Reformation or Revival: What Does the Church Need?
Ronald Hanko argues that the modern church's emphasis on revival as extraordinary conversion and spiritual manifestations misses what Scripture actually calls for: a reformation back to ordinary biblical practices including faithful preaching, proper church government, biblical worship, and discipleship of existing members. The pamphlet defends the Covenant Protestant Reformed Church's preference for reformation over revival, drawing on the model of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation as a return to scriptural doctrine and practice.
Because the Covenant Protestant Reformed Church has spoken against the current emphasis on revival, there are those who believe that we have “denied our revival heritage.” We wish to set the record straight. We would agree with many that the visible church today is in a sad condition, torn apart, weak and compromising. But we do not believe that revival, as it is commonly understood, is the answer. We have no objection to the word “revival,” since it is used in Scripture. We believe, however,...