduction to what revival is and how to recognize it.
Revival
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones · 1987
Accessible sermons from a master preacher calling the church to pray and hope for revival.
Revival
Richard Owen Roberts · 2015
A practical, readable study of revival's marks and how its fruit can be sustained.
Give Him No Rest: A Call to Prayer for Revival
Erroll Hulse · 1991
A short, urgent call linking corporate prayer to the history of genuine revivals.
Go Deeper
intermediate
The Puritan Hope: Revival and the Interpretation of Prophecy
Top pickIain Murray · 2014
Links the Puritan hope for revival to the rise of the modern missionary movement.
The Religious Affections
Jonathan Edwards · 1746
Edwards' classic test for telling genuine revival fruit from mere religious excitement.
Jonathan Edwards: On Revival
Jonathan Edwards · 1984
Edwards' own eyewitness account and analysis of the Northampton awakening.
Pentecost-Today? The Biblical Basis for Understanding Revival
Iain Murray · 1998
Argues revival's biblical basis rather than just narrating its history.
For Study
advanced
Revival and Revivalism: The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750-1858
Top pickIain Murray · 1994
A major historical study showing how revivalism's man-made methods eclipsed true revival.
Jonathan Edwards and the Ministry of the Word: A Model of Faith and Thought
Douglas A. Sweeney · 2009
An academic study of how Edwards' biblical scholarship undergirded his revival preaching.
The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 2: Religious Affections
Jonathan Edwards, edited by John E. Smith · 1959
The critical Yale scholarly edition of Edwards' analysis of revival and genuine grace.
America's God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln
Mark A. Noll · 2002
A definitive academic social history of theology and revival in early America.
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A tiered reading guide of the best books on Revival.