LAND OF MANY REVIVALS:
Scotland’s Extraordinary Legacy of Christian
Revivals over Four Centuries 1527–1857.
By Tom Lennie
Christian Focus. 523 pages. £14.99
ISBN 978 1 781 915 202
Tom Lennie claims that Scotland has a legacy of repeated revivals and spiritual awakenings virtually unparalleled anywhere in the world. He undertakes the ambitious task of chronicling all the awakenings between 1527–1857.
He prefers the definition of a religious revival as ‘involving a spiritual “awakening” or “revitalisation” within churches or with an area which contrasts within the smooth flow of daily life’. The rest of the book then proceeds to document and discuss these in chronological order.
The author is well qualified to write this work. The study of revivals is his ‘labour of love’ and he apparently owns one of the largest private libraries of revival literature in the UK. This is evidenced by the frequent and helpful footnotes (over 200 in a number of chapters), and the sheer scale of his bibliography. Although his research is thorough, he writes clearly and concisely. He quotes generously from the writings of those who witnessed the revivals, and allows their personalities to shine through and their voices to be heard.
Refreshing information
He has an eye for the interesting detail which keeps the reader alert. There are frequent maps for those unfamiliar with Scotland, and six double-sided pages of portraits and colour photographs of locations. He writes as an evangelical believer, yet not uncritically. He considers the role of changes in society that sometimes precede revivals. He understands revival to be a work of God’s Spirit, but points out the divisions, excesses and false professions that often follow in its wake.
This book informed my mind and refreshed my heart. Despite having a long-standing interest in Scottish church history; many of these awakenings were unknown to me. It should be required reading for anyone teaching or studying Scottish history or church history and will be of use to anyone who wishes to read a believing, yet balanced, narrative of revivals. My only criticism would be the lack of a discussion about the phenomena of revivals (the simple reason for this omission is that such a chapter is to be found in the author’s previous – and excellent – book, Glory in the Glen).
If you are discouraged
This volume will also prove to be a help to anyone in our land who is facing discouragement and wishes to be refreshed with tales of what God has done in days as dark, if not darker, than our own.
