Taken by Surprise

The remarkable revival at Asbury University in 2023 started with a routine chapel service. On that morning in February, a group of students chose to linger after their Wednesday hour of prayer, and so began a movement of the Spirit that didn’t cease for another two weeks. What started with spontaneous worship and calls to renewal in the lives of college students turned into tens of thousands of pilgrims making their way to a small town in the middle of Kentucky, which then spilled over onto campuses across America and awakenings across the globe. In Taken by Surprise: The Asbury Revival of 2023, Mark R. Elliott writes as the seasoned historian he is—diving into the what, when, and how behind the revival that may very well be the first of its kind in our digital era.

As the world watched—some with awe and others with skepticism—this small Christian college and its sister seminary experienced a movement of the Holy Spirit not seen in more than 50 years. From the overfilled pews in the now storied Hughes Auditorium to the long lines outside its doors, Elliott lets the event itself do the talking.