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"Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." Act 3:19
"and that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in his name among all nations: beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 24:47
"And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Acts 2:4
The Pastor of the Church at the time when Revival broke out was Rev. John Kilpatrick. Rev. Kilpatrick was born in 1950 in Columbus, Georgia and was called to preach at the age of fourteen. He assumed the pastorate in February, 1982. (http://www.brownsville- revival.org/church/staff/pastor.html)
God told Rev. Kilpatrick that he should set aside Sunday evenings for intense prayer which would unite the congregation. This was the beginning of the Prayer Banners: ten banners symbolizing a prayer focus. The banners were for warfare, family, souls, leaders of the country, healing, pastors, schools, ministries, peace in Jerusalem, children, catastrophic events and revival. (http://www.brownsville-revival.org/seeking.html)
The members of the Brownsville Assembly of God had been looking for a revival for two years. Revival means a violent upheaval in an attempt to cause radical change. They were hungry for the Lord.
It had been arranged that Evangelist Steve Hill, born in January, 1954 in Ankara, Turkey, would preach the evening service on June 15, 1995 (Fathers Day). (http://www.brownsville-revival.org/hill.html) However, as Rev. Kilpatrick's mother had passed away a few weeks earlier, Steve Hill was asked to preach the morning service as well.
The morning service that Fathers Day began with singing and a sermon by Steve Hill entitled "How to get the Lord's attention." When Evangelist Hill asked those who wanted to be saved to come up to altar, many moved from their seats. It was then that the physical manifestations of God began. Manifestations are physical reactions to the presence of God. Rev. Kilpatrick himself "fell under the power of God" for 48 hours.
The church had had a little experience with manifestations as they had been occurring, albeit infrequently, since the pastor's wife, Brenda, and the worship leader, Lindel Cooley, had attended a service at the Toronto Blessing. All were stricken by their refreshing insight.(http://www.pen.net/~crow/proof.html) The possible link between the Pensacola Revival and the Toronto Blessing is discussed in Issues/Controversies.
In 1991, David Yonngi Cho, pastor of the worlds largest church, the Korean Assemblies of God, in Seoul, Korea, had a vision of God. God revealedto him that there would be a revival in the United States and that it would spread like wildfire until everyone had been consumed. God told him to get a map of the United States and David pointed to Pensacola, Florida. (http://www.balaams-ass.com/journal/warnings/bvcostel.html)
The members believe that this revival symbolizes the return of "Pentecost" to Pentecostalism . The religion has its rootsin the Christian feast of Pentecost which celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. The first Pentecost occured, according to Acts 2, when the disciples were gathered together for a feast after the ascension of Christ and they all began to speak in tongues, the origin of Pentecostalism and physical manifestations of the Holy Spirit. (http://webcom.net/~bhph95/aogecumen.html, p 4).
The members also believe that God is getting the church ready for the "Rapture" of the church, a time when Jesus will return and take those who are ready to Heaven.
As mentioned before, Brownsville Revival has its roots deeply embedded in Pentecostalism. Looking at other revivals in the past it is possible to say that every Pentecostal revival has in it the same three qualities: (1) clear, forceful preaching of the gospel, (2) deep conviction of sin and subsequent repentance, (3) lasting evidence of changed lives. This revival is no different. By looking at the tenets and the passages from the Bible that are regarded as very important, it becomes clear what the beliefs and practices of the faith entail.
Evangelist Steve Hill, who preaches all the sermons for the Revival, certainly preaches in a strong, emphatic way. Through his sermons, he rouses the members and engages them. Despite his preaching he will readily admit that the sermons are not what turn people to God; it is the signs and the miracles. (http://www.balaams- ass.com/journal/warnings/bvcostel.html page 4) He does, however, preach a simple and easy to understand sermon each revival and encourages the members and visitors to wage warfare against sin and the work of the Devil; he makes them get up out of their seats to "shake the Devil off their laps." (http://victorious.com/BRMagazine/hill.html)
It is apparent that those attending Brownsville Revival want to be saved and absolved of their sins. They believe that they must be cleansed of sin and freed from temptation so that they may be saved in this life and the next.
The typical sermon begins with an hour of singing. This time involves clapping, waving, and repeating words such as "Make a joyful noise to the Lord." After which Steve Hill makes his sermon and then calls any sinners to the altar.
At this time the physical manifestations of the Lord take place. The members believe that these occur when the Spirit of the Holy Ghost is in you and your actions are involuntary. The manifestations show themselves in the form of uncontrollable shaking, trembling, sobbing, speaking in tongues, visions of angels, a blue fog in the church, the feeling of strong currents pullingone towards the front of the church and falling from the Spirit. There is often said to be a "river of the Lord" flowing through the church. However, in the Brownsville Revival, animal sounds, symbolizing the escape of demons, are rarely heard. Healing, also often present at Revivals such as this, are rarely seen. Those who fall into a semi-comatose state are covered andthose having reactions viewed as being a disturbance to others, such as laughter, are removed by the ushers as it is important that all are able to hear the Word. (http://www.balaams- ass.com/journal/warnings/bvcostal.html)
One of the issues related to the Brownsville Revival is the argument concerning whether it truly began from the Toronto Blessing. Many feel that this revival began on its own with its own identity. However, many, too, are skeptical. The Toronto Blessing began as the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church and is associated with similar physical manifestations as those occurring at Brownsville.
Cathy Wood, a member of the Brownsville Revival, has written many articles proclaiming the link between the two movements. She and many other Brownsville Revival members attribute the coming of revival to the visits that the pastor's wife and the worship leader, Lindel Cooley, paid to the Toronto Blessing. Many of the members felt that the anointing that both had received from the Toronto Blessing provided them with the spirit of revival to bring back to Brownsville.(http://www.pen.net/~crow/proof.html) Evangelist Steve Hill also met Sandy Miller, the pastor at the Trinity Brompton Anglican Church in London, where manifestations are also occurring. He was refreshed by Sandy Miller before he came to Brownsville and began the revival. In his church now almost identical manifestations are taking place. (http://crash.ihug.co.nz/pensa.html)
Steve Hill, in an interview with Larry Walker of the Destiny Image Digest, addresses this issue. He believes that each place, London, Toronto and Pensacola, have different atmospheres. He believes that "a lot of folks that would never go to Toronto will come to the South." He sees that "neither one is separated, it's just all part of the body of Christ." In direct response to the accusations that Brownsville is an offshoot of the Toronto Blessing, Hill replied that "we've received a lot from the Toronto Church." We model a lot of what is going on here from them." (http://www.reapernet.com/di/did/winter97_supp_hill.html)
From this evidence it seems that the Brownsville Revival should attribute their revival, at least partly, to the assistance of revivals already existing. However, this is not the main controversy surrounding Brownsville.
The Revival has many skeptics and many enemies. The main problem seems to be that many feel that there is very little biblical support for the manifestations. Furthermore, any instances where descriptions of these occurrences do appear, they are symbolic of the Devil, or they are not in the same context or regarded as having a different meaning at Pensacola. For a more detailed look at the biblical perspective on manifestations, read further in the article entitled "The Toronto Blessing pages 7-9." Many equate the behavior of the members of Brownsville Revival to that of the demon possessed man in Luke 8:26-36, the man from whom God had to cast out demons. The manifestations have also occurred in heathen religions, witchcraft, Satanism and voodoo.
Many do not know whether to regard the rush towards this Revival as the people responding to Christ or the intense emotional high that results. But as the preaching and words of God are not stressed, the prevailing answer is the emotional hype. Many believe the words written in Corinthians 14:33 that "God is not the author of confusion but of peace" and cannot justify the chaos. Rev. Kilpatrick said, "God sent pandemonium in the church." It seems ironic that the word pandemonium was first used in John Milton's "Paradise Lost" as the capital of Hell. (http://www.balaams- ass.com/journal/warnings/bvcostal.html page 4)
Many are wary of the "false teachers" that Christ warned his believers against: "false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." (2 Cor. 11:13-15) In Matthew 7:22,23 and in 2 Peter 2:1-3 Christians are also warned of these false teachers that will appear in the last days. (http://www.balaams- ass.com/journal/warnings/bvcostal.html pages 5-7)
The question that repeatedly arises is whether we should accept the salvation that is occurring, the turning of so many lives from sin, and allow it to be given the name of Christ, even if many believe it is not Christ at work?
Brownsville, Pensacola:- "Toronto" or
not?
This article, written by Andrew Strom, a revival historian, includes a close
examination of the emergence of the Revival, arguments on the manifestations and a
comparison to other Revivals.
http://crash.ihug.co.nz/~revival/pensa.html
Sister Wood.com
Cathy Wood is the official photographer for the Brownsville Revival. Her on-line
collection of photos proves again that a picture canspeak more than a thousand
words. Her page also includes current information about the revival, links to other
Brownsville pages and more.
http://www.sisterwood.com/home.shtml
God in Florida
This is an article from the Detroit Free Press giving facts and information on the
Brownsville Revival. Some statistics seem to be contradicted elsewhere so its
information must be used in conjunction with other sites.
http://www.freep.com/news/religion/qreviv11.htm
A History of the
Revival of 1992-1995, Pensacola, Florida
This link provides history of the movement through a series of excerpts from letters
and articles written by those affected by the Revival.
http://www.grmi.org/renewal/Richard_Riss/history/pensacola.html
Proof that Brownsville Revival is
Straight from Toronto
This site provides excerpts from articles written by Cathy Wood, a member of the
Brownsville Revival. The excerpts provide evidence as to the strength of the Toronto
influence.
Articles can be accessed in full at
Revival at Brownsville
http://www.pen.net/~crow/proof.htm
The "Toronto Blessing"
This article, although very lengthy, does have very good information on the
biblical evidence of manifestations
http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/link/toronto/toronto.htm
The Brownsville
Pensacola Outpouring - River of Revival of Pandemonium?
This link proves to be very informative as it gives a brief history of the
revival and then provides informed arguments against its legitimacy.
http://www.balaams-ass.com/journal/warnings/bvcostal.htm
An Interview with Evangelist Steve
Hill
This link consists of an interview with Steve Hill. The article does not provide
evidence as to who was taking the interview. However, it goes through the major
progressions in Hill's life, how the Revival came about and his feelings on it.
http://www.thunderstruck.org/hill.htm
The Tie that Binds: Cautionary
remarks on the ecumenical tendencies of the Assemblies of God
This site offers information on the Assemblies of God, from which Brownsville
Revival was born out of, and a look at the Toronto influence.
http://webcom.net/~bhph95/aogecumen.htm
The Violence of Revival
This link provides an example of a sermon given by Evangelist Steve Hill.
Through this one can capture the spirit that he has and the emotions he stirs up in the
visitors. It is a key insight into the approach of the Revival.
http://victorious.com/BRMagazine/hill.htm
Suddenly, God came
This article, written by Lee Grady for the Strange Communications Magazine,
offers a detailed look at people who have been saved by the Revival and the impact it
has had on many lives.
http://www.charismamag.com/stories/cmju96gr.htm
Interview with
Stephen Hill
This is another article with Evangelist Steve Hill. It was conducted by Larry
Walker for the DI Prophetic Digest. It contains information on his life but also
addresses the "Toronto" issue.
http:/www.reapernet.com/di/did/winter97_supp_hill.html
The Toronto
Blessing
This link provides a great amount of information on the Toronto Blessing, which
seems to be so closely linked to the Brownsville Revival.
http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/tbless.html
Pentecostalism
This link provides a summary of the important information on Pentecostalism, of
which Assemblies of God was born out of and subsequently, the Brownsville Revival.
http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/penta.html
Created by Sarah Carr
For Soc 257: New Religious Movements
Fall Term, 1997
Last modified: 07/19/01