Outpouring: A Theological Witness
Jason E. Vickers and Thomas H. McCall, Outpouring: A Theological Witness (Cascade Books, 2023), ISBN 9781666776140. Outpouring: A Theological Witness, is a brief (107 pages), first-hand account of the events of the spring of 2023 at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. Both authors were professors at Asbury Theological Seminary at the time (Vickers has since […]
Jason E. Vickers and Thomas H. McCall, Outpouring: A Theological Witness (Cascade Books, 2023), ISBN 9781666776140.
Outpouring: A Theological Witness, is a brief (107 pages), first-hand account of the events of the spring of 2023 at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. Both authors were professors at Asbury Theological Seminary at the time (Vickers has since moved to a position at Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University in Waco, Texas). Some of the material in chapters one and four was previously published in articles in Christianity Today in 2018 and 2023, but those reprinted portions are key to the telling of the events of the Asbury Outpouring, and theological reflection on those events.
In the introduction to the book, the authors point out that while they are trained, experienced theologians, they were careful to approach the events occurring around them as learners, rather than as dogmatic gatekeepers. They state, “What was most invigorating about the Asbury Outpouring for us as theologians was the way in which it required us to return to the sites of Holy Scripture and classical Christian doctrine and theology with fresh questions in our minds” (3). The authors point out that while one always approaches such events with certain established theological convictions and presuppositions, one also has to keep in mind that God is not bound to operate only within the categories we have established.
God is not bound to operate only within the categories we have established.
In chapter one, Vickers and McCall relate their experiences as eyewitnesses to what occurred on the Asbury campus. Each gives his own personal account of the first service each attended (McCall on Wednesday, Feb. 8, when the initial chapel service ran well past its normal, and Vickers on Friday, Feb. 10). McCall, whose specialty is analytic theology, notes that although he is “resistant to forms of Christian experience that bypass the life of the mind” and walked into the event with “a fair bit of caution,” within seconds of entering Hughes Auditorium, he found himself speechless. “My vocation—my job—is talking about God. But what I was encountering went far beyond any talk, and I knew that my words were so far from adequate” (16-17).
While outpourings and revivals are special moments of experiencing God, they are not an end in themselves.
One frequent critique of the Asbury Outpouring that appeared on social media centered around it not “checking all the boxes” that some individuals from certain ecclesial traditions expect as marks of “true revival.” Vickers and McCall write, “Differences in descriptions of God’s manifest presence and power should not be cause for alarm. If our thinking about God is anchored in Holy Scripture, this is precisely what we should expect. Throughout the Bible, God’s presence and power are depicted in a variety of ways” (25). It is unreasonable to expect everyone who has an encounter with God to describe what they experience and feel in perfectly formed systematic theological language (especially when dealing with college students who, even though they are enrolled in a Christian university, are not all Bible majors).
Chapter three is entitled “Word and Spirit.” Here the writers touch on the doctrine of Scripture, pointing out that “the ultimate point of studying the Bible is not to know the book better but to know God better” (52). They go on to survey the Trinity, the incarnation of the Word made flesh, the high priestly role of Christ in the work of salvation, and the Person and work of the Holy Spirit in making God known to humanity. In the conclusion to this chapter, they write, “Outpourings and manifestations are possible because the one who became incarnate and dwelled among us remains present now throughout the world in the power of the Holy Spirit. If this is not the case, then outpourings are religious manias, and those who participate in them are delusional, manipulative, or both. But if in the power of the Holy Spirit the risen Lord remains present now throughout the world, then outpourings can be thought of as being among the means by which God is drawing all people to himself” (67).
Every member of the global body of Christ should be actively participating in local expressions of the body of Christ. Those seeking to enter into ministry must do so with fear and trembling, and not as a means to gain power or influence for oneself.
Vickers and McCall deftly blend personal testimony with exegesis of Scripture and theological reflection, yet at a level that any student of the Bible can understand.
What happened in 2023 in a small Kentucky town was not anything strange or new, but rooted in what the Triune God has been doing throughout history to stir His people and orient them to His purposes.
Reviewed by Brian Roden
Preview Outpouring: https://books.google.com/books?id=Zly9EAAAQBAJ
Publisher’s page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666776140/outpouring/