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Collin Hansen and John Woodbridge, A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2010. Pp. 194. $16.99.
The revival narrative, which offers a theology of revivalism illustrated through exemplary accounts of revivals intended for inspiration and imitation, has long been a staple of evangelical spiritual writing. From Jonathan Edwards's A Faithfiil Narrative of the Surprising Work of God to the multiple volumes written on worldwide revivals by historian J. Edwin Orr in the twentieth century, the revival narrative genre both defines and promotes genuine revival for its readers. Since the death of Orr, however, the production of revival narratives has entered a dry spell. In A God-Sized Vision, church historian John Woodbridge and journalist Collin Hansen seek to revive the revival narrative to encourage the spread of revivals today.
In classic revivalistic fashion, the authors open the book with a declension narrative, mourning that evangelicals have lost not only their fervor for revivalism, but have forgotten the stories of revivals that had nourished revivalists of the past. For the authors, the lack of recent revival narratives is itself a cause of the lack of revivals at the current time. Like Orr, Hansen and Woodridge attempt...