In the 20th century, J. Edwin Orr was the foremost expert on major earth-shaking revivals. This thread is dedicated to the question of the necessary and sufficient conditions for major revivals and the factors that bring them to a premature conclusion. In my view, a comparable revival is our only hope for halting modern church decline. I will begin by posting videos on by far the 3 greatest revivals of the 20th century: (1) the Welsh Revival of 1904-05 sparked by Evan Roberts (a young coal miner);
(2) the Azusa Street Revival of 1906-1915) led by William Seymour (the son of a Black slave), which sparked the growth of global Pentecostalism;
(3) the Hebrides Revival of 1949-54 led by Duncan Campbell, but initially sparked by the very elderly and infirmed Smith sisters
In my life I have heard no sermon and watched no online video that even remotely inspired me as much as the following 4 videos:
(1) The detailed research by revival expert, J. Edwin Orr, makes this the best video to watch on the spectacular Welsh Revival:
welsh revival youtube orr - Bing video
(2a) This is by far the best documentary on the Azusa Street Revival, complete with photos of the key players and buildings:
azusa street documentary youtube - Bing video
(2b) The Azusa Street Revival initially erupted among Black prayer warriors. This video presents the testimonies of the only 2 surviving Black eyewitnesses:
Interview of witnesses of the Azusa street revival - YouTube
(3) Hear in Duncan Campbell's own words on how he chanced upon perhaps the most dramatic continuous revival the world has ever seen and consider the crucial small events that ignited it:
THE HEBRIDES REVIVAL ~ Duncan Campbell and Leonard Ravenhill - YouTube