The years 1901-1910 marked intense years of spiritual awakening that has been labeled a “Global Revival.” This revival sparked across the globe in Wales, Korea, India, America and East Africa. On Sept 1, in a post introducing you, the reader, to the Korean revival, Steve asked about the details of the East African Revival. Up till that time, I was clueless. I was, like many a Westerner, oblivious to the rich history of global Christianity. Even with the current focus on the Global South, see Philip Jenkins’ works The Next Christendom and The New Faces of Christianity among others, the history of Global Christianity can be easily overlooked. The problem with the history is that it was messy, full of foreign imperialism and dependency-laden national churches. Can we have an unbiased history of Global Christianity? Only time will tell.
Nonetheless, there is a story to be told. I am not going to tell that story now. Only a tidbit. I have a good African friend, a Luya from Kenya, who has a passion for his rich heritage. I leave it to him to write the story and publish it for you. He knows it better. Pray that God will allow him to follow through.
Unlike the western conception of Africa, there was a deep passion for Jesus and strong followers of Christ early in the twentieth century. For some reason, the number of Christians in Kenya alone skyrocketed from little over 10,000 to over 25% of the population in a short period of time, basically corresponding with the time period of the Welsh Revival and other Global Awakenings, though a little afterwards (1920’s and after). My friend tells me that the legacy of those awakened leaders persists in the African Church today. (See here for an article from Christianity Today.) Those early believers sent African missionaries to what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They also aided in the evangelization of southern Sudan and Ethiopia. Apparantly, the revival started in Rwanda, spread to Uganda, Kenya and beyond. But so much more information is needed.
Christianity in East Africa is deeper than what credit it is given. The addage goes–”The African Church is a mile wide, but only an inch deep.” Perhaps there is some truth to that, but the gospel is owned by the descendants of this revival so that there is great hope for the African Continent and beyond.
I only ask: Who else knows of this?
(Here’s an article from The Way Christian Ministries Website.)
If you have any resources to recommend, please respond.
If you have studied this somewhere, please share.
We need to know this history so that we may be mutually edified!! So that our misunderstandings can be corrected, so that we can learn to see our African brothers and sisters in Christ as equals.
My husband and I are both very familiar with the East African Revival. We were both “revived” through two Ugandan evangelists, Festo Kivengere and William Nagenda who came to the U.S. and to Seattle, WA specifically in 1963. The story of the revival in E. Africa has been written about by H.H. Osborn from England. He has several books on it. This revival is still very much alive because Jesus Christ and the cross is the center, fellowship is key to ongoing revival. Our lives were forever changed by Jesus using these brothers and sisters from E Africa to show us the simple way of the cross. We recently attended a fellowship conference in the U.K. with several East Africans joining us – from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania. Revival should continue, the only thing that stops it is unconfessed sin.
By: Betty on March 28, 2008
at 12:17 am
Betty,
Thank you so much for sharing. Praise God for what he is doing in Africa! I hope to learn more and more of the history!
By: wlh on March 28, 2008
at 10:17 am
Hi there,
I am studying the East African Revival at the moment (just in my spare time). There are a number of books by Joseph E. Church (Quest for the Highest, William Nagenda: a lover of Jesus, Jesus satisfies), the biography of Festo Kivengere by Anne Coomes is very helpful (she also has a bibliography at the end of the book), there are a few other sources but they are hard to get. But there are a few websites that have articles about William Nagenda, Festo Kivengere etc, some have even their sermons, either in text or as audio files.
I will hopefully come up with something written on it, but that will take a few months, I guess. But praise the Lord for what he has done and is still doing in East Africa!!
By: Achim on June 12, 2008
at 8:27 am
Try and find PENNY RELPH “An African Apostle – The Story Of David Ndaruhutse”
By: Albi on September 9, 2008
at 3:16 pm
I have several book on East African Revival – We lived and worked in Africa for many years…..
“Ambushed by Love” by Dorothy Smoker include deeply personal accounts of Kenyans involved in The East African Revival, Many at the cost of their lives….About period of Mau Mau Uprising in Kenya and hatred for Christians who “stood” for Christ. Delightfully written regarding Obedience via Life. Africans asked Dorothy Smoker to write this history of E A Revival – Dorothy Smoker sold her home in USA in order to raise funds to print and publish this book. That’s obedient theology.
“Revolutionary Love” a booklet by Festo Kivengere tells his own personal story of rebirth via East African Revival and the follow through of himself and his wife as they had to leave Uganda because they were God’s.
One other book is “Gentle Wind of God” about th East African Revival. In this book they share testimony of Dorothy Smoker and her husband becoming “Born Again” in East African Revival – Even though they were already missionaries in Tanganyika….They saw Christ in the Africans and repented themselves.
May God bless your search and oneness with His Family in Africa – Norma Denmark
By: Norma Denmark on September 14, 2008
at 7:54 pm
All of the following books are currently available on Amazon:
“Ambushed by Love” by Dorothy Smoker – “Revolutionary Love” by Festo Kivengere and “A Gentle Wind of God – The Influence of East Africa Revival” by Richard K McMaster and Donald Jacobs
The average daily working African cannot afford to purchase these expensive books. This is known from experience. Another route need to be found.
God has spoken to and changed my own life through His Work in the East African Revival….In the latter pages of “Ambushed by Love” current day testimonies are shared of God still at work among His Family in East Africa T O D A Y.
Yet as you say so M A N Y Africans have never heard this story. We have a 50 year old Zambian friend in London, England who says he has never heard of the East African Revival. They know of Billy Graham and Dwight L Moody – But little of God at work among His People in Africa….. God has NOT failed to be involved in Africa – It just has not been published in a purchasable form. My heart longs for “God at Work in Africa” to be shared in hearable ways. – Perhaps he will use you…..Norma D
By: Norma Denmark on September 14, 2008
at 8:23 pm
The following books are currently available on Amazon:
“Amnbushed by Love” – Dorothy Smoker
“Revolutionary Love”- Festo Kivengers (Small Bklt)
“A Gentle Wind of God – Influence of East Africa Revival” by Richard McMaster and Donald Jacob
As you say – Many African Christians know of Billy Graham and Dwight L Moody – But little of God at Work among their own people. The average working African cannot afford the above books – Norma D
By: Norma Denmark on September 14, 2008
at 8:31 pm
Norma,
Wow, Thanks so much. I haven’t check my blog in months, due to increased personal responsibilities. But I will definitely check some of those things out. Thank you so much for the references!
By: wlh on September 16, 2008
at 8:27 pm
It is amazing how God works. I am a Kenyan and I started this week researching on the East African revival. I still know some old people back home who are alive and were involved in the revival movement. there lives is a living example of what God can do in people’s lives. I am doing a research on this movement and I am beginning to hear God speak to me. We need another revival in Africa. Rain down on us O God of rain and snow.
By: David Tarus, Wheaton College on September 24, 2008
at 9:41 pm
David, May God bless you and yes, your prayer is right on – revival is something that needs to happen again and again – the word re-vival implies this.
Yesu asifiwe sana !
Wayne D. Lawton
Elizabethtown, PA
Lawtonwd@gmail.com
By: Wayne D. Lawton on June 7, 2009
at 1:50 pm
I was saved at age 14 but knew little about how to walk as a Christian. The Lord began to reveal Himself to me through the book “The Calvary Road” by Roy Hession. This book is a compilation of teachings that came through the East Africa Revival. Later I attended meetings held by Roy & Revel Hession in the USA. Since those early days God has blest my life through many African’s and missionaries who were in East Africa and some Christians in America who were touched by the testimonies of person who had experienced more of Jesus in the East Africa Revival.
I served on the committee which helped get the book “A Gentle Wind of God” written and published. That book tells about the influence of the East Africa Revival in America – but we were limited in funds and time to include all of the stories which might have been told.
Jesus is still revealing Himself to me daily. As one brother from Kenya said to me “repentance is like breathing” – constantly turning to God and seeing the atonement Jesus provides for every day for every situation. He is truly a wonderful Savior!
Someday I will see Him face to face.
By: Wayne D. Lawton on November 28, 2008
at 12:07 am
As a second generation child of the east african revival, I commend you for admitting to being oblivious about the rich history of Global Christianity. The adage about Christianity in Africa being a mile wide and an inch deep could not be further from the truth… SERIOUSLY!
I am persuaded that the global communion of believers has much to learn from the passion and evangelistic efforts – evident to this day – of a church that has continued to stoke the flames of the incredible East African Revival.
By: Paulo on May 27, 2009
at 11:19 am
Thank you Paulo for your response – I just noticed it today. If you care to be in touch here is my email address:
Lawtonwd@gmail.com
By: Wayne D. Lawton on June 7, 2009
at 1:47 pm
I am so thrilled that so many people are interested about this great event that both happened and continues to live on through the lives of thousands of Africans.
Paulo, please forgive me if I offended you with quoting what many indeed say about Africa. The more I study the history of Christianity in Africa, the more I see the falsity of that statement. Thank you for holding me accountable.
Wayne,
I am honored that you have shared! When I have more time to invest in this topic, and I hope to soon, I will definitely check out the books you recommend and I will contact you soon. Thank you very much!
By: wlh on June 16, 2009
at 10:10 pm
I am an a Kenyan pastor and the Lord have been impressing on me to seek an understanding of t he East African revival and thank God for the material I have found on your site.
Please keep me posted on any further findings.
By: Omondi Okech on June 19, 2009
at 6:43 am
Just wanted everyone to know that CLC Publications has Many great Hession books as well as Ambused by Love by Dorothy Smoker. http://WWW.clcpublications.com. CLC Ministries Int. also have a cash and carry warehouse in Kenya to service Africa with affordable books. CLC USA has a program for taking donations of used Christian books to be sent to places where the people can’t afford to buy them at western prices. You can read about it at http://www.clcusa.org.
By: jacque on June 19, 2009
at 12:02 pm
Thanks for the research you are doing about the East African Revival Fellowship in which I belong since December 17th 1988 while I was a young boy. I am currently in leadership of the fellowship and I am able to get alot of Material from a few of the Revival brethren in Kenya who have a rich history. If I can get financing I can get in touch with them and get a long history and progress of the revival fellowship.
However I want to note that the Revival fellowship we are talking about rejected the differences in Denominations and took keen interest to repentence and always seeing yourself as sinful than others.
I am a Kenyan man aged 32 years and a member of the Seventhy Day adventist church (a leader) and would like to tell more of the influence of Revival fellowship to the SDA church. This information I can easily gather by using a participatory approach.
Do not hestate to involve me in your research.
Regards
By: Joel Ombati Nyamweya on July 14, 2009
at 11:52 am
Brothers! I am honored by your continued love for Jesus in light of this revival. I just finished reading “A Gentle Wind of God” and have a stack of books to read. I would love your feedback and participation!!!
whandy@sebts.edu
By: wlh on July 14, 2009
at 4:20 pm