Alexandra Miller
Why are fewer Americans religious?
Survey findings show Protestantism and Catholicism in America have seen a great drop in identification.
LEARN MOREPosted: 11:50 a.m. EST Feb 22, 2023
This massive worship service has been going on at Kentucky’s Asbury University for two weeks.
It began on February eighth as a normal church service.
University leaders and students say after the gospel choir sang at the end of the service, some students just stayed in the chapel.
Word about the marathon service quickly spread when worshipers shared videos on TikTok and Instagram.
Spurred by the posts, tens of thousands of people from around the country came to attend what many of the participants are calling a revival.
Even former Vice President Mike Pence tweeted about it, saying he was “deeply moved” that “The Lord is at work at Asbury and Lives will be Changed Forever.”
In some Christian denominations, revivals are meetings where people experience or lead a revival of spiritual energy.
Here in America, they date to the 1740s.
Two hundred years later, religious leaders like Oral Roberts and Billy Graham used revivals or “crusades” to expand their reach to the faithful.
Historically, colleges have been prime locations for revivals, and this is the latest in a series of them at Asbury.
In recent years revivals have been associated with political activism and Christian nationalism.
And as the crowds at Asbury grew, online skeptics questioned the lack of diversity in the crowd, whether there is inclusion for gay people and whether religious and political messages will merge.
The University’s president says the outpouring of prayer is unlike anything he’s seen in his life.
The number of worshipers eventually overwhelmed the school and public worship services have been moved off campus.
