Six Steps to Spiritual Revival: God's Awesome Power in Your Life

In 1874, the evangelist Charles G. Finney gave a controversial series of lectures to divinity students on revivals of religion. Finney endured a great deal of criticism for saying that Christian revival could be humanly engineered; it was not necessary to wait for God to fan the flames of revival. Rather, it was required of Christian believers to actively seek opportunities to create revival and convert unbelievers. Pat Robertson's Six Steps to Christian Revival: God's Awesome Power in Your Life certainly follows in Finney's footsteps ideologically, albeit not as ambitiously: It focuses more on personal, inner renewal than mass revivals or crusades. Robertson's six steps humble yourself, pray, seek God's face, turn from sin, gather in prayer and persevere are classic, and his short book is very solidly based on the Bible, although the prose is not very energetic. (Oct.)