To all, Christians and non alike: What is your opinion about church REVIVALS?

As a Christian preacher, writer and Evangelist I have been in several revival type meetings all over this country.

The biggest problem is that a lot of Church's don't bother to follow up and talk to those that came.

It's really sad that an opportunity of this nature is so blindly looked over.

A revival means something is dead. They are emotional screaming controlled riots. Where money is collected by a hysterical crowd in buckets and wheelbarrows.

Singing becomes like a rock concert complete with emotions.

To me it was similar to a rock concert with Jesus as the focus instead of the main singer. IN some cases the main singer was treated as the star of a rock concert.

The sermon was basically be good and give to the lord and pass the plate. NOthing was ever said about morals or changing ones life pattern.

There was nothing there when it was over. It was an emotional high and later what goes up must come down.

Some went out and got drunk and no one ever got a message that using tobacco or drugs or alcohol may be wrong.

Some where living with their girl friends and the preacher knew it and it was never mentioned that it may be a sin.

We did exactly what we wanted to do and as far as it being spiritually enlighting it wasn't. One man said, "when I go to a revival I always feel like it is a rock concert where someone talks about getting money."

I had a few study's with Jehovah's Witnesses and I learned more about the bible than all the years I have spent in Church put together. Including the revivals. I just did it to see what my wife was learning. She was learning and changing her attitude a lot. Now the whole family from my little brother and parents are wanting to sit in on the study.

they really know their bible.

The term 'revival' stirs up images of charlatan preachers preying on naive and trusting people. A tent revival show had much more in common with a traveling carnival than anything else.

Another thing that 'revival' makes me think is how easy it is for one to be so sure one knows 'the truth' that it closes one off from anything like actual information, including truth.

I prefer knowing that I simply don't know. This keeps me open to learning what I might know. In the years that I spent convinced that I knew 'the truth' it was harder to get a thought into my hard head than it would be to drive a nail into a cinder block.

Having been to several of them and being raised in a religion that had lots of them every year, I believe they are mostly theater. You shouldn't ever expect to get any help from a revival itself, although there's always the chance you will meet someone there who can help you. But most people who attend revivals religiously are looking for a thrill and are willingly swept away by any emotional charge they feel while they are there.

If the preacher doesn't get carried away, screaming and pounding and pontificating, I enjoy revivals because the foot-stomping music. I really don't feel I need revivals for religious reasons, because I believe in faith being private. But that music is spiritual and uplifting.

very helpful -- in the same way as a school pep rally bfore

the big game. leaving alone is the weakest part of the

event and makes it very discouraging to go it on your

own and not know what comes next.

I went to one as a kid and it scared me. The people were acting so strangely and carrying on. It wasn't like any church I had ever experienced at that point. I have no desire to go to another one.

I left because they couldn't answer the question "Could god create a rock so heavy he couldn't lift it?"