Copyright © 2017 David Rocky Coleman

All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to
reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen
by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction.
AN EXAMINATION OF RICHARD OWEN ROBERTS’S

THEOLOGY OF REVIVAL

__________________

A Dissertation

Presented to

the Faculty of

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

__________________

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

__________________

by

David Rocky Coleman

December 2017
 APPROVAL SHEET

AN EXAMINATION OF RICHARD OWEN ROBERTS’S

THEOLOGY OF REVIVAL

David Rocky Coleman

Read and Approved by:

__________________________________________
Adam W. Greenway (Chair)

__________________________________________
Timothy K. Beougher

__________________________________________
Donald S. Whitney

Date______________________________
 For Sarah,

you have encouraged and challenged me to strive

for more than I could have ever imagined.

I am always humbled by your constant

love and support.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

PREFACE ......................................................................................................................... vii

Chapter

1. REVIVAL AND THE CHURCH ..........................................................................1

Introduction .........................................................................................................1

Thesis ..................................................................................................................2

Background .........................................................................................................8

Methodology .....................................................................................................12

Limitations ........................................................................................................13

Conclusion ........................................................................................................14

2. A BIOGRAPHY OF RICHARD OWEN ROBERTS ..........................................16

Introduction .......................................................................................................16

Cultural and Historical Background..................................................................17

Early Life ..........................................................................................................19

Conversion and Call to Ministry .......................................................................22

College and Seminary .......................................................................................25

Pastoral Ministry, Research, and Travel ...........................................................29

Marriage and Family Life .................................................................................32

Preaching Ministry ............................................................................................36

Bookstore Ministry ...........................................................................................40

Prayer Meeting Ministry ...................................................................................43

Legacy ...............................................................................................................45

iv
Chapter Page

Conclusion ........................................................................................................46

3. RICHARD OWEN ROBERTS’S THEOLOGY OF REVIVAL .........................48

Definition of Revival.........................................................................................48

Revival and God ................................................................................................54

Revival and Man ...............................................................................................59

Revival and Conversion ....................................................................................64

Revival and the Church .....................................................................................68

Revival and the Community .............................................................................73

Results of Revival .............................................................................................75

Hindrances to Revival .......................................................................................78

True and False Revival......................................................................................82

Conclusion ........................................................................................................85

4. HISTORY AND REPENTANCE ........................................................................87

History and Revival...........................................................................................89

Roberts's Revival Literature...................................................................... 90

Roberts's Whitefield in Print ..................................................................... 96

J. Edwin Orr .............................................................................................. 99

The Welsh Revival .................................................................................. 103

First Great Awakening ............................................................................ 104

Conclusion .............................................................................................. 106

Repentance and Revival ..................................................................................106

Roberts's Repentance: The First Word of the Gospel ............................. 107

Roberts's Revival and "The Solemn Assembly" ..................................... 114

Conclusion ......................................................................................................116
5. A SYNTHESIS OF REVIVAL, REPENTANCE, AND HISTORY .................118

v
Chapter Page

Robert’s Vital Connection: Revival, Repentance, and History.......................119

Correcting the Shift in the Church ..................................................................123

Lack of Repentance and History ............................................................. 129

Critique of Roberts’s Ministry ........................................................................131

Lack of Global Focus .............................................................................. 131

Lack of Balance – Sin and Grace ............................................................ 132

Lack of Balance – Preaching .................................................................. 134

Conclusion ......................................................................................................136

6. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................138

Issues Discussed ..............................................................................................139

Areas for Further Study...................................................................................142

Final Reflections .............................................................................................143

Appendix

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT .................................................................................146

BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 222

vi
 PREFACE

The process of writing a dissertation has taught me far more than simply what

is found in the contents that follow. One of the benefits of writing on an itinerant

preacher who teaches on a topic that one is passionate about is that the researcher gets to

study, watch, and listen to a lot of his sermons. During this process, not only did I

become sufficiently prepared for this project, but my spiritual life was encouraged,

challenged, and renewed. This experience, coupled with the learning opportunities

provided to me as a doctoral student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has

brought lasting value to my spiritual life, as it has rooted me more firmly in God’s Word.

While completing this project, I received a tremendous amount of

encouragement, support, and prayer from Christ’s body. I am particularly grateful to my

church family at Ninth and O Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. More specifically,

I am thankful for the church members of the Bible Fellowship Group that I teach, as their

unrelenting prayers, frequent words of encouragement, and continual support made this

challenging endeavor less stressful. I also owe my gratitude to several professors at

Southern Seminary for their guidance, as well as the opportunity to serve them as their

Garrett Fellow—thank you, Dr. Timothy Beougher, Dr. David Sills, and Dr. Jeffrey

Walters, for the privilege and honor of working with you over the last several years.

Additionally, I am grateful to my supervisor in this project, Dr. Adam Greenway, and my

committee members, Dr. Timothy Beougher and Dr. Donald Whitney, for their

encouragement and direction throughout this entire writing process.

In addition to those listed above, this project would not have seen fruition

without the cooperation of one individual—thank you, Mr. Richard Owen Roberts, for
your openness, vulnerability, generosity, and hospitality. You were more than
vii
accommodating and generous with your time and correspondence. Thank you for being

open about your life, discussing your many opportunities and challenges, and continually

seeking to be a Christ-like example for others to follow. It should be noted that any

mistakes that might be found in the reporting of your life are certainly my own.

Finally, this dissertation would not have been possible without the support and

encouragement of my wife, Sarah. Thank you for enduring my self-enforced deadlines

and long periods of time at the computer. I am also appreciative to our four children:

Caleb, Cade, Eliana, and Crosby—you have all been patient beyond your years. Lastly, I

am thankful to God for his grace in directing me to this task—to him be the glory.

David Rocky Coleman

Louisville, Kentucky

December 2017

viii
 CHAPTER 1

REVIVAL AND THE CHURCH

Introduction
In his class on revival and spiritual awakening, Timothy Beougher often shares

the anecdote of a person driving down the road and passing a church sign that reads,

“Revival on Sunday!” Further down the road, the driver sees another sign that states,

“Revival: Every day but Sunday.” Beougher typically ends by stating that if revival is

used simply to define a series of meetings then one could say, “We had a revival, but no

one was revived.”1 In many ways, this anecdote illustrates the confusion and

misunderstanding of the term revival in the church today. Is revival really something that

can be scheduled? When these churches are seeking revival do they have a good

understanding of what they are pursuing? The answers to these questions often depend on

whom one asks. Into this confusion enters a great number of books by authors seeking to

guide readers towards true revival, yet in many ways these works simply add to the

confusion, or simply present a poor understanding of the topic.2 In contrast to those who
may confuse the topic of revival are many authors who seek to present revival in its true

1
I have heard Timothy Beougher share this illustration several times in the classroom, and it
can be accessed online at “Definition of Revival/Spiritual Awakening,” Principles of Spiritual Awakening:
Course 32300WW, The Southern Baptist Theology Seminary, accessed August 22, 2016,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLCD3ubY2TVa01dwK-77LjYRe2CcF-bt3k&v=OC1_ZpomFtA .
2
A historical example would be Charles Finney, Lectures on Revival (1835; repr., Minneapolis:
Bethany House Publishers, 1988). Other would include James Burns, Revivals: Their Laws and Leaders
(Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1960); and Leonard Ravenhill, America Is Too Young to Die: A Call to
Revival (Grand Rapids: Bethany House Publishers, 1979). Other recent works on revival are less helpful for
gaining an adequate understanding of the topic. See Bill Bright, The Coming Revival: America’s Call to
Fast, Pray, and “Seek God’s Face” (Orlando, FL: New Life Publications, 1995); Jimmy Davis, Revival
Sermons: Give Me that Old Time Religion (Seattle: Amazon Digital Services, 2015), Kindle; Deb Wilson,
Revival: The 21 Day Challenge, Rekindle Your Passion for God (Seattle: Amazon Digital Services, 2016),
Kindle; and Christina Yarbrough, Revival: Be a Fire Starter: A Month-Long Journey (North Charleston,
SC: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016).

1
and biblical sense. Historically, Jonathan Edwards is seen as one of the primary writers in

this area, and he made significant impact on the First Great Awakening through his

preaching and writing on the topic of revival.3 More recently authors such as Robert

Coleman, Walter Kaiser, Iain Murray, J. Edwin Orr, and Martyn Lloyd-Jones have sought

to follow Edwards’s lead in defining biblical revival.4 While there are similarities in how

these men define and promote revival, there are still many conflicting opinions, ideas,

and practices that muddle the evangelical understanding and use of the term.

Thesis
Working to correct this confusion is one man who has spent his life seeking to

teach the church and lead people to a proper understanding of revival–Richard Owen

Roberts. While Roberts is not a widely-known figure among contemporary evangelicals,

those who do know him regard him as one of the leading authorities and experts on the

topic of revival.5 His life and ministry have sought to bring clarity to this topic and to

3
Jonathan Edwards, Jonathan Edwards on Revival (1965; repr., Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth,
1995).
4
Robert Coleman, The Coming World Revival: Your Part in God’s Plan to Reach the World
(Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1995); Walter Kaiser, Revive Us Again: Biblical Insights for Encouraging
Spiritual Renewal (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1999); Iain Murray, Revival & Revivalism: The
Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750-1858 (1994; repr., Carlisle, PA: The Banner of
Truth Trust, 2009); J. Edwin Orr, A Call for the Re-study of Revival and Revivalism (Oxford: Oxford
Association for Research in Revival or Evangelical Awakening, 1981); and Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Revival
(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1987).
5
A variety of sources when considered together support this claim. Henry Blackaby discusses
his lengthy relationship with Roberts in a video clip. He states that in his opinion Roberts is the premier
spokesman for revival in our day. See Henry Blackaby, “Dr. Henry Blackaby Endorses Richard Owen
Roberts,” College of Revival, last modified 2015, assessed May 24, 2017,
http://www.collegeofrevival.org/dr-henry-blackaby-endoreses-richard-owen-roberts/. Also, in a review of
one of Roberts’s books, Jim Elliff states that Roberts is well-known in the area of historical revivals. See
Jim Elliff, review of Scotland Saw His Glory, ed. Richard Owen Roberts, Christian Communicators
Worldwide (1999), accessed September 22, 2016, http://www.ccwtoday.org/article/review-of-scotland-saw-
his-glory-edited-by-richard-owen-roberts/. Additionally, Roberts is regarded as a leading expert in the field
of revival by the online magazine Prayer Connect. See “International Awakening Revival Institute
Launches,” Prayer Connect, last modified 2013, accessed August 22, 2016,
http://www.prayerconnect.net/news/prayer-connect-news/institute-launch . Beyond printed material, many
other sources demonstrate Roberts’s extensive knowledge of revival. For instance, one of Roberts’s books,
Revival Literature: An Annotated Bibliography with Biographical and Historical Notices (Wheaton, IL:
Richard Owen Roberts Pub., 1987) compiles almost 6,000 sources on the topic of revival. In the preface to
this book, Roberts states that he has collected over 50,000 index cards with bibliographic information about
revival literature. Similarly, the Richard Owen Roberts Trust reports that Roberts provided approximately
9,000 volumes regarding revival to the Graham Center Library at Wheaton College—these books were a

2
inspire the church to seek true revival. In his most simple definition of revival, Roberts

states that revival is, “an extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit producing

extraordinary results.”6 While this definition is quite basic, his complete teaching of the

topic is much more complex. For Roberts, revival is heavily influenced by his

understanding of repentance and of God’s movements in the history of the church. One

indication of this is that his main book on the subject, Revival, is just as much about

repentance as it is about revival.7 He also writes in the introduction to his book

Repentance that there are a surprisingly small number of books dedicated specifically to

the topic of biblical repentance.8 Among his many avenues for promoting revival, Roberts

dedicated himself to publishing historical documents on the subject. Roberts’s teachings

imply that it is through these three interconnected themes–revival, repentance, and

history–that one can establish a complete picture of how God revives the church.

Even while connecting these themes, Roberts still seeks to answer basic

questions about revival in his writings and sermons. In the previously mentioned book on

the topic, Roberts arranges his chapters around questions he felt were most important to

answer: “What is revival? When is revival needed? When can revival be expected? What

truth must revival emphasize? What are the dangers of revival? What hinders revival?

And will the fruits of revival last?”9 Likewise, in a pamphlet that he published on the

part of his personal collection and acted as a catalyst for the establishment of the library. See “About,”
Richard Owen Roberts Trust, last modified 2016, accessed on September 22, 2016,
http://rortrust.org/about. Finally, when Roberts was a guest on her radio show Revive Our Hearts, Nancy
Leigh DeMoss introduced him by stating that he has impacted her understanding of revival more than any
other person. See “When God Revives a Heart with Richard Owen Roberts,” Revive Our Hearts, last
modified 2016, accessed September 22, 2016, https://www.reviveourhearts.com/series/when-god-revives-a-
heart-with-richard-owen-roberts/.
6
Richard Owen Roberts, Revival (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1982), 16-17.
7
Ibid., 37-53; 73-98. In chap. 4 of this book, Roberts states that the topic of repentance is too
often ignored in churches today, and that is why revival is not more regularly experienced in our time.
8
Richard Owen Roberts, Repentance: The First Word of the Gospel (Wheaton, IL: Crossway
Books, 2002), 16. In this introduction, Roberts discusses seven reasons for the lack of material in this area.
He also introduces his bibliography with a paragraph reaffirming this idea on p. 347.
9
These are the titles of the seven chapters which comprise this book. Furthermore, in each
chapter, Roberts delves further into the topic by asking and answering several more questions. At the heart

3
topic of revival, Roberts seeks to answer twenty-four questions that he felt were vital for

a person to be able to correctly evaluate a revival. Starting with Scripture, Roberts guides

the reader through a process of thoroughly evaluating the event to decide of whether or

not it was truly a biblical revival. From the questions in this pamphlet one can see that

there are several key themes of revival for Roberts. He primarily evaluates an event

through several standards which can be grouped into these three categories: whether it is

initiated by God or by man; how it impacts the church’s unity; and its impact on the

spiritual condition of individuals involved in the revival.10 These themes reverberate

throughout his material on revival, and his concern for God’s initiative is paramount to

all other criteria. He displays this concern again when he writes in the editorial

introduction,

We ought to do what we can by way of preparation of our minds and hearts for
revival; and we ought even more to so thirst for the Lord God Himself that He will
quickly come and pour water upon those that are thirsty, knowing full well that as
our thirst is quenched, the floods will rise upon the dry ground of the heathen world
in which we have been placed.11
It is clear through Roberts’s writings and teaching that revival starts and ends with the

movement of God; Roberts does not, however, remove human response and

understanding from his definition of revival. Similarly, in an introduction to a volume on

twenty historical sermons about salvation, he writes about the strong connection between
what a person thinks about God, themselves, sin and salvation.12 He goes on to expound

of this book, it is evident that Roberts was seeking to make clear the most basic elements of biblical revival.
10
Richard Owen Roberts, Twenty-four Questions to Ask in the Face of Apparent Revival
(Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1998). Several questions seek to determine the source to the
event, whether it is driven by people or by God. Additionally, Roberts shows a deep concern for the whole
body of the church and whether all people are accepting of the event or only a select few participants.
Finally, many of these questions seek to evaluate the effects of the event on the individuals—both Christian
and non-Christian, to determine whether or not the impact will last.
11
J. Edwin Orr, Campus Aflame: A History of Evangelical Awakenings in Collegiate
Communities, ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1994), 13.
12
Richard Owen Roberts, ed., Salvation in Full Color: Twenty Sermons by Great Awakening
Preachers (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1994), xi.

4
on how one should have a high view of God and low view of self when he writes, “When

our view of God is right, our view of self will be so low that we will know ourselves to

be nothing whatsoever before Him.”13 According to Roberts, revival is “an extraordinary”

work of God which leads to a powerful movement of repentance in individuals and

throughout his writings he prominently displays this connection to his readers.

The second main area of Roberts’s theology of revival that must be examined

is his focus on the history of revival. In many ways, like Jonathan Edwards before him,

Roberts has sought to use history as an example for the church to imitate and follow

today. 14 In the introduction to historical sermons on the solemn assembly and corporate

repentance, Roberts explains his purpose in republishing historical literature. He writes

that if the young people of an area were going to grow up in a situation prepared for

movements of God, it would only be because their parents, “had grace sufficient to

humble themselves, pray, repent of their sins, and seek God’s face in Solemn

Assembly.”15 Roberts desires to equip the parents for these tasks of seeking God’s face

through the historical sermons from men like: Increase Mather, William Williams, John

Cotton, and Gilbert Tennent.16 From this list of sermons and preachers, it is clear that

Roberts has studied in-depth the First Great Awakening and the men preaching beyond

the well-known names of Edwards and Whitefield. Additionally, Roberts has displayed
his appreciation for the history of revival simply through the vast volume of books he has

edited, published, or annotated in this area of revival.17 Overall, when studying Roberts’s

13
Roberts, Salvation in Full Color, xv.
14
Jonathan Edwards regularly used historical events to spur the church on towards revival. One
example can be seen in Jonathan Edwards, A Narrative of Surprising Conversions found in Jonathan
Edwards on Revival (1965; repr., Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1995), 1-74.
15
Richard Owen Roberts, Sanctify the Congregation: A Call to the Solemn Assembly and to
Corporate Repentance (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1994), 13.
16
Ibid., v-vi.

Roberts edited several of J. Edwin Orr’s works on revival with the express purpose of putting
17

the work before another generation of readers. Roberts mentions this as one of the primary reasons for
reissuing Campus Aflame in his introduction. See J. Edwin Orr, Campus Aflame: A History of Evangelical

5
theology of revival, his focus on historical revivals, sermons, and writings must factor

into his theology of revival as it clearly has been a main emphasis of his ministry.

The final main theme that arises when considering Roberts’s work is the topic

of repentance. In fact, repentance is an issue of primary concern for Roberts. In the end,

Roberts is asking one to consider, what good is revival if it does not lead to true

repentance and a changed heart? In his main book on the topic of repentance, Roberts

explains that a person can be very religious without being repentant. He writes, “It does

not take repentance to enjoy a form of religion, but repentance is mandatory for all who

would live in the power of true godliness.”18 He further explains that a person could

indeed ‘enthusiastically’ praise God and yet still remain unconverted.19 It quickly

becomes apparent that repentance is given such a prominent place in Roberts’s texts

because he views it as the litmus test for true revival. If a movement has experienced real

repentance, and continues to regularly experience repentance, then Roberts could find

confidence that true revival has been experienced in that place. Contrary, without

repentance, no person, or movement, could truly claim to be impacted by God in revival.

The natural conclusion, for Roberts, is that revival cannot be separated from repentance.

This may be overly simplistic in the area of revival, but many of the sources previously

cited offer very little on the subject of repentance–almost concluding that one could
experience revival without ever going through the process of repentance–Roberts, of

course, would vehemently disagree with this idea stating that repentance is necessary.

After briefly introducing three of the main themes present in Roberts’s work, it

must be noted that an additional purpose of this study will be to examine Roberts’s life to

Awakenings in Collegiate Communities, ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening
Press, 1994), 13. Also, the sheer volume of Revival Literature is impressive and shows a life dedicated to
digging deeply into the subject area. Richard Owen Roberts Revival Literature: An Annotated Bibliography
with Biographical and Historical Notices (Wheaton, IL: Richard Owen Roberts Pub, 1987).
18
Roberts, Repentance, 14.
19
Ibid.

6
preserve his legacy and knowledge about revival for future generations. Roberts’s

ministry continues the long and important work of promoting revival. His message of

repentance and revival is one that must continually be put forth in each generation of the

church. The timeliness of this study is crucial. Roberts was born in 1931, and while still

in good health, he is approaching an age where preaching and interviewing has become

more difficult. This study provides a crucial component to preserving Roberts’s life and

ministry for future generations to learn and grow from his insights. One goal is that

through this study the church will be encouraged to earnestly seek an extraordinary work

of God through revival that starts with repentance, and to also consider how God has

worked in the past through the church and his people. The thesis of this project is that

through Richard Owen Roberts’s life and ministry the church has received a valuable

theology of revival, which has purposely linked revival, repentance, and church history,

into an interconnected relationship that provides a biblical understanding of revival.

This thesis addresses an important issue in the church today. An improper

understanding of revival makes the task of seeking revival nearly impossible.

Unfortunately, as demonstrated above, in the church today there exists a confusion over

the meaning and practice of the term. Roberts’s ministry has sought to correct this

misunderstanding and his teachings should be considered by the church. By focusing this
dissertation on Roberts’s theology of revival and his connection between revival, history,

and repentance, the desire is to present a biblical and healthy understanding of the topic.

Through this understanding the church will be better prepared to pray for and to seek

revival for its benefit, for reaching the community, and mostly for God’s glory.

An additional reason for researching the life and ministry of Roberts is that it

became apparent that an academic study of this nature has not been done previously.20

20
I asked Roberts if he knew of any studies of his life or theology that were being completed.
Roberts stated that he did not know of any being done at that time. Richard Owen Roberts, telephone
interview by author, March 10, 2016.

7
Roberts’s ministry has been reviewed in some other formats, most notably when he was

honored with the Homer G. Lindsay, Jr. Lifetime of Ministry Award at the Jacksonville

Pastor’s Conference in 2013.21 Aside from this honor there have not been any academic

attempts to evaluate, critique, and preserve the contributions of Roberts’s ministry. This

is one of the primary reasons that Roberts has been chosen as the subject of this research.

His lifetime of ministry in revival brings a helpful and needed prospective for the church

to consider and to learn from. It would be an unfortunate loss to the church if Roberts’s

teachings were not studied and applied regarding the topic of revival.

Background
The topic of revival has been intriguing to me for most of my life. I can

remember experiencing the desire for revival in middle school, high school, and during

my undergraduate studies. When I started my pursuit of a Master of Divinity degree at

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, I was exposed to many more resources on revival

and my interest in the subject continued to grow. One of the most impactful books early

in my seminary studies was Elmer Towns and Douglas Porter’s book, The Ten Greatest

Revivals Ever.22 During my studies at Liberty, I was introduced many works which

further opposed me to the biblical and the historical aspects of revival.23

21
For this award, the conference produced a forty-six-minute interview during which Roberts
discusses different aspects of his life and ministry. See “Richard Owen Roberts,” Richard Owen Roberts
Trust, accessed May 25, 2017, http://rortrust.org/.
22
Elmer Towns and Douglas Porter, The Ten Greatest Revivals Ever: From Pentecost to the
Present (Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 2000). This was a required text in the course Evangelism
500: Church Growth I: Spiritual Factors of Church Growth. The book took a historical look at ten revivals,
including the First and Second Great Awakenings, the Baby Boomer revival, and the 1904 Pentecostal
revival. This was the first book that exposed me to the long and significant history of revivals in the church.
This course also provided insights into spiritual issues of revival.
23
Some of the most significant books to which I was exposed during this time were Thom
Rainer, The Book of Church Growth: History Theology, and Principles (Nashville: Broadman & Holman,
1993); Rainer, Breakout Churches: Discover How to Make the Leap (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005); and
Rainer, Surprising Insights from the Unchurched and Proven Ways to Reach Them (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2001).

8
 After completing my Master of Divinity degree from Liberty, I spent several

years in pastoral ministry. During this time, I recognized a desire to pursue further

education to be better equipped to lead the church, make use of my personal giftedness,

and to train others for ministry. Towards this goal, I enrolled at The Southern Baptist

Theological Seminary in the fall of 2012 as a Th.M. student studying in the area of

Evangelism and Church Growth. During this period of study, one course made significant

impact on my understanding of revival. It was taught by Owen Strachan on the life and

ministry of Jonathan Edwards. This course was significant for several reasons. First, I

was exposed to an in-depth study of a significant figure in church history. Every text for

the course was an in-depth portrait of Edwards, his theology, or his practice. 24 Second,

this course provided me with a much greater knowledge of the period of the First Great

Awakening and the other figures involved in this revival period. By studying Edwards, I

was able to read in detail about many other people of that time and how the church

experienced great growth through this awakening. Finally, this class helped to shape my

ability to appreciate a significant figure in the church while still being able to critically

analyze certain aspects of his theology and practice in the area of revival.

While the previous experiences were impactful, the most significant

preparation for a study of revival has come from my work in the Ph.D. seminars and
colloquium. As a Ph.D. student, I have majored in Evangelism and minored in Christian

Missions. These two areas have combined well to help me have a broader understanding

of the topic of revival. The courses in my minor have stretched my understanding of

revival to include the global outpourings of God’s spirit in different times and places.

24
The books required in this course included George Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life
(Hartford, CT: Yale University Press, 2004); Douglas Sweeney, Jonathan Edwards and the Ministry of the
Word (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity, 2009); and Thomas Kidd, The Great Awakening (Hartford, CT:
Yale University Press, 2009).

9
With a better global awareness, I have been able to evaluate the religious climate of a

particular time and place in light of what is happening in the global church.25

Additionally, my studies in colloquium under Adam Greenway and Timothy

Beougher have been helpful in preparation of my study of Richard Owen Roberts. One

colloquium that directly benefitted my preparation for the study of Richard Owen Roberts

was led by Beougher. The topic of the course was revival and it was in this course that I

read Roberts for the first time.26 In this colloquium I expressed interest in pursuing the

topic of revival in general, and Roberts in particular. Beougher encouraged me to explore

these areas further as possible dissertation topics.27 Overall, the colloquium on revival

rekindled my passion for the topic and solidified my desire to study revival further.

Another avenue through which I have been equipped for this study of Richard

Owen Roberts is through my Ph.D. seminars in evangelism. In my first seminar,

“Contemporary Church Growth,” I was asked to study a wide range of material on the

topic of church revitalization and health. Through these works I evaluated how other

individuals consider their own ministry and impact while seeking to encourage the church

to pursue the principles by which they lived.28 The second seminar by Greenway was

25
Several books were instrumental in my development of a global understanding of the church.
One was The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation, especially when evaluated in light of the author’s role as a
sender of missionaries. Andrew Fuller, The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation, ed. Joseph Belcher (1786;
repr., Hinton, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 1988). Other specific texts from the Theology of Christian
Mission course included David J. Bosch, Transforming Missions: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission
(Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1991); Michael W. Goheen, A Light to the Nations: The Missional Church and the
Biblical Story (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011); and Christopher J. H. Wright, The Mission of God
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2006).
26
Roberts, Revival.
27
Other texts in this colloquium included Jonathan Edwards, Jonathan Edwards on Revival
(1965; repr., Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1994); Charles G. Finney, Lectures on Revival (1835; repr.,
Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1988); Iain H. Murray, Revival and Revivalism: The Making and
Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750-1858 (1994; repr., Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2009); Mark
Shaw, Global Awakening: How the 20th Century Revivals Triggered a Christian Revolution (Downers
Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2010); and Joseph Tracy, The Great Awakening: A History of the Revival of
Religion in the Time of Edwards and Whitefield (1842; repr., Cambridge, MA: Andover-Harvard
Theological Library, 1923).
28
Additional books in the seminar that I have found helpful in preparation for this project were
Gregg R. Allison, Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012);
Richard P. Belcher, A Journey in Purity (Columbia, SC: Richbarry Press, 1996); Harry L. Reeder, From

10
“Spiritual Warfare in Evangelism and Missions.” The paper I wrote for this seminar was

valuable in helping to build a foundation and bibliography in the area of revival. I wrote

on the topic of spiritual warfare and revival, seeking to find connections between the

spiritual warfare literature and revival literature. Surprisingly, I found very little overlap

between the fields. In the paper, I argued that both fields would be improved if they

interacted with one another at a greater level. Overall, it was a challenge through which I

was exposed to a much wider segment of the revival literature.

In total, my academic endeavors to this point have all, in one way or another,

worked to equip me for this study of Richard Owen Roberts. From a personal standpoint,

I am drawn to study Roberts because of his commitment to a biblical understanding of

revival and his focus on repentance and history. In my studies, I have found Roberts to be

convicting, challenging, and encouraging. I marvel at his life dedicated to the topic of

revival and preserving historical documents in the field. Roberts described revival as an

extraordinary work of God and yet he recognizes and teaches that a Christian must be in a

repentant state to truly be ready for this work. Roberts has travelled and taught

extensively on the topic of revival over the last several decades, and I believe that there is

great value in studying his teachings–both book and sermon format–to draw out his

theology of revival and put it into written form through this dissertation. Roberts’s
theology of revival is significant because of its historical connection to the First Great

Awakening and its emphasis on repentance. For this reason, it can provide a needed

correction to the misunderstanding on revival that is prevalent in the church today.

Embers to a Flame: How God Can Revitalize Your Church (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2004); and
Andy Stanley, Deep & Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2012).

11
 Methodology
The successful completion this study involved a thorough examination of

Richard Owen Roberts’s life and ministry. Through several avenues I sought to gain

access to primary materials. First, there is a small collection of Roberts’s works at the

James P. Boyce Centennial Library of Southern Seminary, and since my colloquium on

revival I have been building my own collection of Roberts’s texts. Additionally, a simple

Internet search of Richard Owen Roberts revealed that he now has dozens of sermons or

lectures available for immediate and instant access. Since the colloquium on revival I

have viewed most of the available videos to find those that are most significant and

representative of Roberts’s teachings on revival. Roberts’s teachings are also available on

a significant website that contains twelve lectures recently given by him at Wheaton

College. To my knowledge, this is the most recent and complete presentation of Roberts’s

theology of revival available and has been used extensively in this project.29

Finally, I made a trip to Wheaton, Illinois, to meet with Roberts in person and

conduct a personal interview.30 Through this trip I had the opportunity to view Roberts’s

bookstore and personal library firsthand, and I was also able to meet with a few people

who have known him for a significant amount of time. The research of Roberts’s life and

ministry followed an inquiry methodology that led to strong understanding of his life,

ministry, and most significantly his theology of revival. Through reading publications,
viewing lectures and sermons, and finally, by interviewing Roberts the results of the

research demonstrate that his synthesis of revival, repentance, and church history is

significant, and often overlooked, when it is compared to much of the other literature

available for the church in the topic area of revival at the present time.

29
This website can be accessed at: http://www.collegeofrevival.org/ . It also contains links to
purchase many of Roberts’s pamphlets and books that otherwise are difficult to find.
30
The transcript from this interview is included in the appendix.

12
 Limitations
At this point, several limitations of this study must be clarified. First, the main

intent of this study was to interact with the primary sources of Roberts’s ministry. His

books and pamphlets are addressed because they are relatively accessible. A personal

interview of Roberts was also conducted to gain a better understanding of his life. Access

to personal notes or correspondence was not provided, therefore it was not concerned. A

second limitation of this dissertation was that this work focuses on Roberts’s theology of

revival with an emphasis on the areas of repentance and church history. While there

would certainly be value in seeking to understand Roberts’s complete views on theology,

that task is beyond the scope and intent of this project. My hope is that this first attempt

to study Roberts’s life and ministry will lead to further interest and studies of his

teachings and impact by other researchers who are interested in the topic of revival.

Third, I have sought to remain within the realms of historical and theological

study. This author will not purposely make attempts to analysis Roberts through a

psychological lens. The intent of this paper has been to study Roberts’s life and ministry,

and to collect his theology of revival into an accessible mode for further study. The

delimitations of the research sample for studying Richard Owen Roberts are as follows:

1. The research sample has been delimited to Richard Owen Roberts—through a

personal interview. The sample does not include other authors on revival, although
these works were considered when it was appropriate.

2. The research sample has been delimited to his published writings and other
accessible writings. The sample does not include personal notes, journals, or
correspondence unless the researcher was given express permission to use and cite
these materials.

3. The research sample has been delimited to other accessible interviews. The sample
does not include personal conversations about the subject that were not originally
intended for this project unless the researcher obtained permission from the
individual to use the information.

4. The research sample has been delimited to accessible sermons. The sample does not
include sermons that cannot be accessed by the researcher. Roberts has a significant
number of sermons that are available online that represent his teachings in the areas

13
 of revival, repentance, and church history.

Finally, during the research and writing of this dissertation I sought to be aware

of the temptation to draw conclusions from personal bias from my own background and

understandings, instead of the actual facts, and by being aware of this danger, I sought to

avoid this issue throughout the entire research process.

Conclusion
To restate, the thesis of this project is that through Richard Owen Roberts’s

life and ministry the church has received a valuable theology of revival, which has
purposely linked revival, repentance, and church history, into an interconnected

relationship that provides a biblical understanding of revival. This research has sought to

support this statement through a comprehensive study of Roberts’s publications, a

personal interview, lectures, and sermons. These elements will be displayed in the content

which follows. In chapter 2, Roberts’s life and ministry will be presented in the form of a

short biography. The third chapter will focus on developing a complete theology of

revival from Roberts’s publications, lectures, and sermons. Chapter 4 will provide an in-

depth examination of Roberts’s focus on history and repentance in his ministry on

revival. The fifth chapter will consider the significance of these three interconnected

themes for the church’s understanding and practice of revival. Finally, chapter 6 will

conclude with a discussion of areas of further study and a short reflection on this work.

Throughout this study there were several areas in which I sought to evaluate

further to gain a better understanding of Roberts’s life and ministry. Some of these

questions, which also helped to guide the research, included the following:

1. How did Roberts’s early life impact his understanding of revival? Was his
understanding of repentance a result of his conversion or later life events?

2. Has Roberts’s shifted in his teachings on revival from the early nineteen-eighties to
the present day? If there are any shifts, what brought these changes about, and how

14
 has his ministry been impacted by the change?

3. What led Roberts to pursue a bookstore and publishing ministry instead of other
ministry avenues? Has this decision been beneficial or detrimental to the overall
impact of his ministry?

4. What are Roberts’s views on the global church and God’s movements in other areas
of the world? How does he respond to movements that are outside of the American
Evangelical norm?

5. Did Roberts intentionally pursue a strong connection between revival, repentance,

and history or were these natural out workings of his convictions and interests?

6. In what ways have Roberts’s views on revival, repentance and church history
impacted his pastoral ministry?

7. Does Roberts’s believe that he has ever been involved with a true revival? If not,
why does he think that this is so and is he disappointed about this?

8. How will Roberts’s ministry be evaluated in the coming generation? Will he be

remembered in his own right, or simply seen as one who preserved other’s work
such as J. Edwin Orr?

9. How does Roberts view his own life and ministry? What is his outlook for the future
of the church in America? Is he hopeful or concerned?

This dissertation seeks to address these and other issues by pursuing a complete

understanding of Roberts’s theology of revival. The main question guiding this study is,

“What is Richard Owen Roberts’s theology of revival and how has his ministry impacted

the church?” For me, the benefit of this study is not simply learning more about a
particular man in ministry, but to better understand revival, and more importantly, to

better know the God who moves to bring revival to his church and the world.

15
 CHAPTER 2

A BIOGRAPHY OF RICHARD OWEN ROBERTS

Introduction
In the entrance of the bookstore one is immediately surrounded by shelves and

stacks of old and serious books.1 Unlike many newer bookstores, there are not places to

comfortably sit and drink coffee while one works on a computer, instead every nook and

cranny of the building has been filled with shelves and stacks of books. As one walks

through the rooms, the impression felt is that if the book cannot be found in this place,

then it must either be very new, or not considered to be worth reading. This is a serious

bookstore, and it is owned and operated by a serious man – Richard Owen Roberts. That

is not to say that Roberts is unfriendly or unwelcoming, in fact, he was quite the opposite,

and this can be seen in many other sections of the building. His personal office in the

back corner of the store has a collection of chairs arranged for people to gather together

in prayer. Upstairs, where Roberts and his wife live, his living room is also arranged to

accommodate more than a dozen guests at a time. The seriousness that is felt in the
bookstore, and in Roberts himself, stems from a dedication to work that matters very

deeply to him. Roberts has spent his lifetime preaching and teaching the church about

revival through repentance. His desire from a young age has been to preach God’s Word

in a manner that it will reveal the heart of God to his listeners. The books in his

bookstore, and in his personal collection, also reveal a desire to teach people about true

devotion to the Lord. While one can learn some things about a person by walking into his

1
Unless otherwise noted, the content of this chapter is supported by a personal interview with
Richard Owen Roberts at his bookstore and home on May 27, 2017. The transcript from this interview can
be found in the appendix.

16
bookstore, it is certainly a limited source of information about a person’s life. For this

reason, a personal interview with Richard Owen Roberts was conducted. Questions about

his childhood, conversion and call to ministry, education, pastoral and preaching

ministry, his marriage and family, and his legacy were discussed. In this chapter, these

topics will be presented to provide a short biography of the life and ministry of Roberts.

Through this chapter it will be clearly seen that Roberts has passionately and purposely

sought to serve the Lord through his life and ministry in the area of revival.

Cultural and Historical Background

Richard Owen Roberts was born on September 9, 1931, in Schenectady, New

York. The year, 1931, was certainly not the easiest time for a person to enter the culture

of the United States, but it proved to be an ideal time for the Lord to mold a preacher

deeply committed to declaring what he believed God had led him to speak. In some ways,

to understand the dedication and perseverance that Roberts has displayed throughout his

life, it is helpful to understand the difficulties that America experienced during the time

in which he grew up and was called into ministry. For this reason, these first section will

briefly describe the American culture and general events in the 1930s and into the 1940s.

While many mark the start of the Great Depression as officially beginning with

the stock market crash the last week of October in 1929, the truth is that the stock market
crash was only one piece of a complicated economic market which was full of numerous

weaknesses.2 When the New York Stock Exchange went through several turbulent weeks

following the initial crash it shook the confidence of many leading business men and

banks throughout the nation. As Burg stated, the effect of, “The Great Crash did not

cause the worldwide depression that followed, but it did expose the underlying

2
David F. Burg, The Great Depression: An Eyewitness History (New York: Facts on File,
1996), 47-51.

17
weaknesses of the American and European economies.”3 Burg pointed to the fact that the

agricultural community in the United States had been in a depression throughout the

1920s because of overproduction and low crop prices.4 While the stock market was

actually able to recover and stabilize in the early parts of 1930, other industries were not

able to overcome the challenge. In 1930, one-thousand-forty-five banks failed, and

investments in production and employment plummeted.5 By the end of 1932, thirteen-

million Americans were unemployed, the gross national product had dropped twenty-nine

percent in two years, and finally the values on the stock market completely dropped.6 The

effects of the Great Depression were felt in almost every home in the United States.

Despite the numerous efforts of the American government, by the time that Roberts could

walk his family was well used to day-to-day life with a scarcity of goods.

The whole decade of the 1930s was marked by depression and difficult times

for Americans and many throughout the world. Natural disasters further devastated the

agricultural industry, and government programs were slow to make any significant

impact on the everyday life of most Americans.7 In 1939, the world’s attention was on

Germany and the movements of its leader, Adolf Hitler.8 While the United States

officially remained neutral to the issues in Europe, pressure began to mount, and in 1941

with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the country officially entered the war.9 Roberts
was ten years old at the time that war was declared. Although the impact of the war

3
Burg, The Great Depression, 50.
4
Ibid., 51. At this time in the United States, one-fourth of the population of the United States
operated a farm for its main source of income.
5
Ibid., 64.
6
Ibid., 64-65.
7
Ibid., 114-21.
8
Ibid., 244.
9
Ibid., 272.

18
would be devastating in Europe, and cost the lives of many young men, the war also

provided the opportunity for the United States to grow out of the depression, and it

presented avenues of opportunity for industrious and resourceful Americans.10 Burg

stated the difficult reality of the coming war in connection with the depression by writing,

Full-scale mobilization, transforming the American economy to war status and

inducting millions into service with the armed forces, would at last bring an end to
the Great Depression. But the final cure, unfortunately, exacted a terrible ultimate
cost in lost lives and wasted material resources.11
The impact of the Great Depression and World War II were significant on the young

Richard Owen Roberts. During the depression, he learned to live on very little. During

the war, he learned to work diligently with the opportunities that were put before him.

Early Life
After examining the general trends of the country during the time of Robert’s

childhood, it is now possible to better examine some of the significant events that shaped

him as a young man. Like many children, as a young man, Roberts was significantly

impacted by his parents. His father’s family had come to the United States from Wales,

and although he had a religious background, his father was mostly concerned with

worldly things. Roberts’s father, John Earl, worked in the General Electric Company’s

factory in Schenectady, New York, and while his wages were merger the family found
resourceful ways to meet their needs.12 In reference to growing up during the Great

Depression, Roberts stated, “I’ve often thanked the Lord for the privilege of growing up

in a home of what today would be described as poverty stricken.” Roberts described his

father as a hardworking and kind man. Although he was only educated through the sixth

grade, he was often able to provide Roberts with sound advice in difficult situations.

10
Burg, The Great Depression, 272.
11
Ibid.
12
Roberts stated that he remembers his father’s weekly check being for twenty-six cents.

19
Additionally, Roberts was impacted by his mother, Mildred Hazel, who he described as

A very quiet woman, very sweet. A wonderful mother. I would say it would be hard
for me to imagine a better mother. Not in any way a pushy person. A person with
very strong personal convictions and standards after her conversion. And I would
say the great influence of my mother was the simple fact that she was herself and a
godly woman. And that constant awareness that my mother was praying that my life
would not waste, but that the Lord would indeed touch at least some through me.
As Roberts described his parents, he was careful to highlight the impact that their

conversion had on his life, and how as a result their house became committed to the Lord.

Roberts discussed how when he and his siblings were growing older, his

parents felt that the children should attend a Sunday school. The children were sent to a

local Methodist church, which taught them that the story of Jonah was a piece of fiction

that could provide good principles to live by, but it should not be trusted as a historical

document. After the children told this to their mother she responded, “We don't send

children to Sunday school to learn to be unbelievers. We’re all unbelievers by nature.”

Roberts noted that this was an incredibly profound statement from his mother seeing that

she had no religious background. After this event, Roberts’s aunt and uncle started

inviting his family to special meetings at a local holiness church. His parents attended

and were converted to Christianity. The Roberts family started attending this church, and

although it was marked by legalist rules about holiness, Roberts himself was impacted by

the Scripture displayed throughout the sanctuary.13 After some time, the family left this
church and joined the First Presbyterian church that Roberts would grow up attending.

During this time, many Americans continued to struggle to meet daily needs,

and Europeans felt the growing pressure of Fascist governments in Germany and Italy.14

The early years of Roberts’s life were marked by the effects of this global depression and

13
Roberts shared about the impact of the Scripture posted throughout the sanctuary in the
interview. It is interesting that he discussed how impactful these banners were in his young spiritual
development when one considers that his ministry has mostly emphasized preaching as the most significant
means of delivering God’s grace.
14
Burg, The Great Depression, 71.

20
political uncertainty overseas. The Roberts family met these challenges the best that they

were able. One of the impacts of growing up during this era was that by the time the

United States entered World War II, Roberts had grown to be an industrious and

resourceful boy. When Roberts was ten the United States entered the war, and he did

what he could to help the effort. One of his main memories from this point of his life was

growing Victory Gardens of vegetables and other produce. Among his several jobs,

Roberts discussed cultivating several acres of gardens, and then selling his vegetables to

people in the community. These efforts in small-scale business endeavors would help

Roberts develop skills that would later become useful in owning and operating his

bookstore business, which he would use to help support his preaching ministry.

While Roberts found some success in his work, school was another challenge.

The main thing that Roberts recalled about school at this point in his life was that he was

bored. Never one to conform to other people’s expectations, Roberts lamented the fact

that most of the task of the public-school system has been to get people to conform to the

same pattern. Under this structure many students are stifled instead of encouraged to

pursue their gifts and abilities. Along with finding it difficult to fit the pattern at school,

Roberts recalled feeling unique among his siblings.15 He had one brother and two sisters.

His brother would grow up to be a missionary and leader in the Canadian Presbyterian
church, and his sisters would marry and remain believers throughout their lives.16

Regarding his personality as a child, Roberts stated that he believes that he has

15
Roberts did note that it probably is not all that uncommon for a child to feel different than his
siblings, but he also stated that most of his life he has not been one to conform to the expectations of others.
16
In the interview, Roberts shared the story of the accident that brought his brother home from
the mission field. During the Biafra War in Nigeria, his brother was ministering to troops on the frontlines,
while his wife and sons remained in Lagos. One day the vehicle in which the wife and sons were riding in
veered across the road and was hit by oncoming traffic. Two of the boys were killed on the scene, the wife
and one son were badly injured. They were taken to a hospital, but not given much treatment because the
outcome appeared to be bleak. Roberts stated that Shell Oil Company heard about the events, retrieved his
brother from the war field, and then flew the three family members to London in the company’s private jet.
The wife and son recovered from their injuries, but after this event the family returned to Canada.

21
had the same demeanor throughout his life. He is very comfortable being alone for long

periods of time to complete his work or study. Even as a young child, Roberts would

busy himself in tasks and jobs that were suitable for his appreciation of solitude. Later in

life, his wife Maggie commented that she has never felt bad if she leaves him alone for

most of the day because it seems like he prefers it that way. While Roberts is certainly an

introverted and reclusive man, he feels a very strong commitment to boldly proclaim

God’s Word when he is led to preach. In the pulpit, he is animated, and in his home, he is

reserved. His personality impacted his call to ministry which is to be examined below.

Conversion and Call to Ministry

When Roberts’s parents were converted it had an immense impact on him and

his own conversion; however, Roberts himself stated that he cannot point to a definite

moment, or time, in which he became a believer.17 Instead of discussing a moment in

which he became a believer, Roberts discussed the process of transformation that his

home went through which brought him to the point of complete devotion to the Lord. As

mentioned previously, Roberts’s family started attending a holiness church, and that

during this time he was impacted deeply by the Scriptures written on the walls of the

sanctuary. He stated that as a ten-year-old boy he remembers thinking that the most

beautiful thing in the world was holiness. He would attend the church’s regular prayer
meetings with his parents, and although most of the content was over his head, he

remembers greatly enjoying his time at these meetings. After some time at the holiness

church it became clear that the family needed to go to a different church,18 and so they

became members of First Presbyterian Church in Schenectady. It was during his time at

17
In the interview, Roberts spent some time discussing the notion that a person must know the
exact moment of his conversion to be saved as being completely absurd. He stated that he is certain that
there are many genuine believers who do not know the exact time when they became a Christian, and many
people who are lost who could quickly point to a day and time in which they made a profession.
18
He remarked how the holiness church held to many legalist rules. For example, women’s
blouse sleeves had to go below the elbow and men could not wear wedding bands.

22
this church that Roberts became a believer and that he felt called into the ministry.

When Roberts was a young man, as was mentioned, he had several different

jobs and activities which helped him to earn some money. At the end of one summer he

had made enough money to send himself to a Christian youth camp. He used his money

to attend the Sunrise Mountain Bible Conference in Lake George, New York. Roberts

discussed how two important events happened at this conference that helped him to

clarify his call into ministry, and to submit to God’s will for his life. The first event was

on the final night of the conference at the general meeting. An appeal was made to the

group for people to commit to missions. Roberts had already felt that the Lord was

calling him into ministry, so he responded to the call. His initial thought was that with his

agricultural background he could go overseas and teach horticulture skills and share the

gospel in that way. However, the Lord used an event from earlier in the day to ensure that

Roberts had some time to consider his ministry calling and to submit to his directions.

Before the meeting on Friday, Roberts had joined a group of other campers on

a hike up one of the local mountains. Being accustomed to strenuous labor, Roberts grew

frustrated with the group’s frequent breaks, and during one stop he decided to sit down on

a stump to display his displeasure with the interruption. Unfortunately, the stump was

covered with poison ivy, and by the time Roberts left camp the next morning the
infection had gotten severe. Since the camp took place at the end of the summer break,

Roberts was not able to attend the first two weeks of school, and he spent most of this

time lying on a cot that his parents had set up in a small room of their house. While in

recovery, Roberts spent time praying about, and considering, his future ministry. In his

words, “I felt the Lord say to me, ‘but I didn’t call you to be a missionary.’” He

continued this discussion by stating that he thought, “Well, Lord, that’s what I know I can

do, so that’s what I’m planning to do.” He felt that the Lord responded, “No, I didn’t call

you to do that. I'm grateful that you were responsive, but that’s not what I called you to
do, I called you to preach.” After, what Roberts described as some back and forth he
23
came to a point of surrender, he recognized that if the Lord was calling him to preach that

he would do it.19 He stated his conviction on this matter in this way:

Well day after day of struggling with that, I became aware, well I can’t, but I can.
That if that’s what the Lord is calling me to do. That's what he wanted me to do. So,
I've had that deep-seated conviction that I was called of God to do it, and that all I
could do was to respond to what he told me to do. And I didn't really have to know
how. And I didn’t have to do it well. I just had to do it faithfully. And so that's been
my conviction through all the years.20
Roberts has carried the conviction to preach throughout his ministry, and he started

preaching soon after this experience of listening to the Lord about his ministry call.

When Roberts’s father was converted, he had started a ministry at the

Schenectady Almshouse, or as it was commonly called, the poor house.21 Roberts

estimated that the home had four hundred to five hundred residents during this time. Each

Friday, his father would go to the poor house and preach in several locations on the

property.22 Roberts would go with his father most weeks, and he remembered how on one

week his father simply stated that he would be preaching that night, and so he did –

Roberts was thirteen at the time. From that point forward, Roberts would preach regularly

on Friday nights with his father. He also continued to improve upon his preaching by

19
Roberts discussed that he was very nervous to speak in front of people as a child and that
preaching a sermon seemed to him to be impossible.
20
The history page of First Presbyterian Church, Schenectady, New York, highlights the
impact had on young people at that time. It states, “In 1942 six young people appeared before the session to
share their decision to enter Christian service and a long line of volunteers followed.” Roberts would have
been eleven in 1942, and if he was not in the initial group of six, he is certainly included in the “long line”
that followed that group. See Michael Alford, James Stewart, David Vincent, and James Mancuso, “Our
History,” First Presbyterian Church, Schenectady NY, accessed on June 27,
2017, http://www.1stpreschurchschdy.org/index.php/about-us/our-history.
21
“The Schenectady County Almshouse and Almshouse Records in the Library,” Grems-
Doolittle Library Collections, August 23, 2011, accessed June 23, 2017,
https://gremsdoolittlelibrary.blogspot.com/2011/08/schenectady-county-almshouse-and.html .
22
Discussing his father’s preaching ministry at this location, Roberts stated, “He would take a
group of young people from our church with him. And they would visit the various places, my dad had four
places where he preached each Friday night … and young people would bring the people from their rooms
in the wheelchairs or on their crutches and so on. And my dad would preach to them. I don't suppose it
could be said he would have qualified to serve as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania, but I doubt that any group of people were ever exposed to more serious minded and faithful
man than my father.”

24
delivering messages on street corners, in prisons, and in the county mission throughout

his teenage years. Before many preachers have delivered his first sermon, Roberts had

become seasoned and completely confirmed in the conviction of his calling to preach.

Roberts certainly had unique opportunities to preach from a very young age,

but one other event helped equip him for ministry as a teenager. When he was eighteen-

years-old, the pastor of the Presbyterian church that his family attended accepted an

assignment with the United States government to speak with troops throughout Asia. In

the pastor’s absence, the elders of the church asked that Roberts’s fill in and perform the

duties that the pastor would typically do during the week. For six weeks, Roberts

delivered messages on Sunday morning, Sunday night, at the Wednesday night meeting,

and he even led several Bible studies during the week. One incident during this time

made a great impact on Roberts. In the church, there was a woman who thought that

Roberts was “God’s gift to the world,” until he taught one night that there was no such

thing as a carnal Christian, and to be carnal was to be spiritually dead. The woman

became very angry with Roberts for this teaching. She changed from telling everyone

how great he was to how terrible he was. In hindsight, Roberts stated, “she went

everywhere denouncing me because I had slain her false prophet.” This would certainly

not be the last time that Roberts angered someone with his teachings, and it provides a
good indication into how he would seek to remain more concerned with what he believed

the Lord wanted him to teach, then he was with how the people listening would respond.

College and Seminary

As Roberts gained experience in preaching, it helped to confirm his calling into

ministry and God’s equipping him for the task. At the encouragement of his pastor,

Roberts skipped the eleventh grade of high school and was able to graduate when he was

sixteen-years-old. In the Fall of 1948, Roberts left Schenectady to attend Gordon College
in Boston, Massachusetts. He would stay there for a year and a half, but reflecting on this

25
time, he said that he did not gain much and he was, in fact, very bored. When he was

eighteen he moved back to Schenectady unsure of what would be the next step in his life.

At a Wednesday night prayer meeting at his church, Roberts was approached

by a stranger and offered a job in control engineering laboratory at the General Electric

Company. Roberts accepted the job, and he began testing products to ensure that the item

performed how the company was stating that it would to the consumer. He noted that in

this laboratory he was one of the only uneducated persons with most of the other

employees having earned doctorates in specific scientific fields.23 After a year at this job,

during which time he filled in for his pastor, Roberts realized it was time to finish his

education for ministry. To accomplish this goal, he chose to attend Whitworth College.

Whitworth College located in Spokane, Washington, was Roberts choice, in

part, because of its distance from New York. He was hoping a fresh start would be

beneficial for him spiritually, but after crossing the country he realized that the man he

was in New York followed him to Washington. He recognized at this point that in order

to really change he had to be as fully aligned with Christ as he could possibly be. In

addition to completing his undergraduate degree at Whitworth, Roberts continued to

serve in different ministry avenues. Primarily, he partnered with an Air Force veteran and

traveled throughout the Spokane area conducting Bible studies in different settings.
It was during this time, while being away from the godly example of his

parents for the first lengthy period, that Roberts was really exposed to some of the

hypocrisy in the church and in those who serve in ministry. He recalled two instances

with the Air Force veteran that deeply impacted his desire to be faithful in his calling to

23
Roberts shared that during this time he had daily reminders that education did not always led
to wisdom. About some of the men that he worked with, he said, “I was practically speaking the only
uneducated person in the laboratory. The rest were all doctors, and not frivolous, but earned doctorates.
And what I discovered was that some of these men, who were doctor this, or doctor that, it almost seemed
as if they couldn't even tie their own shoes without their mother’s help. So, they were a critical specialist in
some incredibly narrow area of interest, but in practical ways they knew nothing. That became a huge
lesson to me. I thought true wisdom is not outward knowledge, but insight, understanding to the genuine
motives and purposes of God.”

26
serve Christ. The man, in one instance, treated his wife horribly in front of Roberts, and

another time he purposely, and incorrectly, answered a question in a Bible study simply

to try and impress the people. The question had been addressed to Roberts, and Roberts

told the group that he did not know the answer, but that he would come back the

following week prepared to answer the question. Instead, the other man interrupted and

gave his reply. On their way home that evening, the other man scolded Roberts, and

stated that he ruined his ministry by saying that he did not know the answer. His belief

was that a minister must always have a response, even if he is just making up an answer

in the moment. Roberts saw the hypocrisy in this practice and determined, as best as he

was able, he would not follow this advice.24 After finishing his degree at Whitworth, he

decided it was time to continue his preparations for ministry in the seminary setting.

Staying on the West Coast, Roberts moved south to Pasadena, California, to

attend Fuller Theological Seminary in the Fall of 1955.25 After some time at Fuller,

Roberts became concerned with the content of the teaching at the school. He realized that

he was losing his confidence in Bible as God’s Word. The impact of the teaching was

that it was leading him to make concessions on the authority of Scripture. He had

basically decided that he would hold to the New Testament, but view the Old Testament

with suspicion. This was troubling to him, because he wanted to believe the Bible, but his
studies were not helping in this struggle, so he went to visit the dean, Charles

24
In a related story, but later in his life and ministry, Roberts shared how he was invited to
preach at this man’s church, the Whitefield Chapel in London. During this visit, Roberts discovered that the
man was actively in an adulterous relationship and he exposed the man’s sins to the church leadership.
Unfortunately, based on the man’s actions and prayers, Roberts was not even certain that he was a believer.
25
Roberts’s pastor in Schenectady had been Hebert Mekeel. Mekeel was one of the first men
offered the position of dean at Fuller, but he declined the initial invitation by Harold Ockenga. He later did
join the faculty as dean and professor of practical ministry, but his stay was short lived as the presbytery in
California refused to accept him over their concern that other, more liberal, men from Fuller would apply to
join the presbytery as well. This left Mekeel with a difficult decision; if he stayed at Fuller he could not
remain a Presbyterian. Ultimately, he decided to return to pastoral ministry in New York. See George
Marsden, Reforming Fundamentalism: Fuller Seminary and the New Evangelicalism (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1987), 28, 103, and 107.

27
Woodbridge.26 Woodbridge listened to Roberts’s concerns, and then asked him if he

would be willing to follow his lead after the semester. Roberts said that he would have to

know what Woodbridge was planning on doing before agreeing to follow him.

Woodbridge stated that he was resigning from the seminary after the semester. Roberts

replied that he could certainly follow Woodbridge in that example, and at the end of the

semester both men left the school to pursue other opportunities.27

Leaving Fuller Seminary before he graduated left Roberts in a difficult

position. He was thousands of miles from his home, and he knew that neither his parents

nor his pastor would be happy to hear his decision. Despite these difficulties, Roberts

knew that the issue of biblical authority was too significant to take lightly, or one to

compromise on. He decided to return to the Spokane area to spend time to settle the issue

and determine what his next steps should be in ministry. Without any income, or a place

to stay, Roberts approached a director of a local mission and explained the situation to

him. The director agreed to provide Roberts with a room, food, and time to settle the

questions he was having about the Bible. Roberts described the time in this way:

I closed myself up in my room, and day after day, I compared the New Testament
with the Old Testament. The first thing that really gripped me was if I was going to
throw out the Old, I had to throw out the New. Because the New is full of quotations
from the Old. Well, I didn't want to do that. And so, I determined just to press on in
studying. And one day I just suddenly realized I believe every word of God’s book.
And I went and told the superintendent, and he said, praise the Lord for we been
praying that the answer would come, and it has. Well then, I was ready for ministry.
Roberts was prepared for ministry, maybe not in the traditional sense, but in a unique

manner, which in many ways prepared him for his unique ministry that would follow.

26
While Woodbridge was educated in Europe, it is reported he was not impacted by the liberal
teaching prevalent at that time. Marsden states this about Woodbridge: “One of the last to study in
Germany in this era was Charles Woodbridge of the early Fuller faculty, who had studied there in 1928 and
in France in 1932. Woodbridge, however, was so thoroughly hardened against European thought as to be
seemingly untouched by it.” Marsden, Reforming Fundamentalism, 100.
27
Woodbridge’s leaving Fuller in 1957 is not as well-known as these later departures of faculty
members, such as Harold Lindsell, but about Woodbridge’s decision Lindsell wrote that he had left Fuller
“presciently.” Harold Lindsell, Battle for the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976), 111.

28
 Pastoral Ministry, Research, and Travel
Roberts had settled the issue of biblical authority, and firmly landed on the

conservative side of the issue.28 After this event, he was called to pastor a Congregational

church in Portland, Oregon in 1957. When he was called to the church he felt that only

one person in the church was a genuine believer, and after some time in the church he

realized that this person was clearly not saved.29 Roberts had preached in the church just

a few weeks when he felt that his messages were impacting the people in the church.

After one sermon, he stated that if anyone in the congregation would like to know what it

meant to have their sins forgiven that he would be available to meet with them at two

o’clock that afternoon in the church. Roberts was thinking that one or two people would

come to meet with him and that he could provide some personal counsel regarding their

spiritual condition. To his astonishment, thirteen people came to the church that

afternoon. He could no longer provide the individual counsel that he had intended, so he

carefully presented the gospel to the group. After his discussion, he asked each person to

meet with him personally during the next week to tell him how God had transformed his

or her life. Again, to his surprise, over the course of the next six days, eleven of the

thirteen people met with him to share how Christ had transformed their life. This event

started a season of great movement in the church. About this period, Roberts stated,

The evidence from then on was mounting up that the Lord was at work doing
something wonderful. And, I feel as I look back that there was a time in this country
when there was a more general movement of the Holy Spirit then now. But, at the
same time, I've also felt the Lord gave me that season of incredible blessing just so
as I could look back from time to time, and thank Him and have that awareness that
I didn't know anything then, and I don't know very much now, and it wasn't anything
I knew, or really anything I did except faithfully proclaim what I knew to be true.
And it was the blessing of God upon his own Word, not upon me.

28
In some ways, Roberts’s struggle was like Billy Graham’s on the issue of biblical authority.
He had people he respected in ministry making statements against the authority of Scripture, but after some
time alone he determined to trust every word of the Bible. For Graham’s account of his decision on biblical
inerrancy see Billy Graham, Just as I Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham (Grand Rapids: HarperOne
– Zondervan, 2007), 137-40.
29
Roberts later met an elderly man in the church who had been ill when Roberts was called as
pastor. This man was a believer, and he was faithfully praying for his church and its new pastor.

29
Roberts continued to serve in this church for about four years and he experienced many

of the blessings and challenges of ministry. After his time in this church he decided to go

to London and start research on two of his significant volumes in the area of revival.

In the early 1960s, Roberts went to London to start his research in revival. At

first, this research was personal in nature as Roberts desired to build an extensive

personal library about the topic of revival. In the process, the research became the

published works, Revival Literature30 and Whitefield in Print.31 Both volumes are

comprehensive annotated bibliographies which contain the significant works in their area

of focus.32 During this research trip, Roberts studied at the Evangelical Library, Dr.

William’s Library, and the British Museum, and he attended Westminster Chapel.

The Westminster Chapel was pastored by Martyn Lloyd-Jones at the time of

Roberts’s studies, and he was impacted by his preaching and ministry in several

significant ways. The first impact occurred when Roberts was introduced to Lloyd-Jones

after the service one Sunday morning. For several weeks, one of the deacons at

Westminster, who also volunteered at the Evangelical Library, had been telling Roberts

that Lloyd-Jones wanted to meet him. At first, Roberts disregarded this as the deacon just

being polite and trying to make him feel welcome. As Roberts was preparing to leave one

Sunday the deacon came and took him by the arm and escorted him to a hallway full of
people waiting to speak with the Doctor.33 He was taken to the front of the line and after a

30
Richard Owen Roberts, Revival Literature: An Annotated Bibliography with Biographical
and Historical Notices (Wheaton, IL: Richard Owen Roberts Pub, 1987).
31
Richard Owen Roberts, Whitefield in Print: A Bibliographic Record of Works By, For, and
Against George Whitefield: with Annotations, Biographical and Historical Notices, and Bibliographies of
Associates and Contemporaries (Wheaton, IL: Richard Owen Roberts Pub, 1988).
32
These volumes are discussed in detail in chap. 4 of this dissertation.
33
Martyn Lloyd-Jones had trained to be a medical doctor before entering the ministry, and this
training led to many referring to him as the Doctor throughout his ministry. For a summary of Lloyd-
Jones’s ministry see American Family Studios, Logic on Fire: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-
Jones, DVD, directed by Matthew Robinson, 2015. This DVD also includes Roberts retelling his meeting
with Lloyd-Jones as part of the extra footage.

30
little time he was invited into Lloyd-Jones’s office and the two of them discussed revival

for about twenty minutes. Lloyd-Jones was interested in revival, and therefore, very

curious about Roberts’s studies on the topic. Despite Roberts’s misgivings, Lloyd-Jones

did, in fact, want to meet with him and discuss his studies on the topic of revival.

After his discussion with Lloyd-Jones, Roberts and the deacon returned to the

main area of the church and Roberts decided to question the deacon about the long line of

people in the hallway. He asked the deacon to tell him who were all the people in the

hallway lined up to see the Doctor. The deacon stated that the people were inquirers.

Roberts was astonished that he was taken to the front of that line, he would have gladly

waited as those who were concerned over their spiritual condition talked with Lloyd-

Jones. The deacon reassured Roberts that Lloyd-Jones did indeed want to meet him, and

that the line was not that unusual for a Sunday morning service. This too, surprised

Roberts, and the deacon asked him not to share this information while Lloyd-Jones was

alive, because Lloyd-Jones did not like keeping statistics on spiritual matters. The

deacon, along with the other deacons, believed that an average of twenty-five people

were converted every Sunday under Lloyd-Jones’s ministry in London. Roberts stated

that throughout his life this impact has been confirmed during his travels to the United

Kingdom. As Roberts has been in London, he has met many people who would point to
Lloyd-Jones’s preaching as the instrument that God used to bring them to Christ.

A second impact that Lloyd-Jones had on Roberts during this time was in his

understanding of preaching and its purpose. From Lloyd-Jones, Roberts came to see that

preaching was not simply an exercise for the church to perform, but, in his words, “true

preaching is the experience with God in his Word.” At this point, Roberts determined that

his purpose in preaching would be to help people experience God, his character, his

purposes, and his heart, through the Bible. From Roberts’s perspective, Lloyd-Jones

never did anything more than preach Scripture, and make connections to current world
events. He was struck by the fact that an invitation was not given, and the only
31
announcements at the end of the service were to state the time of the Sunday night

service, Wednesday night prayer meeting,34 and the passage that would be preached the

following week. The simple preaching of God’s Word was enough to convert people.

The impact of Lloyd-Jones’s preaching was significant on Roberts. As he

prepared to return to the United States and to continue his own preaching ministry he

would seek to incorporate some elements that he observed in his time at Westminster and

in his study of revival. After his studies, Roberts returned to the United States and started

his itinerant preaching ministry, but other significant changes were coming to his life.

Marriage and Family Life

Roberts returned to the United States, and while visiting his parent’s home in

New York, his mother encouraged him to go to the university age group meeting prior to

the evening service one Sunday. As Roberts walked into the sanctuary the group was

singing out of the InterVarsity hymnal. He did not know many of the songs, and one

young woman, noticing this, stood next to him and offered to share her songbook.

Without even directing looking at the young woman, Roberts thought about who this

woman could be, and if she would be the one that he would marry. Roberts had always

desired to be married, but it was a matter he felt could only be handled with prayer and

patience. Although he was getting older, he remained faithful to trusting that the Lord
would guide him in this area of his life. The woman holding the song book, although

younger than Roberts, was approaching the subject of marriage in a similar fashion. After

this initial meeting, they both spent time in prayer on the matter, and after a short while,

Roberts and Margaret Ann Jameson (Maggie) became engaged to be married.

The manner in which Roberts approached his engagement with Maggie helps

to demonstrate his confidence that the Lord would lead him to a suitable spouse. Instead

34
Roberts stated that the announcement for the Wednesday night prayer meeting would be
“Prayer meeting at seven on the Wednesday, all believers required to be in attendance.”

32
of planning an elaborate, and romantic, event which would lead up to the big question,

Roberts prepared a detailed list of reasons why she should not marry him. His reasons

included the fact that he was quite a bit older than her, and that his itinerant preaching

would mean that she would regularly be left alone with any children that they might have.

Maggie listened to the difficulties that would be ahead of them in marriage, but after

consideration she determined that she understood the challenges and she still desired to

marry Roberts. Shortly after their engagement, the Fuller Foundation arranged a

honeymoon, and preaching opportunity, in Bermuda for the following June.35 Roberts

informed Maggie of the plans, but she declined the opportunity because she had already

agreed to be a nurse at an area summer camp. Instead of an early summer marriage, the

couple was wed on September 8, 1962, the day before Roberts thirty-first birthday.

As a newly married couple the two adjusted to life together and the realities of

an itinerate ministry. They would have two children, Robert Owen Roberts36 and Gwynne

Margaret Roberts.37 Even after having children, Roberts continued to travel regularly to

preach, but he became convicted that he could not properly lead his family in this way.

He remembered returning home one time and his young children did not recognize him.

For this reason, he and Maggie started to pray for an opportunity for a ministry that

would be equal in need and challenge as the itinerate ministry. This prayer was answered
with an opportunity to pastor a large church that was located in Fresno, California.

The church was called the Free Evangelical Lutheran Cross Church. Roberts

35
Roberts regularly received offers to preach in churches from the Fuller Foundation. When
Charles Fuller was unable to accept an invitation to preach somewhere, the foundation would often
recommend Roberts. This connection started shortly after Roberts had become an itinerant preacher
because he simply informed a director at the seminary that he had entered the itinerate ministry.
36
Robert Roberts would later assist his father in the bookstore ministry, living in an apartment
next to his parents above the bookstore in Wheaton. He and his wife would have six children. He currently
lives in Maryville, Tennessee, and works for InterVarsity.
37
Gwynne has had developmental issues that limited her mental abilities in some ways. She
lives in Wheaton near her parents. She participates in regularly in a special needs program through the
College Church near Wheaton College, in Wheaton, Illinois.

33
humorously recalled that only one word in the title was true of the church. It was not a

free church because members had to pay dues. It was not evangelical, because Roberts

believes that he and Maggie were the only believers in the whole church. It was not a

Lutheran church, and in fact, the local Lutheran churches sent a letter to the church

asking that the title be taken out of the name as it misled people in the area. Roberts said

that the one word in the church’s name that fit was cross, because the people in the

church were the crossest people that he has ever served in ministry. Roberts’s discussion

of the name of the church in many ways illustrate his tumultuous time at the church. He

was called to be pastor after a church vote that was substantially short of a majority.38

Additionally, after his first sermon as pastor some of the deacons approached him

because they were unhappy with his message. Their plan was to have Roberts submit his

sermon notes to them on Tuesdays, and they would then edit his notes telling him what

he could preach the following Sunday. Roberts stood his ground, and pointed the deacons

to the church’s constitution, which stated that the deacons were to serve the pastor, not

provide oversight over him. He firmly told them that when he needed something he

would ask them; however, if they knew of a church member who was hospitalized and

would need him to visit then they could inform him of those matters. The deacons were

not very happy with their new pastor, and they threatened to have him voted out of the
church. Roberts responded that he could not stop them from trying, but he was certain

that he would be at the church until the Lord removed him from his position. About one

year later, Roberts preached his last sermon as pastor of the church. His passage was

Matthew 6:13, “deliver us from evil.” Roberts recalled it as a fitting end to his ministry

there because both sides felt like they were being delivered from evil.

38
The church voted on three men at one time. Roberts received the most votes, about eight
hundred, the second man received about seven hundred votes, and the third man received about six hundred
votes. More people voted against calling Roberts than those who voted for him. Roberts said he knew all
this information entering the situation, but he believed that he was called by God to be there, and so he
would faithfully serve the church until he was directed to go to another ministry opportunity.

34
 After his time at the Free Evangelical Lutheran Cross Church in Fresno came

to an end, Roberts remained in the Fresno area and planted a church. He would pastor the

church plant for about eight years, and he remembered this time as being good for his

family and rewarding in his ministry. One of his favorite memories from this time was

the time that he spent with his children on Wednesday nights after the church’s prayer

meetings. His wife, Maggie, would sing in the church’s choir, which practiced after the

prayer meeting each week. This meant that on Wednesday nights it was solely Roberts’s

responsibility to take the children home and put them to bed. In this process, Roberts

started telling an ongoing story that he would make up for the children. Every week the

children would excitedly get into the car and ask their father to continue the story, but

Roberts said it was difficult for him to make such a sudden switch from a serious prayer

meeting to an engaging children’s story. Instead of entering the story immediately,

Roberts would ask the children to review what had happened in the story the previous

weeks. As the children reviewed the story, it would help Roberts mentally transition, and

once the kids got to the place where the story stopped the previous week he was ready,

much to the delight of his children, to continue forward with the always evolving tale.

Roberts and his family remained in Fresno at the church plant for about eight

years before the call of itinerate preaching drew him back out of the pastorate. He
remembered having a conversation with Wilbur Smith, an old contact from Fuller

Seminary, and in the conversation Smith had suggested that Wheaton, Illinois would

make a great place to have a serious Christian bookstore. The idea seemed good to

Roberts, who had already started a book business to help support himself in ministry. In

1975, Roberts and his family relocated to Wheaton to continue his preaching ministry,

develop his bookstore, and to serve with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

35
 Preaching Ministry
For most of his life, Roberts has been an itinerant preacher. As mentioned

previously, he was a pastor in Portland for about four years, a year at the established

church in Fresno, and about more eight years at the Fresno church plant. Most of the

remaining years of his ministry were spent traveling to different churches and

conferences preaching on the topic of revival. From this ministry Roberts has been able

to experience the church from a unique prospective. He has seen conflicts, exposed sins,

and watched as denominations shifted in both theology and practice. Through all these

experiences his hope has been to faithfully proclaim God’s Word to the church in

anticipation of revival. Despite the many shortcomings easily apparent in the American

church, Roberts has maintained hope that God might still bring revival to his people.

As Roberts contemplated starting his itinerate ministry he had two main

obstacles to overcome. First, he recognized that the Presbyterian system would not allow

him the flexibility to travel and preach as widely as he would like to do. Second, he knew

that it would be difficult to support a family on the inconsistent money of an itinerate. To

address his first issue, Roberts decided to become a Congregationalist. This movement

between denominations did not force Roberts to make any substantial changes to his

theological beliefs, and it provided him with the freedom to accept invitations to preach

at many different denominations.39 In addressing the second issue, Roberts decided to

start a book selling business. In its earliest years, most of the books were sold mail-order

and he did not have a physical store front. The benefits of the book business were that

Roberts could provide some level of consistent income for himself, and later his family,

and that he also did not have to ask for any amount to preach in a church. When a church

39
Roberts stated that his beliefs align closely with Baptists in all areas, except baptism. He said,
“I have never tried to pretend to be a Southern Baptist, but I’m not aware of any area in my life where I
would disagree with true Southern Baptist doctrines as far as I know. I’m probably much more baptistic
than anything else, though I don’t really think baptism by immersion is essential in any way to salvation.
I’ve not been baptized by immersion, I’m not about to be. But I do think it’s the preferential way, and by
all means it carries the greatest significance. But other than not being one, I’m probably about as close as
you can get without being [one].”

36
asked Roberts how much they would have to pay, he would simply reply that the church

could give whatever they felt was appropriate. In this way, Roberts has felt that money

was never a significant factor in deciding whether to accept an invitation to preach.

In addition to the issues discussed above, itinerate ministry brought challenges

to Roberts’s family life. He remembers one time returning home from a preaching trip

and entering the house without Maggie knowing that he was home. She was on the phone

telling the person on the other end that he would not be home for several more days.

When she turned and saw him standing in the room they both had a good laugh over the

fact that it was so difficult to keep track of his travel schedule. Despite the difficulties,

Maggie was supportive of the ministry. When she was asked about whether it was

difficult to be home alone with the children so often, her response was that she could

handle it because she knew what her husband was doing was what God called him to do.

If he was travelling this much as a salesman, selling some product, then she might find it

difficult, but with him preaching she knew they were both being faithful to God’s call.

Throughout the seventy plus years of Roberts’s preaching ministry there has

been a noticeable shift in the denominations that send him invitations to preach in their

churches. As a young man in New York and Washington, most of Roberts’s invitations

came from denominations located in the northern portion of the country. His background
provided him opportunities in Presbyterian and Congregational churches regularly. As an

older man, many of his invitations to preach come from Baptist and Church of Christ

churches.40 He has also preached at Assembly of God, Episcopal, Lutheran, and

40
Roberts determined at a young age to not focus on issues that were divisive when preaching
in a church that held to a position different from his own. He feels that most denominational differences
revolve around baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and eschatology. In his words, “I came to the conclusion that
there were three areas of great divisiveness; eschatology, which I’ve already spoken ever so briefly about,
and the ordinances; baptism and the Lord’s supper. And huge conflicts and splits have occurred, and we
can almost account for the multitude of denominations, just on the basis of those three issues. So, I set my
heart, not to violate in those three areas, and although I have personal convictions, I don’t find it important
to pay any attention to essential issue in the whole doctrine of eschatology to my way of thinking is be
ready at all times. The essential in human baptism is not the amount of water that’s involved, or the means
in which that water is utilized, but that you have a transforming experience with Christ which you are
giving public testimony to in baptism. And in the Lord’s supper, that the Lord’s table must not be open to

37
Methodist churches throughout his ministry. From these groups, Roberts most regularly

preaches in Southern Baptist churches, one reason for this was Henry Blackaby.

The connection with Blackaby started when Roberts was invited to preach at

the Rocky Mountain Keswick Conference along with a retired missionary named Bertha

Smith.41 Smith was a leading figure in the Shantung Revival in China.42 However, Smith

died shortly before the conference was to be held and the event was cancelled.43 The

pastor organizing the conference invited Roberts to come and preach, but this time in

partnership with Blackaby. Roberts remembers preparing to preach on the last night of

the conference. He was struggling with what he should preach on that night because he

felt like he should preach from Joel and discuss the solemn assembly. His struggle was he

had already preached on this topic earlier in the week. Despite his misgivings, he

determined that God was leading him to preach on this topic. After speaking Blackaby

approached him to thank him for the message. Blackaby was scheduled to lead a group of

Southern Baptist denominational leaders over the next several days, and he was not sure

what he was going to speak to them about. After hearing the message on the solemn

assembly, he had determined that is what he would teach. After this conference, Roberts

began receiving regular invitations to preach in Southern Baptist churches.

Before concluding this section on Roberts’s preaching ministry there are

several items that should be noted. First, Roberts’s sermons are often quite long

compared to most contemporary preachers. He will regularly preach for one and a half to

anybody any everybody, but carefully fenced and involving only those who have truly sought the Lord and
have repented of every known issue in their life where they are in conflict with him.”
41
Roberts stated that this conference was not actually a Keswick conference; instead it was just
that group’s best understanding of what a Keswick conference should be.
42
Mary K. Crawford, The Shantung Revival (Shanghai: China Baptist Publication Society,
1933).
43
Roberts has mentioned Bertha Smith regularly as an illustration of faithful service to the Lord
in both her missionary career and in her “retirement” in his sermons. It is clear that he has been impacted
by her ministry, and while he has not stated this, it seems like he would have liked to meet her personally.

38
two hours in length in a Sunday morning setting. He will preach for longer at a

conference. Roberts has often explained that the reason his sermons are so long is

because Sunday is the Lord’s day, not the Lord’s hour. He lamented that many churches

are so tied to their schedule, due to multiple services, that the church cannot give

adequate time in a sermon for God to use his Word to convict and change people.

Roberts’s also firmly believes that Christians should crave to hear the Word of God

preached, and that the shortness of most sermons is an indictment against the unconverted

nature of many of the people in the pews. When people are converted, and faithfully

seeking God, Roberts believes that they will have no issue sitting through lengthy

sermons. Roberts also noted that the one comment he has received most about the length

of his sermons is from people who say that they wish he would preach longer. An

additional characteristic of Roberts’s sermons is that he has had a heavy emphasis on the

Old Testament. When asked about this emphasis, Roberts often will open a Bible between

the Old Testament and New Testament, demonstrating the larger Old Testament section.

He then simply states that since about two-thirds of the Bible is Old Testament, more

preaching would come from the Old Testament then from the New.44 Even when Roberts

does preach from a New Testament passage he will often return to sections of the Old

Testament to support his points and for illustrations. While his preaching does not
conform to many of the characteristics of the modern church, it is still impactful for those

who hear. In his preaching, Roberts has not sought to be successful by human standards,

but only to be faithful to what the Lord has called him to do. In this endeavor, it can be

seen that Roberts has been faithful to the Lord’s leading and this as blessed the church.

44
Roberts does this in a somewhat humorous manner at the beginning of this message: Richard
Owen Roberts, “What does Christ want?” accessed on May 12, 2017, https://heart-
cryforrevival.org/fusionlivestream/.

39
 Bookstore Ministry
While Roberts has had a significant impact on the church through his

preaching on revival, he has also had an impact through his bookstore and publishing. As

mentioned previously, one of the main reasons that Roberts started his bookstore was to

provide financial support for his preaching ministry. The bookstore might not be

considered a great success in the business sense, but it certainly has provided the regular

and consistent income that Roberts sought for his family. 45 Roberts started the bookstore

ministry as a mail-order business about the time that he started his itinerate preaching

ministry. When the opportunity presented itself to relocate his family to Wheaton, in a

connection with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), Roberts purchased

a couple buildings adjacent to the Wheaton College campus. 46 The buildings were

previously used by various ministries as office space, but Roberts converted the

downstairs into his bookstore and office. The upstairs was remodeled into several

apartments. Roberts and his wife, Maggie, have lived in one of the apartments, and for a

period of time, his son Robert and his family lived in another one of the apartments.

When discussing the bookstore, Roberts stated that individual customers were

never really the main patrons of his business. In fact, his primary customers were

institutions seeking to buy large quantities of material on various subjects to build

libraries. Typically, a school, or institution, would approach Roberts needing a collection

of books on topics like psychology, Baptist history, or other subjects. The entity would

sometimes be seeking six to eight thousand books. Roberts would locate the volumes and

45
Roberts even stated that Wheaton, Illinois, was probably one of the worst places that he
could have located his physical bookstore because he feels the city has a culture of religion without the
spiritual life from God’s grace.
46
Roberts worked with the BGEA to help start a library collection on revival. According to
Roberts’s website he contributed over 9,000 volumes to provide the nucleus of the library. Roberts also
would appraise other library collections that the BGEA was interested in bidding on for different reasons. It
is unclear how official Roberts’s connection with the BGEA ever was, but some evidence suggests that the
relationship soured after some time with Roberts even stating that he was deeply hurt in the connection. See
“Richard Owen Roberts,” Richard Owen Roberts Trust, accessed May 25, 2017, http://rortrust.org/.

40
sell them to the institution. He stated that for years this was the primary task of the

business.47 It is in connection with his business of selling large quantities of books to

institutions that Roberts started his publishing business. While working with institutions

Roberts discovered that large payments for orders would often be sent to him at

unpredictable and inopportune times for preparing for taxes. He said that more than once

he would receive a large check that would than require him to pay substantially more in

taxes than he had been planning to do. For this reason, Roberts decided that it would be

to his benefit to start publishing material through the book business. When he would

receive a large check from an institution he could invest most of the money back into

publishing costs and therefore spread the income out through the sale of published books.

In connection with starting a publishing business, Roberts would have to

determine what type of material that he would publish. At first, he considered publishing

a wide range of material, but eventually he settled on only publishing material in the area

of revival. More specifically, he was going to focus on publishing material that dealt with

strong periods of church history, particularly the Puritan period. Roberts stated,

I had to make some decision, will we try to become general publishers or will we
regulate our activity on some sound basis. Well, because I was of the conviction that
the puritan period came as close to New Testament Christianity as you could find,
that we would designate that our publishing activity would be solely in the area of
revival as it was blended in with strong periods of church history.
The first set that Richard Owen Roberts Publishers printed was the works of Thomas

Boston.48 The set consisted of twelve volumes. Other works that were published included

pamphlets by Roberts, several books that he authored or edited, historical works from

men like R. Philip Roberts and W. Vernon Highman, and works by J. Edwin Orr. 49

47
He also mentioned that this has changed in recent years because most institutions are not
building printed book libraries. Instead most institutions are selling their books whenever possible.
48
Books were published under the Richard Owen Roberts Publishers label or International
Awakening Press label.
49
See R. Philip Roberts, Continuity and Change: London Calvinistic Baptists and the
Evangelical Revival 1760-1820 (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1989); and W. Vernon
Higham, The Turn of the Tide: When God Floods His Church with True Revival Blessing (Wheaton, IL:

41
 The connection between Roberts and Orr is significant, not just in publishing

but also in their preaching ministries. The two men had served together in revival

ministry in a number of different locations, and they considered each other friends.

According to Roberts, Orr tried on several occasions to get him to pursue higher

education degrees, and at one time was seeking to have a doctorate degree rewarded to

him based off of his research for the book Revival Literature.50 The connection between

the two men led to Roberts being appointed the president of the Orr Association after Orr

passed away. In this role, Roberts considered the purpose of the organization, which was

to facilitate preaching for J. Edwin Orr, and determined that the best course of action

would be to close the ministry rather than completely alter its purpose. The board

followed Roberts’s decision and many of the assets of the ministry were given to

International Awakening Ministries – this was a ministry, also lead by Roberts, which

sought to help promote revival. Included in the assets from the Orr Association were

several unpublished works that he was not able to complete before he died. Roberts

edited and published these works to make them available to others in the hope that Orr’s

final words on revival would be an encouragement to those in the church seeking it.51

A final topic to consider while discussing the bookstore ministry from

Roberts’s life is the knowledge of theological literature that he gained through working
with books. As Roberts collected and sold historical and academic theological material he

became an expert in this area. Other book collectors, or appraisers, would often seek his

advice on the value of collections or volumes. He was employed several times by the

International Awakening Press, 1995). J. Edwin Orr’s works are discussed individually below.
50
Roberts, Revival Literature.
51
The Orr books that Roberts edited and published after his death are J. Edwin Orr, An
Apprenticeship of Faith, ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1993);
Orr, Campus Aflame: A History of Evangelical Awakenings in Collegiate Communities, ed. Richard Owen
Roberts (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1994); Orr, The Event of the Century: The 1857-
1858 Awakening, ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1989); and Orr,
My All, His All, ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL: Richard Owen Roberts Pub, 1989).

42
Billy Graham Association to appraise a library collection that was on auction, and to help

them prepare an appropriate bid.52 Roberts considered this one of the great blessings of

his dealings in the book industry. In this role, he spent several days browsing through the

Spurgeon Library when William Jewel College was selling it.53 He remembers feeling

extremely blessed by the Lord to have the opportunity to handle that material and even

for the opportunity to read many of Spurgeon’s own inscriptions in some of the books.

On another occasion, he was sent to appraise a collection of material in the Hartford

Theological Library. He remembers this collection containing a great collection of

theological works, including six to eight hundred volumes of incunabula.54 The library

was also significant because it was founded by a group that included Asahel Nettleton.55

Overall, Roberts’s bookstore ministry has served its purpose in providing a

steady and reliable income for his family, and by allowing him to consider preaching

engagements without money being an issue. As it has been demonstrated, the bookstore

also provided other avenues for Roberts to promote revival and draw attention to

historical works that he found significant in this area. When remembering his many

experiences that have been a result of the bookstore, Roberts simply remarked that it has

been an incredible experience, and that he was blessed to have the bookstore in his life.

Prayer Meeting Ministry

Another one of the important aspects of Roberts’s ministry, that has not been

52
Other seminaries and colleges would occasionally employ him for his appraisal skills as well.
53
In this instance, he went as a representative for Midwestern Theology Seminary in Kansas
City, Missouri. With Roberts’s guidance, the seminary was able to acquire the Spurgeon library.
54
Incunabula is a term used in the book industry to refer to books published prior to AD 1500.
See Roberts’s explanation in the appendix.
55
On the significance of Nettleton’s life and ministry in the area of revival, see John
Thornberry, God Sent Revival: The Story of Asahel Nettleton and the Second Great Awakening (1977;
repr., Grand Rapids: Evangelical Press, 1993).

43
examined in any of the sections above, has been his continued emphasis on gathering

believers to pray together for personal and corporate revival. In the section on his

conversion at a young age, it was discussed that Roberts enjoyed attending prayer

meetings as a young boy, and he has continued to attend and host prayer meetings ever

since. In his office, and in his home, Roberts has set up chairs that will accommodate

groups of people gathered together in prayer. At one point, Roberts had hosted a weekly

prayer meeting that involved about twenty men for twenty-five years, but the meetings

ended when his partner moved from Wheaton and he could not find someone to help him

lead the meetings when he was out of town. Despite the end of this group, prayer

meetings have continued to be a significant part of Roberts’s life and ministry.

There are numerous reasons why Roberts hosted the prayer meetings, but the

most significant reason is that he has always been convicted that believers will gather

regularly for prayer. Additionally, Roberts has taught that prayer is an action that

precedes revival. When believers are prepared for revival, they pray in a manner that

displays their willingness to conform to God’s will. Roberts referenced James 1 on prayer

and revival to discuss that there are cheap and costly prayers. He said, “Don’t trouble

God for something you are not willing to pay for.”56 Revival is a costly experience, and

through these meetings Roberts has often met with men willing to pay the price.
Finally, it must be noted that Roberts did not gather people to pray thinking

that in some manner he could work up, or that the group could force, a revival. His

conviction has been that prayer is a necessary component to be properly equipped for

revival, but he also believes that it is a mandated action for church members. He said,

“People who are not involved in the prayer life of the church are not involved in the real

56
Richard Owen Roberts, “Part 4: Is It Too Late for Another Great Awakening?” accessed
December 19, 2016, http://www.collegeofrevival.org/part-4-is-it-too-late-for-another-great-awakening/.
This lecture is one teaching from a set of twelve lectures that were delivered by Roberts on the campus of
Wheaton College. The whole set can be found at http://www.collegeofrevival.org.

44
life of the church.”57 In a similar manner, he taught that prayer was a not gift for a select

few people in the church, but it is an action that all believers must participate in to be

faithful followers of Christ. Roberts explained that prayer for revival is something that

has historically preceded revivals, again, not as the originator of the revival, but as a

display of the faithfulness of God’s people. For Roberts, a prayer meeting was a natural

extension of his ministry in the area of revival as he sought to equip people for revival

through prayer by regularly facilitating, hosting, and attending group prayer meetings.

Legacy
As Roberts as grown older he has been asked on several occasions to discuss

the legacy of his life. One notable example of this question occured is when he received

the Homer G. Lindsey Lifetime of Ministry Award, and he was interviewed to share his

reflections on his ministry.58 Roberts’s response in this setting, and others, was consistent

with a man who has simply sought to be faithful to the Lord in his daily tasks. In

response, he stated that his legacy is not something that he has considered very much,

mostly because he has very little control over it. Additionally, in the interview for this

section, Roberts discussed how his time with books has impacted his thinking in this area.

He discussed men like Andrew Murray or A.W. Tozer, who really did not have much of

an impact in their own day, but later their books were rediscovered and their impact on
the church was significant. He believes that some projects that he has been involved with

will continue to impact the church, including the College of Revival lecture series, but for

the most part he thinks that new voices must be used of God for each generation.

Despite Roberts’s thoughts on his legacy, he will be leaving the church with

Richard Owen Roberts, “Part 8: Have Prayed, Is There Anything Else to Do?” accessed
57

December 26, 2016, http://www.collegeofrevival.org/part-8-having-prayed-is-there-anything-else-to-do/.

58
For this award, the conference produced a forty-six-minute interview during which Roberts
discussed different aspects of his life and ministry. See “Richard Owen Roberts,” Richard Owen Roberts
Trust, accessed May 25, 2017, http://rortrust.org/.

45
some significant resources in regard to his published writings and teachings. His books,

particularly Repentance, have the ability to continue to speak to readers for years to

come. Additionally, Roberts has impacted many younger preachers and teachers who will

continue to seek biblical revival in the church. In many ways, Roberts’s words on revival

correspond with his life. He said, “Revivals were not intended to last perpetually, but the

impact lasts forever.”59 Similarly, “True revival endures, its fruits never pass away.”60

Like the effects of revival, Roberts’s ministry legacy is one that will never completely

disappear simply because of the spiritual benefit he has brought to individuals and to the

church through his teachings on revival and the works that he has published.

Conclusion
Through the process of examining and researching Richard Owen Roberts’s

life for this project, it was a privilege to be invited into Roberts’s personal study and

home to hear him reflect on his life and ministry. In this process, I was struck by

Roberts’s continued pursuit of living a Christ-honoring life and equipping the church for

revival. Even at this late stage of his life, with the church at arguably its weakest point in

the last one hundred years, Roberts has clung to hope that the Lord, at any moment, could

decide to move among his people and bring incredible revival. He believes that any

significant revival would need to bring about drastic changes in most churches today.
Changes that impact not only the people’s practices, but their beliefs as well. Roberts

stated that without question the most neglected doctrine in the church today is the

doctrine of God. As he considers the American church, he believes that most church

members have a distorted view of the character of God. The focus is too much on his

59
Richard Owen Roberts, “Part 3: The Place of True Revivals in the Cycles of Human
History,” accessed December 8, 2016, http://www.collegeofrevival.org/part-3-the-place-of-true-revivals-in-
the-cycles-of-human-history/.
60
Ibid.

46
love, while neglecting aspects of justice, holiness, and wrath. As people follow this

distorted view of God, it leads the church to improperly view the work of Christ,

salvation, and even their Christian duty. Despite this negative view of the American

church today, Roberts has remained hopeful because he knows that it is not beyond the

power of God to revive his people and reform their beliefs. This chapter has considered

Roberts’s life and ministry in a biographical format. The next chapter will focus on his

theology of revival in a systematic manner. The chapter will seek to develop a theology

of revival from his published material and available teachings that will help explain the

reasons for Roberts’s hope that God can still revive the American church today.

47
 CHAPTER 3

RICHARD OWEN ROBERTS’S THEOLOGY

OF REVIVAL

When a person has spent more than three-quarters of a century preaching,

teaching and writing on one topic, the sheer volume of material can make it a challenge

to organize and discuss without first bringing some structure to it. This is certainly the

case for Richard Owen Roberts and the topic of revival. Throughout his life, he has been

focused on the topic of revival, and while the pieces of a complete theology of revival are

present throughout his ministries, a structured and comprehensive discussion has been

lacking.1 The purpose of this chapter is to examine his writing, preaching, and teaching to

organize his theology of revival into one concise format. The chapter will examine his

definition of revival and his discussion of these topics: God, man, conversion, Christ, the

church, the community, results, hindrances, and genuine revival. Through this study, one

will gain an understanding of Roberts’s theology of revival and be prepared to explore

the connection that he has made to repentance and history in the following chapter.

Definition of Revival
In the introductory chapter of this dissertation, an illustration was presented

about the various uses, understandings, and meanings applied to the term revival. This

discussion demonstrated that portions of the American church use the term revival to

refer to a prolonged series of meetings with an evangelistic intent, whereas many others

define it as a unique work of God in the church. Due to this confusion, it is imperative

that terms be defined for proper understanding to be possible. Richard Owen Roberts

1
See chap. 2 for a detailed presentation of Richard Owen Roberts’s life and ministry.

48
recognizes this in his book on the topic of revival, and therefore he carefully defines his

words in the beginning of the book. He states, “If I ask you to agree with my definition of

revival you may find it difficult, but if I ask you to understand my use of the term, you

can then think with me on this grand and vital subject.”2 Roberts recognizes that many

might not agree with his use of the term, but to properly understand his book on revival

one must understand how he uses the term. In a similar manner, many other men who

have had an impact on Roberts were also very careful to define the term. For this reason,

this section will first discuss the definition of several influential men, starting at the First

Great Awakening, and conclude by examine Roberts’s definition of the term.

When examining the topic of revival, especially in the American context, one

man is often regarded as the starting point for the discussion. That man is Jonathan

Edwards, a prominent pastor during the First Great Awakening. Edwards is regarded by

many as not only an authority on revival, but as one of America’s leading theologians. In

his biography of Edwards, George Marsden writes, “Edwards was extraordinary. By

many estimates, he was the most acute early American philosophers and the most brilliant

of all American theologians.”3 Edwards certainly was a gifted and thoughtful man, and

his impact went far beyond his own congregation through the printing of sermons and

accounts of revival.4 Thomas Kidd addresses this impact when he writes, “[Edwards’
books were] critical for generating excitement about the revivals and expectations that

awakenings could happen in towns receiving those publications, too.”5 In this regard,

2
Richard Owen Roberts, Revival (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1983), 15.
Emphasis original.
3
George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press,
2003), 1.
4
See Jonathan Edwards, Jonathan Edwards on Revival (1965; repr., Carlisle, PA: Banner of
Truth, 1995).
5
Thomas S. Kidd, The Great Awakening: A Brief History with Documents (Boston: Bedford/St.
Martins, 2008), xviii.

49
Edwards is still impacting the church today through his written word and his impact has

had an evident effect on the life and ministry of Richard Owen Roberts as well.

Edwards does not provide a short and concise definition of revival that is

typical of modern writing; instead his work The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the

Spirit of God provides an extended discussion of what defines revival.6 In this

publication, Edwards describes revival as “days of grace,”7 which raises the esteem of

Jesus8 and hinders the work of Satan.9 Additionally, revival is marked by a greater

response to God’s Word,10 with people being able to more clearly see truth from error.11

Finally, according to Edwards, revival will lead to a greater love towards God and

others.12 Edwards sets the tone for the church’s early understanding of revival, but by the

end of the Second Great Awakening another voice had captured the church’s attention.

The man who greatly impacted the definition of revival during, and following,

the Second Great Awakening was Charles Finney. Finney not only defined revival for the

church, but he brought a completely different perspective when compared to Edwards and

most of the early American church fathers. His book starts by presenting the impact of

revival and how it stirs the church towards a greater love for God, and then how it

impacts the larger community. He writes, “Revival is the renewal of the first love of

Christians, resulting in the awakening and conversion of sinners to God.”13 Furthermore,

6
Edwards, Jonathan Edwards on Revival, 75-147.
7
Ibid., 75.
8
Ibid., 109.
9
Ibid., 111.
10
Ibid., 113.
11
Ibid., 114.
12
Ibid., 115.
13
Charles Finney, Lectures on Revival (1835; repr., Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers,
1988), 15.

50
Finney continues by stating, “Revival presupposes that the church is mired in a

backslidden state.”14 Where Finney took a dramatic turn from those who were before him

was on the issue of how revivals start. To this point in church history, most would state

that revival happens when God chose to make it happen–that revival was in fact a

miracle. In a complete contrast to this long-held position, Finney disagrees:

For a long time the church believed a revival was a miracle–an interposition of
divine power with which they had nothing to do. They had no more a part in
producing a revival than they had in producing thunder, hail, or an earthquake. Only
recently have Christians realized revivals should be promoted by tools and resources
designed for that purpose.15
For Finney, revival was not a miraculous work of God, instead a church simply had to

follow the correct means to make revival start. It is clear that Finney’s ideas have had a

profound impact on the American church, in contrast, much of Roberts’s ministry has

been aimed at correcting many of the practices that have resulted from these teachings.16

While Edwards and Finney have set the stage for revival in America, several

more recent voices have had a significant impact on Roberts’s understanding of revival.

Three men, in particular, must be mentioned: Martyn Lloyd-Jones, J. Edwin Orr, and

Stephen Olford. As mentioned in the previous chapter, Lloyd-Jones impacted Roberts

when he was a young man studying revival in London.17 Roberts regularly refers to the

times that he sat under Lloyd-Jones’s preaching and the impact that the Holy Spirit had
on him in those occasions. Lloyd-Jones defines revival in numerous places, but this

definition summarizes his understanding, “The essences of a revival is that the Holy

14
Finney, Lectures on Revival, 15.
15
Ibid., 17. Emphasis original.
16
For greater detail about this change, see Iain H. Murray, who provided great insight into the
shift from promoting revival to practicing revivalism that happened turning the Second Great Awakening.
Iain H. Murray, Revival and Revivalism: The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750-1858
(1994; repr., Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009).
17
For more detail about this relationship and the impact that Lloyd-Jones has had on Roberts,
see chap. 2 of this dissertation.

51
Spirit comes down upon a number of people together, upon a whole church, upon a

number of churches, districts, or perhaps a whole country.”18 Or in other words,

“[Revival is] a visitation of the Holy Spirit.”19 Lloyd-Jones’s definition of revival

impacted Roberts as he modified how he defines the term over the course of his ministry.

In addition to Lloyd-Jones, Roberts has also been impacted greatly by J.

Edwin Orr–he even sought to preserve Orr’s work by republishing some of his writings.20

Orr defines revival as a spiritual movement which brings the church back to its New

Testament founding and leads to more engagement with evangelism, teaching, and social

action.21 Orr’s desire was to see the church return to its historic roots and this is also

evident in Roberts’s ministry as he continually seeks to remind the church of its glorious

history. Finally, Stephen Olford’s definition of revival must be considered because he and

Roberts regularly spoke at the same events. Roberts occasionally mentions the connection

that he had to Olford through ministry and he is appreciative of his work.22 Olford defines

revival as “the sovereign act of God, in which He restores His own backsliding people to

repentance, faith, and obedience.”23 Roberts’s ministry highlights many aspects of

Olford’s definition, particularly his focus on backsliders and God reviving them.

While many more definitions of revival could be examined, the five listed

above are sufficient in that they represent main influences in the topic area of revival,

18
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Revival (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1987), 100.
19
Ibid.
20
For more on the connection between Roberts and Orr, see chap. 4 of this dissertation.
21
J. Edwin Orr, The Flaming Tongue: The Impact of the Twentieth-Century Revivals (Chicago:
Moody Press, 1973), vii-viii.
22
Richard Owen Roberts, “Psalm 33: Christianity: Personal & Corporate (2),” accessed
February 2, 2017,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RghtV5iWEP4&index=2&list=PLmmTx77FrqRcmfBrKjoDC8QUz-
dOBslVj .
23
Stephen Olford, Heart Cry for Revival: Expository Sermons on Revival (Westwood, NJ:
Revel, 1962), 33.

52
particularly influencing Roberts on the subject. Roberts regularly defines revival in his

teaching and preaching, but the first place that he is often quoted from is his book on

revival. In the first chapter of the book he defines revival as, “an extraordinary movement

of the Holy Spirit producing extraordinary results.”24 He further explains his definition by

stating that revival is extraordinary because it is so rare, that many years can pass

between God’s movements. He writes, “When an entire generation of Christians can live

and die without ever having come close to genuine revival, such a movement of God is

extraordinary indeed!”25 In addition, Roberts describes revival as a work of God. He

clearly states that man cannot do anything that will force revival even though there are

many things that a Christian should do in an obedient life.26 Finally, Roberts points out

that revival produces extraordinary results. He states, “When revival comes, so powerful

will be the conviction that persons who once thought themselves well worthy of heaven

will stand in wonder and amazement that they are not already burning in the fires of

hell.”27 According to Roberts, in revival one will be more aware of their sinfulness and

God’s holiness–it will bring the person to a greater understanding of God’s character.

During much of his ministry, Roberts used the definition above to explain his

use of the term revival, however in recent years he has modified his definition. He now

explains, “True revival is God in the midst of His people.”28 He acknowledges that he has
changed his definition, but he also explains that his new definition better captures the

idea that he is trying to convey. In another lecture, Roberts notes that revival is a time

24
Roberts, Revival, 16-17.
25
Ibid., 21.
26
Ibid., 22.
27
Ibid., 23.
28
Richard Owen Roberts, “Part 1: The Nature and Incredible Beauty of True Revival,”
accessed December 1, 2016, http://www.collegeofrevival.org/part-1-the-nature-and-incredible-beauty-of-
true-revival/.

53
when heaven is closer to earth than any other time.29 Additionally, he highlights other

terms that are often used when he discusses revival, these terms are: awakening, fire,

fullness, glory, judgment, outpouring, Pentecost, power, progress, rain, reformation,

refreshing, renewal, visitation, the wind of God, and God’s working.30 Each of these

terms reflect a different aspect of revival that he often discusses in different messages

when he teaches on the topic. The reality is that revival is not something that can be

explained in one sentence, but it is something that requires study from multiple

viewpoints. To accomplish this understanding of revival the following sections will

discuss Roberts’s beliefs about revival in several specific theological categories.

Revival and God

Roberts’s writings and teachings about revival make it abundantly clear that

revival starts and ends with God. It happens when God moves, and it ends when he

recedes. Roberts’s confidence in this fact is evident in his preaching–many of his

messages focus on God’s character or man’s sinfulness–where he implores his hearers to

more fully know the God who revives.31 In his messages at conferences, Roberts

regularly makes the comment that a person’s view of God is the most critical component

of his theological thoughts.32 He states that what a person thinks about God impacts how

he views himself, and how the person views himself determines what he thinks about
sin.33 In essence, Roberts states that with a correct view of God a person will properly

29
Richard Owen Roberts, “Part 3: The Place of True Revivals in the Cycles of Human
History,” accessed December 8, 2016, http://www.collegeofrevival.org/part-3-the-place-of-true-revivals-in-
the-cycles-of-human-history/.

Roberts, “Part 1: The Nature and Incredible Beauty of True Revival.”

30

31
For an example, see Richard Owen Roberts, “Moses, Aaron, and the Golden Calf,” accessed
February 1, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNVHiKb7xcc.

A. W. Tozer reflects a similar thought in his writings. He writes, “What comes into our
32

minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Knowledge of the Holy (1920; repr.,
Glendale, CA: Bibliotech Press, 2016), 1.

Richard Owen Roberts, “Richard Owen Roberts – G3 Conference Atlanta – Sermon 2 of 2,”
33

54
understand all the aspects of God’s character. With this understanding, a person will have

a good foundation for considering his sins—thus he will be prepared for revival.

When discussing God and revival, Roberts regularly returns to three main

topics in his writings and teachings–the presence of God, the judgment of God, and the

glory of God. He addresses each of these topics separately in many different places, but

his message titled, “Moses, Aaron, and the Golden Calf,” provides the most depth on all

three topics.34 His message starts by discussing the presence of God. Roberts states what

he believes to be an obvious, but overlooked, fact of the story. When God’s anger burned

against the idolatrous Israelites and he threatened to destroy them, he was on the

mountain with Moses and he was in the valley with the people. In God’s omnipresence,

he was with the people in the valley, and in his manifest presence he was with Moses on

the mountain.35 While this point is not difficult to understand, it leads to Roberts’s

teachings on the presence of God. He acknowledged that while God is omnipresent,

Scripture is clear that he does often withdraw his presence from a place or person. He

states, “We can be foolish and pretend that God is always near,”36 or one can view

examples in Scripture that implore the reader to draw near to God and he will draw near

to you (Jas 4:8 and Ps 73:28). Roberts carefully explains that sin is one way to ensure that

God will not be near a person. He particularly condemns the America church, quoting
statistics about certain sins to show why he believes that God has withdrawn from it.37

An additional example that Roberts uses to support his point of God

withdrawing his presence from people is the temple in Jerusalem. He often highlights

accessed February 4, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8aYhRfnAqw .

Roberts, “Moses, Aaron, and the Golden Calf.”

34

35
Ibid.

Roberts, “Part 1: The Nature and Incredible Beauty of True Revival.”

36

37
Ibid.

55
how Christ refers to the temple in Matthew 21:13, calling it “my house,” compared to

Matthew 23:38 where he refers to the temple as “your house.” Based on these verses,

Roberts argues that the presence of God left the temple at that time, even though religious

rituals continued for several more decades. While the priests performed sacrifices and

acts of worship, the actions were meaningless and not pleasing to God. In a similar

manner, he condemns the American church—stating that the presence of God has left

most congregations.38 While many churches go through the motions and rituals of

worship each Sunday, God is not among the people and the actions are not pleasing to

him. In his lecture on the topic of the nearness of God, Roberts states, “The presence of

God is not the same as the nearness of God.”39 While God is always present everywhere,

he is not always near. When studying Roberts’s teachings on God and revival, God’s

presence explicitly manifesting itself among his people is one critical elements—without

God’s nearness revival is not possible. God nearness is mandatory for true revival.

A closely related topic which Roberts addresses in the area of God and revival

is God’s judgment. Roberts draws the connection between God removing his nearness to

a people and his divine judgment. When teaching on God’s judgment Roberts typically

presents the two distinct judgments that God brings on people. The first type is remedial

judgment and the second type is final judgment.40 Remedial judgment is when God is
acting in a way to awaken people to their sins to induce repentance. One of the primary

ways in which God brings remedial judgment is by withdrawing his clear presence.41

38
Richard Owen Roberts, “Real Revival,” accessed February 2, 2017,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ3T4IOtWjU.
39
Roberts, “Part 3: The Place of True Revivals in the Cycles of Human History.” Roberts is
careful to not deny God’s omnipresence – that he is always present everywhere. However, he does argue
that God’s manifest presence can be removed depending on the situation. Roberts argues this point through
Scripture and church history. He states that in revival God’s manifest presence is strong and impactful on
those who are involved. For a helpful discussion of God’s presence see Wayne Grudem, Systematic
Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 173-77.
40
Roberts, “Moses, Aaron, and the Golden Calf.”
41
Roberts, “Part 3: The Place of True Revivals in the Cycles of Human History.”

56
When God acts in remedial judgment he is giving people time to respond, repentant, and

turn back to him. The example of the Israelites and the golden calf is one example of

remedial judgments. On the mountain, God tells Moses that he was going to destroy the

people and start over with Moses, but Moses pleads for the people and God brings

remedial judgment upon them (Exod 32:9-10). An additional example can be seen in the

story of Jonah preaching in Nineveh. God sends Jonah to state that in forty days

everything would be destroyed, but the people of Nineveh heed the prophet’s words,

repent, and turn to God; therefore, his final judgment does not come (Jonah 3:10).

Numerous examples could be provided on God using remedial judgment, but it is already

clear that God uses remedial judgment to awaken people to their sins and turn them in

repentance back to him in worship. In many ways, this turning can be the start of revival.

The second manner in which God brings judgment is through final judgment.

By its name, it is clear, that final judgment means that God does not provide time for

repentance or change. The clearest example of final judgment in Scripture is the story of

Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts. The moment that they were confronted with

their sin God removes them from this world—there was not an opportunity for

repentance (Acts 5:5; 10). While the distinction between remedial and final judgment

may not appear to be that significant, for Roberts it is vital in his understanding of revival
and the American church. Roberts clearly condemns the church today as being

backslidden, and for its empty worship, but he continues in his ministry because he does

not believe that the church has come under God’s final judgment.42 He believes that God

has not yet warned the American church of a final judgment, and that until that warning

comes there is still great hope. He states, “God does not destroy a people without a

warning.”43 According to Roberts, the warning of God’s final judgment may come

Roberts, “Part 3: The Place of True Revivals in the Cycles of Human History.”
42

43
Richard Owen Roberts, “Part 5: The Four Things That Always Precede True Revival,”
accessed June 18, 2016, http://www.collegeofrevival.org/part-5-the-four-things-that-always-precede-true-

57
anytime, but until it does he will keep preaching hoping that revival might still come.

The final prominent subject in Roberts’s discussion of God and revival is the

topic of God’s glory. In his teaching of revival, Roberts points out that one of the primary

reasons for a lack of vitality in the church today is an improper view of God. When one

views God incorrectly everything else is wrong as well.44 Per Roberts, “A proper view of

God is fundamental to revival.”45 Roberts believes that the primary reason why the

Puritans, and those who followed, experienced successive periods of revival was because

they had a proper view of God and his glory. At the end of the Second Great Awakening,

Charles Finney introduced his new measures on revival and with those measures he

substantially lowered the church’s view of God. Based on Finney, revival became an

event that could be expected if men took certain measures. It was no longer about God

doing a glorious and wonderful work, it was simply part of a natural process.

Comparatively, Roberts teaches that revival must point to God’s glory and nothing else.

Once something, or someone, else takes credit for revival it no longer brings God glory

and he will no longer continue in the movement. God’s glory is the purpose of revival.

The discussion of God’s glory often leads into a follow-up topic of phenomena

in revival. While almost all revivals will be marked with some kind of extreme

phenomena, it is how the church responds to the extremes that often determine the extent
and impact of the revival. 46 Roberts considers this topic in connection with God’s glory

because he believes that when phenomena are allowed to remain in a revival, the focus

will shift from God to the actions of people. The primary example that he used to support

revival/.

Richard Owen Roberts, “Part 2: The Mandatory Nature of True Revival,” accessed
44

December 2, 2016, http://www.collegeofrevival.org/part-2-the-mandatory-nature-of-true-revival/.

45
Ibid.
46
Even the First Great Awakening preachers often dealt with people wailing or fainting during
the message; however, in some areas the phenomena went much greater extremes. For an example, see the
history of James Davenport in Kidd, “The Great Awakening,” 138-55.

58
this point is the 1904-1905 revival in Wales. In the introduction to the book, Glory Filled

the Land, Roberts highlights the leadership of Evan Roberts in the movement. He draws

the reader’s attention to the fact that after the revival Evan Roberts felt great

responsibility for bringing the movement to a premature end by encouraging excesses

instead of dissuading people from them. Richard Owen Roberts writes,

It seems apparent that the revivalist [Evan Roberts] came to realize he was not only
a major contributor to the growth and development of the revival, but also to very
large degree influential in its decline and “early death.” Put that together in your
thinking! Evan Roberts, an Ezekiel-like servant of God, sighs and cries over the
abominations in the land and is greatly used by the Holy Spirit in reviving the
church. This same earnest servant of the Most High is pushed on his head (to use an
expression of Jonathan Edwards) and becomes, in his excesses and extremes, the
hinderer of the very work he sought earnestly in sighs and tears, in prayers and
supplications.47
When phenomena are allowed to remain in a revival setting, the focus shifts away from

God’s glory to actions of men. Roberts states that when this happens the movement will

fade and the effect will not be as great as it could have been if the extremes were halted.48

As stated above, Roberts teaches that revival starts and ends with God. Revival

happens when God draws near to his people in an extraordinary manner. Roberts remains

consistent in this point as he focuses on God’s presence, judgment, and glory. Revival

impacts people with the nature of God when his presence is manifested in a mighty way.

Revival and Man

After discussing God’s leading role in revival, Roberts often answers the

objection that he believes many would make against his position. He argues that while

God is the lead agent in revival, he has given man specific and vital roles in the process.

47
H. Elvet Lewis, G. Campbell Morgan, and I.V. Neprash, Glory Filled the Land: A Trilogy of
the Welsh Revival (1904-1905), ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press,
1989), xiv.

Richard Owen Roberts, “Revival: Experience Centered & God Centered,” accessed February
48

4, 2017,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec_MscSLaUU&index=5&list=PLmmTx77FrqRcmfBrKjoDC8QUz-
dOBslVj.

59
Man cannot force revival, but he must live in a manner that prepares the church for

revival.49 The starting place for man and revival is prayer. Roberts typically introduces

the topic of praying for revival in the context of four events that precede revival.50 He

teaches that the four things that precede revival are: a horrible spiritual decline, righteous

judgment from the Lord, people with a burden for God, and extraordinary actions by

people. It is in the last two topics that Roberts often discusses the topic of prayer. As his

primary example, he returns to Moses on the mountain pleading with God for the

Israelites (Exod 32:31). Moses, after seeing the idolatrous sins of the people, returns to

the Lord and pleads for mercy. He talks to God and asks him to not destroy the people,

even stating that if the people cannot be saved then God should remove Moses from his

book as well. Roberts uses this biblical account to show that before revival came to

Moses and the people of Israel, he had to plead before the Lord and then God moved.

Throughout his teachings, Roberts also connects many historical revivals and

the prayers that precedes God’s movement. In this context, he laments over the lack of

hope in the American church today. With great concern, he discusses how many of the

Christians he meets while traveling to preach are praying for Christ to return, and are not

praying for revival.51 He questions how so many people could be praying for Christ to

come and usher in eternity when those people have unbelieving children, friends, co-
workers who will spend eternity in damnation.52 Instead of praying for Christ’s return,

Roberts exhorts people to pray for God to pour out his grace in revival, stating that when

the church starts praying for revival, it is preparing itself for God’s glorious work. Per

Richard Owen Roberts, “Part 8: Have Prayed, Is There Anything Else to Do?” accessed
49

December 26, 2016, http://www.collegeofrevival.org/part-8-having-prayed-is-there-anything-else-to-do/.

Roberts, “Real Revival.”

50

51
Ibid.
52
Ibid.

60
Roberts, “the true church is a house of prayer.”53 Additionally, he states that he is

disgusted with the condition of most church prayer meetings. He views prayer as so vital

to the church that he believes that people who are not involved in the prayer life of the

church are not really a part of the body. Prayer is foundational for the church and revival.

While Roberts teaches that a person, and the church, should pray for revival

this is not the only thing that he believes that should be done to prepare for revival. In one

of his lectures he seeks to answer the question, “having prayed, is there anything else to

do?”54 The question quite naturally follows his discussion of prayer, but Roberts does not

provide steps to revival, as might be expected.55 He, instead, pushed people to embrace

what he calls the means of grace.56 By this term he is stating that there are actions which

God has designed to bless his people with grace in the church.57 Roberts states that to

prepare for revival God’s people must be faithful and fervent in prayer, preaching,

stewardship, observing the Lord’s Supper, worship, and even church discipline.58

Throughout Scripture God provides the church with guidelines on how to worship and

serve him, if the church is not faithfully seeking to follow these patterns then it should

not expect for revival to come among its people. Roberts states, “It’s heartless to pray for

God to send revival when we are unwilling to do what we are called to do.”59 The two

primary tasks to prepare for revival, according to Roberts, are prayer and pursuing the

53
Roberts, “Part 8: Have Prayed, Is There Anything Else to Do?”
54
Ibid.
55
To answer this question many would think that an outline, or plan, to follow for revival
would be appropriate, however, this would be following in the footsteps of Finney and his new measures.
Instead of providing a plan, Roberts focuses on repentance and the character of God.

Richard Owen Roberts, “The Means of Grace,” accessed February 1, 2017,

56

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL__ayRYlr4 .
57
For an evangelical understanding of this term that closely aligns with Roberts’s teaching
please see, P. E. Hughes, “Grace, Means of,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed. Walter A. Elwell,
2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001), 522.
58
Roberts, “The Means of Grace.”
59
Ibid.

61
means of grace. When these two areas are being faithfully pursued in the church, God’s

people are in the best position to receive an outpouring of his spirit in revival.

A final area of Roberts’s teaching to explore when discussing man and revival

is the topic of experience-centered versus Word-centered revivals. While Roberts

acknowledges that all revivals have elements of both experience and Word, the church

should pray for Word-centered revivals.60 His reasoning for this thought is that he

believes that Word-centered revivals will last longer and have a greater impact than

experience-centered revivals. He states that experiences eventually fade, but God’s Word

continues in power to impact those who have been transformed.61 Roberts uses historical

revivals to build his case for seeking Word-centered over experience-centered revivals.

He mentions that the 1858 prayer revival was an experience-centered revival,62 and while

it had profound impact, it was over, and largely forgotten, after a couple of years.63

Roberts compares this to the First Great Awakening which he says was a Word-centered

revival. He argues that the movement went forth on the preaching of God’s Word and

therefore it carried on for several decades and impacted the foundations of the United

States.64 His argument is that Word-centered revivals will last because their focus is on

Christ, whereas experience-centered revivals fade as they are more focused on people.

It is in this area of experience-centered revivals where Roberts most clearly

shares his concerns with several of the more recent revival movements in North America.

He very clearly condemns the Toronto Blessing and the Brownsville Revival, both

60
Roberts, “Revival.”
61
Roberts, Revival, 18-20.
62
For a resource on the 1858 Prayer Revival, see Samuel Prime, The Power of Prayer: The
New York Revival of 1858 (1859; repr., Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1991).
63
Roberts, “Revival.”
64
Ibid.

62
experienced, and phenomena, based movements outside of the evangelical norm.65 It is

when discussing the 1995 Wheaton Revival where Roberts reveals his genuine

apprehension of experience-centered revivals.66 Roberts lived in Wheaton, next to the

campus, during this revival and he shares the event as he remembers it during his

discussion of experience-centered revivals.67 Roberts states that shortly after the revival

started the administration of the school released a statement prohibiting the faculty, staff,

and friends of the college from participating in the movement.68 He believes that this

decision greatly hindered the work because it removed the opportunity for older men to

come in and preach to the students. Instead, the movement remained an experience-

centered movement that focused on public confession. It is not that Roberts thinks that

the Wheaton Revival was not really a revival, it is that he grieves over how the

movement was hindered and the impact did not last. He shares how three months after the

revival the student papers at Wheaton were writing about the revival being a fraud and

Roberts, “Revival.”
65

66
For a firsthand account of the 1995 Wheaton Revival, see Timothy K. Beougher and Lyle W.
Dorsett, eds., Accounts of a Campus Revival: Wheaton College 1995 (Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw
Publishers, 1995), 75-91. In the fourth chapter, Lyle Dorsett gives an account of the events leading up to
the revival and of the revival itself. In the chapter, Dorsett even credits Roberts and Mary Dorsett for their
work on a pamphlet to discuss the history of revival on Wheaton’s campus. This pamphlet became the basis
for the third chapter of the book. While Roberts is critical of the Wheaton revival, it must be noted that he
was not present at the meetings, and therefore other sources are needed to verify the structure of the
meetings. The main structure of the revival was open confession, but it was saturated with Scripture.
Throughout the evenings students would intersperse Scripture readings through the confession time, and on
Wednesday evening, Duane Litfin, Timothy Beougher, and Lyle Dorsett delivered messages of exhortation
from the faculty to the student body. While the event did not focus on expository preaching in a manner
like the First Great Awakening, most of those who were present at the events would state that it was an
event saturated with Scripture.
67
Roberts, “Revival.” He discusses the Wheaton Revival between the twenty-eight-minute and
thirty-five-minute mark; this discussion is during a question and answer session before his sermon.
68
While Roberts recalled this statement being released by the college, I could not verify that it
happened. I had a conversation with Timothy Beougher, who was on faculty and present at all the revival
services, and he stated that he had not seen any statement released that prohibited anyone from attending
the event. In fact, the services moved from the Wheaton College campus across the street to College
Church partially to accommodate more people. There were some on the campus who were opposed to the
events, but the revival had the full support of upper administration. As mentioned, Duane Litfin, the
president of the college, spoke at the service on Wednesday evening. While Roberts may not be clear on all
the details of this event, what is clear from my study is that he was deeply hurt by Wheaton College at
some point during this time. It is possible that he may be associating other events with the revival that took
place at another time.

63
how the general spiritual condition of the campus was worse after the event.69 His

concern is that it was clear that God sought to move on the campus, but because the

movement had to remain an experience-centered revival its impact was not as lasting.70

Revivals start and end with God moving among his people; there is nothing

that man can do to bring revival about, or to force God to move. Despite this truth, in his

teachings, Roberts regularly exhorts his listeners and readers to prepare themselves for

revival. Man must be prepared for revival through prayer and through the means of grace.

Furthermore, the church should seek Word-centered revivals where Scripture is preached

and the focus is narrowed on God alone. God brings revival, man must prepare for it.

Revival, Conversion, and Christ

Revival impacts the church in two primary ways. First, it convicts those

believers who have been lax in their faith. Second, it converts those who may have been

regular church attenders, but who were never really Christians. Roberts addresses both

groups in his teachings on revival. The first group he labels as backsliders,71 and to the

second group he presented the complete gospel.72 Following his lead, this section will

first discuss the issue of backsliding and revival. After this discussion, Roberts’s

understanding of conversion will be examined through his teachings on significant terms.

The term backslidden is not as widely used in the contemporary church, but

69
The article to which Roberts refers to in the interview could not be located in the course of
this research. While it is likely that many were skeptical of the event during and afterwards, many more
have gone on record to support the revival’s genuineness. In a personal discussion, Timothy Beougher
recalls Wheaton having to add additional sections of the missiology course in the Fall semester because
student interest in missions remained very high because of the event. Additionally, Kevin Engel presents
written testimonies from many impacted by the revival in the sixth chapter of Beougher and Dorsett,
Accounts of a Campus Revival, 99-138.
70
Roberts, “Revival.” He states, “In a Word-centered revival there is virtually no falling away
of the converts, but in an experienced-revival revival there is a considerable falling away of the converts.”
Additionally, “An experience-centered revival will have little to no societal impact.”
71
Roberts, Revival, 32.
72
Richard Owen Roberts, ed., Salvation in Full Color: Twenty Sermons by Great Awakening
Preachers (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1994), xvi.

64
when Roberts wrote his book on revival in the 1980s it was a common idea. Roberts uses

the King James version of Jeremiah 8:5-7 to introduce the term backsliding, but he then

spends the remainder of the second chapter explaining what he means by it.73 His basic

definition of a backslider is, “a person who was once emptied of his own ways and filled

with the ways of God, but gradually allowed his own ways to seep back in until he was

all but empty of God and full of himself again.”74 The essence of a backslider is one that

has allowed the things of the world to overtake their former devotion to the Lord.

Roberts uses twenty-five statements that, if affirmed by the reader, likely

means that the person is a backslidden believer.75 While it is not necessary to reproduce

all twenty-five statements here, several will be presented as a representation of his

teachings on this topic. His first statement is, “when prayer ceases to be a vital part of a

professing Christian’s life, backsliding is present.”76 This statement is followed by

similar remarks about biblical knowledge, thought patterns, and Christian service.77 In his

eighth warning on the backslidden condition, Roberts states, “When sins of the body and

of the mind can indulged in without an uproar in your conscience, your backslidden

condition is certain.”78 Most of the remaining statements focus on a particular area of sin

or neglect in which a believer might struggle with. The main impact of this list is that it is

comprehensive and forces the reader to consider their spiritual life and the condition of
their faith. While admitting struggle in one, or several, of these areas does not necessarily

mean that one is backslidden, it should bring enough concern to the believer that he seeks

73
Roberts, Revival, 31-52.
74
Ibid., 32-33.
75
Ibid., 37.
76
Roberts, Revival, 37.
77
Ibid., 38-40.
78
Roberts, Revival, 41.

65
the Lord on the issue. For Roberts, one of the primary purposes of revival is to awaken

backslidden Christians and bring them back to the faith that was once vital in their life.

The second main area of impact in the discussion of revival and conversion is

the bringing to faith those who were not believers. In revival, Roberts argues that many in

the church recognize their deficient understanding of God, man, sin, and/or salvation and

through the preaching of God’s Word the person comes to true faith for the first time.79

God uses times of revival to draw those in the church who have never been converted to

become Christians. For Roberts, this is one of the primary reasons why he insists that the

most impactful revivals are Word-centered, preaching led revivals.80 It is through the

Word of God that the Holy Spirit convicts a man of his sins, and then brings him to

repentance and faith. Additionally, Roberts discusses the significance of preaching on the

doctrines of salvation and how God used sermons in this area during the First Great

Awakening to redeem many people.81 Roberts states that the doctrines of salvation are

often treated in Scripture as an eschatological item because many of the events of

salvation are still to come. He argues that these are not topics for the believer to hear

once, and then move on, instead the whole church body is strengthened, encouraged, and

revived through the regular and repeated preaching of these vital doctrines.82

It is important to examine Roberts’s teachings on the doctrines of salvation to

see what exactly he means by preaching through these topics. Roberts recognizes that

there are many different teachings on these doctrines, and that theologians often debate

over the precise order of the events. Despite this, he argues that faithful preachers will

79
Roberts, Salvation in Full Color, xvii-xx.

Roberts, “Revival: Experience Centered & God Centered.”

80

81
Roberts, Salvation in Full Color, xx-xxi.
82
Ibid., xxi.

66
continually revisit these themes.83 In his book, Salvation in Full Color, Roberts carefully

selected twenty sermons that together present his complete understanding of the doctrines

of salvation. These sermons are primarily from the First Great Awakening, although a

few were preached before the movement, and one at the beginning of the Second Great

Awakening.84 For the sake of organization and consideration, Roberts’s order of salvation

can be roughly categorized by the four-part gospel: God, Man, Redemption, and

Restoration.85 In the category of God, Roberts includes the topic of his character and the

law of God. In the category of man Roberts covers the topics of total depravity,

heinousness of sin, and dead works. The category on redemption represents the largest

portion of the book. The topics include: divine love, the atonement, regeneration,

effectual calling, the work of the Holy Spirit, seeking the Lord, repentance, justification,

adoption, conversion, and love to God. The final four sermons in the book fit into the

restoration section of the four-part gospel. The topics included in this section are

perseverance of the saints, sanctification, divine retribution, and final warnings.86

Unfortunately, Roberts does not include any substantial discussion on these

doctrines in this book,87 but he does regularly address these topics in his other books,

lectures, and sermons.88 Even though the book does not directly make statements on

Roberts’s beliefs on these topics, he does reveal several important considerations based

83
Roberts, Salvation in Full Color, xx.
84
Ibid.

This is a slight modification of Greg Gilbert’s four-part gospel in What Is the Gospel?
85

(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010).

86
This list of Roberts’s order of salvation is drawn exclusively from the table of contents from
Salvation in Full Color. This is an appropriate place to study Roberts’s views on the doctrine of salvation
because he states, “All these twenty sermons are arrayed in this book in the order in which they appear in
the lives of persons who are being saved,” xvi.
87
The book simply consists of his introduction and the twenty sermons. Each sermon is
preceded by an article, written by Roberts, which includes basic biographical information about the
preacher.

Roberts’s twelve-part lecture series from the College of Revival contains his most thorough
88

and systematic teachings. Links for all twelve lectures are available in the bibliography.

67
on his terms and sermon selections. First, Roberts uses terms consistent with a reformed

perspective on salvation.89 Second, his sermon selections are from men who were

Calvinistic in their theology and ministry.90 When one considers that Roberts had no

constraints on his use of terms and selection of sermons it is a clear demonstration of his

theological position on these issues. Roberts approaches the doctrines of salvation from a

reformed perspective and this is consistent with his teachings on God’s leading role in

revival. When God moves, revival comes. When God moves, sinners are saved. For

Roberts, in revival, and in the doctrines of salvation, God moves first, then man responds.

Revival and the Church

Revival impacts individuals by convicting them of their backslidden condition

or through the conversion of unbelievers in the church. While these are both vital aspects

of revival, they are only focused on individuals. When God brings revival, he works

among individuals and among corporate entities, yet many in the church overlook the

corporate impacts of God’s movement. For this reason, Roberts often addresses the

corporate components of revival and repentance as it impacts the church.91 He addresses

this primarily through the topics of preaching and the Solemn Assembly.92 These two

issues will be discussed in order to consider Roberts’s views on revival and the church.

For Roberts, one of the most overlooked truths about revivals in Scripture is
the fact that they are corporate events.93 He laments the fact that most preaching will

consider the individual impact of the passage and completely ignore the corporate

89
Total Depravity, Effectual Calling, and Perseverance of the Saints are three examples.
90
Gilbert Tennant, Solomon Stoddard, and Asahel Nettleton are three such men.
91
Roberts, “Psalm 33.”
92
Richard Owen Roberts, The Solemn Assembly (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press,
1989).
93
Roberts, “Psalm 33.”

68
application. This is detrimental to the church and individual believers because

Christianity is both individual and corporate in nature.94 By ignoring the corporate

aspects of passages in preaching, pastors often miss opportunities to address the whole

congregation on issues of sin and the need for corporate repentance. Instead, many

pastors seek to grow the church through methods and programs rather than through

faithful preaching of the Word of God.95 Whether Roberts’s assessment of most

preaching in churches today is valid or not, his point is a critical reminder for churches.

Churches will experience impactful revival through the preaching of God’s Word and

through God moving among the individuals and the whole body of the church.

Before discussing Roberts’s teachings on the Solemn Assembly, it is important

to consider ways in which he saw church bodies as hindering revival. In his book,

Revival, Roberts presents five ways in which a congregation can hinder the work of God

and prevent revival. First, he states that a love of tradition is a common hindrance to

revival.96 He writes, “Revival and change are almost synonymous terms, and both clearly

cut across the grain of traditionalism. There is no way true revival can occur without

major changes disrupting and reordering the life of the church.”97 A church that

experiences revival will experience changes and those who resist change will resist

revival. The second way that congregations hinder revival is through a love of disorder.98
By this idea, Roberts does not mean disorder in the worship service, business meetings,

or personal interactions, instead he means a disorder in priorities.99 He uses some

Roberts, “Psalm 33.”

94

95
Ibid. Roberts has been critical of the Church Growth movement and the more recent multi-
site church and mega church movements. Instead of seeing the work of God in these movements, Roberts
states, “Flourishing mega churches are often only evidence of clever men, not revival.”
96
Roberts, Revival, 137.
97
Ibid., 137-38. Emphasis original.
98
Ibid., 139.
99
Ibid.

69
statistics that reflect the reality in churches: “2,400 persons in attendance on Sunday; 600

in attendance on Sunday evening (when the weather is not too good or not to bad); 60 for

prayer meeting.”100 While Roberts wishes that these statistics were of the average church,

he actually states that they reflect the reality of strongest evangelical churches in the

country. His point is that most churches have disordered their priorities, placing almost

no emphasis on prayer. This disorder hinders and even prevents the work of revival.

The third hindrance to revival that Roberts presents is the love of brevity.101

His opening comment on this issue discusses the average church member’s concern about

getting out of church “on time.” He states, “Many congregations do not really seem to

care what the pastor says as long as he says it quickly and within the allotted hour.”102

Roberts believes that in an effort to keep a worship service within the one-hour time

frame many sermons lack the time necessary for the Spirit of God to truly work in the

hearer’s heart. Since many churches are more concerned about their schedule, then giving

God time to move, revivals are hindered. The fourth manner in which congregations

hinder revivals is through the love of comfortable truth.103 People generally do not like to

be made uncomfortable, and Roberts states that many pastors are aware of this fact and

craft their sermons in a manner to make people feel comfortable. According to Roberts,

this is a tragic situation because revival and comfort rarely go together. He writes,

Revival and the exclusive love of comfortable truths are bitter enemies. Churches
may fill their padded pews with careless listeners who love the low lights, soft
organs tones, and conversational sermons on pleasant subjects, but they will never

100
Roberts, Revival, 139.
101
Ibid., 140. Roberts typically shares this hindrance the first time that he preaches in a church
because most of his sermons last over an hour and sometimes extend beyond two hours. He likes to make
statements about Sundays being the “Lord’s Day,” not the “Lord’s hour.”
102
Ibid.
103
Ibid., 141.

70
 fill heaven until they declare all the truths of Scripture with the convicting,
disturbing power of the Holy Spirt.104
Convicting truth is uncomfortable for people because it clearly displays that change needs

to happen. When a man recognizes his need for change he is more prepared to turn to

God for that change, and in turning to God the man may be at the beginning of a revival.

The final area in which congregations often hinder revival is because the

people have a love of respect.105 Roberts’s concern in this area is that churches too often

ask the question, “What will people think?” instead of asking, “What will God think?”.

He teaches that this concern for man, over a concern for God, is rooted in the fact that

these churches, people, or pastors, want to be respected. Instead of seeking respect of

others, Roberts exhorts the church to seek the favor of God. When God is pleased with

the actions and behavior of a church the congregation is in a better place for revival.106

These hindrances to revival point to a deficiency or sin in the congregation,

and yet most Christians have not considered how to handle corporate sins. Roberts’s

answer to dealing with sin in the church is to call a Solemn Assembly. The Solemn

Assembly is an intentional time for prayer, fasting, and seeking God’s grace.107 While the

Scriptural examples of a Solemn Assembly are all found in the Old Testament, Roberts

argues for the Assembly’s usefulness in the church today.108 In his pamphlet on the topic

Roberts highlights twelve Old Testament revivals that all had four common themes: a
tragic declension, a righteous judgment from God, the raising up of an immensely

burdened leader, and extraordinary action. 109 In each of these instances the extraordinary

104
Roberts, Revival, 142.
105
Ibid.
106
Ibid., 143-44.
107
Roberts, The Solemn Assembly.
108
Ibid.
109
Roberts listed these revivals are under the leadership of particular men: Moses (Exod 32ff.),
Samuel (1 Sam 7), David (2 Sam 6, 7), Asa (2 Chr 14-16), Jehoshaphat (2 Chr 17-20), Jehoiada (2 Chr 23-
24), Hezekiah (2 Chr 29-32), Josiah (1 Chr 34-35), Zerubbabel (Ezra 1-6), Ezra (Ezra 7-10), Nehemiah

71
action involves some form of the people gathering to repent their sins and be still before

the Lord in prayer. Roberts recognizes that some would discount his arguments for a

Solemn Assembly because of its Old Testament roots, but he points out that the time

leading up to Pentecost in Acts 2 was a Solemn Assembly that prepared the foundation of

the church.110 Roberts further argues for the historical foundations of the Solemn

Assembly in the American church. His book, Sanctify the Congregation, is a collection of

early American sermons delivered in conjunction with a Solemn Assembly.111 Roberts

often suggests that churches call a Solemn Assembly as a corporate time of repentance.

The Solemn Assembly can be a significant event for a church if it is done with

pure intentions and genuine concern over sin and God’s judgment. Just as individuals

must repent of sins so too corporate entities, especially churches, must seek times of

repentance for their sins. To aid in this process, Roberts provides ten practical

suggestions for a church seeking to hold a Solemn Assembly.112 First, normal daily work

should be set aside. Second, all people affected must be required to attend. The third

element is that it should be a time of fasting. Fourth, it is a time of sacrifice – Roberts

highlights that participation is a major sacrifice of time. Fifth, the Solemn Assembly

should be of protracted duration to allow sufficient time for “humiliation, prayer,

repentance and seeking God’s face.”113 Sixth, it should be a time of earnest prayer. The
seventh aspect of a Solemn Assembly is that should be a time of corporate repentance.

Eighth, Spirit-anointed preaching should mark the time, and ninth the assembly should be

(Neh 1-13), and Joel (Joel 1:2:27). Roberts, The Solemn Assembly.
110
Roberts, The Solemn Assembly.
111
Richard Owen Roberts, Sanctify the Congregation: A Call to the Solemn Assembly and to
Corporate Repentance (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1994). The introduction to this book
contains the same content as the pamphlet titled, The Solemn Assembly.
112
Roberts, The Solemn Assembly.
Roberts, “Solemn Assembly.”
113

72
a good model of Christianity to the children of the church. Finally, Roberts states that the

Solemn Assembly provides a moment for God to respond to the church unlike other times

when sin hinders the relationship. Overall, Roberts teaches that the Solemn Assembly is

an opportunity for the church to corporately confession any sins that may be causing God

to remove his blessing from the ministry.114 As a congregation seeks the Lord through

corporate repentance and biblical preaching it is more likely to experience revival.

Revival and the Community

When many Christians refer to the term revival it is often connected to

evangelism and unbelievers accepting the gospel.115 While this idea is not completely

false, Roberts and others have typically used the term revival to refer to God’s work in

the church, and reserve the term awakenings for times when God reaches out beyond the

church to convert unbelievers. Even with this distinction, Roberts still states that true

revivals should impact the community.116 In one sermon, while discussing the

Brownsville revival of the mid-1990s, Roberts states that one way to measure the extent

and impact of a revival is to consider its effect on the crime rate of the community.117 In

this instance he counseled a woman investigating the movement to interview the police

chief to see what impact the revival was having on crime in the area. He states that if the

movement was truly a revival then the police chief of the community would notice a
change. Roberts reports that the woman did indeed interview the police chief and he

stated that crime had increased and that he had noticed that many of the offenders were

Roberts, “Solemn Assembly.”

114

115
See discussion in chap. 1 on defining terms such as revival, awakening, and renewal.
116
Roberts, Repentance, 148-52.
117
Richard Owen Roberts, “Marks of True Revival,” accessed January 30. 2017,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28Opn19Eino. He counseled the woman against studying and viewing
the movement at all, comparing her actions as foolish as going to studying an outbreak of yellow fever for
no other reason than being curious about the disease.

73
people who had been claiming to be a part of the revival. Roberts is critical of the

Brownsville revival for this, and several other, reasons. He states that the events of this

movement were not of a true revival, and that what happened there helped to do more to

solidify the kingdom of darkness in that community then it did to honor the Lord.118

In contrast to the Brownsville Revival, the revival of 1904-05 in Wales had a

profound impact on the community. Accounts of the Wales revival discuss how judges

would enter their courtrooms for many days and place a pair of white gloves on the

podium to signify that they had no cases to oversee that day.119 In other instances,

Roberts points to J. Edwin Orr’s account of the Welsh revival and its impact on the crime

rate, how alcohol consumption decreased, and on the improved conditions in the coal

mines.120 Roberts also shares how the only task that the policeman had during this revival

was to make sure the auditoriums used for preaching were not filled to unsafe levels.121

Finally, in reference to the Welsh Revival, Roberts cites sources on how the coal miners

had to retrain their mules because the animals did not understand any commands without

cursing.122 His conclusion is that true revivals will be noticed because the movement will

dramatically impact the community in significant and noticeable ways.123

The context of Roberts’s view of revival and the community is practical place

to discuss his four marks of true revival. Roberts states that all revivals include these four
elements: a breaking, a remaking, a pouring full, and a great overflow.124 He uses the

Roberts, “Marks of True Revival.”

118

119
Ibid.
120
Orr, Flaming, 17.

Roberts, “Marks of True Revival.”

121

122
Ibid.
123
Ibid.
124
He discusses these four elements in numerous places; specifically, see Richard Owen
Roberts, “Part 4: Is It Too Late for Another Great Awakening?,” accessed December 19, 2016,
http://www.collegeofrevival.org/part-4-is-it-too-late-for-another-great-awakening/.

74
illustration of a tea cup to illustrate that through judgment God will break a person or

community. After the breaking, God remakes the person or community through his grace

and then fills them with his goodness. It is in the overflow stage of revival when the

wider community beyond the church is most impacted.125 As believers are remade and

refilled with God’s grace the overabundance flows out and blesses those nearby. When

true revival comes, it not only impacts the church, but it impacts the community around

the church as well. In the instances of the First and Second Great Awakening the

overflow of God’s grace was so powerful that it extended over from communities to other

countries and for a significant amount of time.126 In Roberts’s theology of revival there is

little need to pray for a revival that does not impact the community, instead he urges his

listeners to plead for God to pour out his grace in a way that will impact the whole world.

Results of Revival
There are numerous ways in which one can measure the results of revival. As

mentioned, a revival could be measured by its impact on the community issues like

crime. It could be measured by statistics regarding church attendance or claims to

conversion. Some even just measure it by the incalculable emotions people experience

during the moment. While Roberts uses some of these measurements to evaluate the

results of a revival, he is primarily concerned with one issue, the fruit of the revival.127 So
important is the topic of fruit regarding revival that Roberts writes, “It is almost

impossible to talk about revival without talking about its fruit.”128 Revivals will have a

dramatic impact on two groups of people: new converts and backslidden believers. The

Roberts, “Part 4.”

125

126
For an account of the First Great Awakening, see Joseph Tracy, The Great Awakening: A
History of the Revival of Religion in the Time of Edwards and Whitefield (Boston: Tappan and Dennet,
1842).
127
Roberts, Revival, 153.
128
Ibid.

75
difficulty in viewing the results of revivals in these two groups is that one cannot know

for certain the change experienced inside another person. The evidence of the revival will

be a lifetime of faithful service to the Lord by the individual and the church affected.

Since Roberts measures the results of revival by its lasting impact on those

who were part of the revival, he does not simply rejoice that revival happened, but

instead he provides guidance to those affected to help them preserver in their faith. First,

he gives instructions to new converts.129 Roberts carefully explains that not all converts

during a revival will last and that many will fall away from the faith. To guard against

this he urges the convert to verify his position in Christ.130 Referencing the parable of the

wise man building his house upon the rock in Matthew 7:24-27, Roberts encourages new

believers to seek Christ as the only foundation to their faith. He states, “No one can build

a house upon rock who has not first learned where rock is.”131 In order to verify that the

person is trusting in Christ in a saving manner Roberts reiterates the gospel by discussing

the sinfulness of man, the need for payment, Christ’s atonement, and assurance of

faith.132 He then provides the new convert with three tests for genuine faith. The believer

must verify that he has a real love for others, a spirit of forgiveness, and a desire to be

free from all sin.133 After the believer has confirmed his position in Christ, Roberts

encourages the person to be baptized, join a church body, and find a place of service in
the church.134 Through these instructions, Roberts reveals that revivals are not the

pinnacle Christian experience, but instead they are a starting point for a lifetime of

129
Roberts, Revival, 154.
130
Ibid.
131
Ibid., 155.
132
Ibid., 156-58.
133
Ibid., 158-59.
134
Ibid., 160.

76
service and devotion to the Lord. Faith must grow after a revival or the fruit will not last.

The second group affected by revivals are the backslidden believers who were

made aware of their condition. To this group of people, Roberts refers to the story of the

demon returning to the swept-out house (Matt 12:43-45). He encourages his readers to fill

their life with the things of Christ and to not allow Satan a moment, or place, to return.135

To do this Roberts provides practical points to consider. First, refuse to compromise to

any sin. Second, do not consider temptation. Third, establish habits of prayer and be

faithful in them. Fourth, find ways to grow in faith without having to rely on others for

your growth. Fifth, forgive regularly and freely. Sixth, focus on Christ. His final six

points revolve around the point of monitoring oneself regularly for growth in faith and

service.136 Again, from the instructions to backslidden Christians who have been revived,

it is clear that Roberts does not simply measure the short-term gains of revival. He desires

to see long lasting fruit in the lives of revived believers and churches.

A final result of a revival that Roberts directs attention to is that revival will

bring glory to God through the outpouring of his Word.137 Roberts teaches that when true

revival comes God is in the midst of his people, the Word of God is preached with power,

and the church becomes a powerful witness to the world around it.138 Through this

process God is glorified. In a pamphlet titled, Lord, I agree, Roberts highlights the
significance of God’s glory in his list of statements that those in a revival should agree

with. The statements explain how a revived person should recognize that God alone is to

be exalted, the he alone is worthy of praise, and that the believer has nothing to boast

135
Roberts, Revival, 163.
136
Ibid., 163-74.
137
Richard Owen Roberts, “Humble Yourselves,” accessed January 26, 2017,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zCrEl6B72Q.
138
Ibid.

77
about in comparison with God.139 Roberts concludes his statements on God’s glory by

asking the reader to affirm these words, “Lord, I agree that You despise corporate pride

as much as individual pride and in consequence I commit myself to do everything in my

power to eliminate the pride that exists in both the church and in society at large.”140

When pride is allowed to have a place in the church, or in believers, God is not glorified

and the revival will end, however, when revivals lead to God’s glory the movement is

able to continue without disruption. Glory to God is a result and requirement for revival.

Hindrances to Revival
As one continues to consider Roberts’s theology of revival it is important to

consider the ways in which he teaches that revival can be hindered. Roberts regularly

addresses how revival can be hindered, but the two primary places are in his lectures on

revival and his book on the topic.141 In these two places Roberts discusses how the

primary hindrance to revival is sin and a lack of repentance.142 About the sin that is

hindering the American church from revival, Roberts states, “Most of the church has had

band aids placed on external wounds, when they are dying from sin on the inside.”143 Sin

in the church is an obvious hindrance to revival, but Roberts also covers several other

ways in which a body of believers can intentionally, or unintentionally, hinder revival.

In his book on revival, Roberts begins by focusing on how pastors are often
one of the main hindrances to revival.144 The pastor has significant impact on the life of a

139
Richard Owen Roberts, Lord, I Agree (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1990).
140
Roberts, Lord, I Agree, Emphasis original.
141
See Richard Owen Roberts, “Part 12: The Common Hindrances to True Revival,” accessed
January 22, 2017, http://www.collegeofrevival.org/the-common-hinderances-to-true-revival/; and Roberts,
Revival, 125-49.
142
Ibid.
143
Ibid.
144
Roberts, Revival, 127.

78
church. Regarding this impact, Roberts writes, “The role of the pastor affects virtually all

aspects of Christian endeavor. His influence for good or evil is truly profound. The depth

of the pastor’s responsibility for the revival of the work of God in his own parish is

staggering.”145 The pastor can be either a great instrument for God to bring revival, or an

equally great tool that promotes sin and rebellion against God. After stating this point,

Roberts makes the connection between Christian ministry and the ungodly men that Jude

addresses in his epistle (Jude 4-13). He highlights the illustrations of promise and

judgment in the metaphors of reefs, clouds, trees, waves, and stars. Godly leadership

provide safety, growth, and guidance, whereas ungodly leaders bring ruin, death, and bad

counsel.146 After discussing these metaphors, Roberts makes his point by stating that a

congregation deserves a pastor that is a source of godly leadership. He writes,

Your people have every right to expect profound and powerful spiritual blessings
from your ministry. They have reason to look to you as a shining light, a pillar of
strength, a tree of righteousness, a harbor of divine graces, a harbinger of showers of
blessing. The question is, are they or will they be disappointed?147
Roberts believes that a faithful pastor will regularly examine himself to determine if, at

that time, he is helping or hindering revival in his ministry to the church.

In addition to calling attention to the Jude passage and asking pastors to

examine whether he is being a blessing or a curse to his congregation, Roberts also

provides eight portraits of pastors who hinder revival. The following characteristics in a
pastor will be detrimental to revival: slothfulness, idolater of books, clamoring for

attention in social functions, passion for material gain, unresolved personal problems,

lover of words, personal life does not match ministry life, and lack of resolve on essential

Christian doctrines. 148 When a pastor consistently ministers in one of these fashions he is

145
Roberts, Revival, 127-28.
146
Ibid., 128-29.
147
Ibid., 130. Emphasis original.
148
Ibid., 131-35.

79
putting other things in the place of God, therefore revival will be hindered. About this

issue, Roberts writes, “Throughout history pastors have either been great friends or great

foes of revival. For a pastor, a genuine revival can be either a source of marvelous joy or

a cause of great anguish.”149 Further, he states that a pastor truly seeking the Lord will be

exceedingly glad when revival comes, but those pastors who are pursuing other desires

will oppose the work of God.150 Pastors should seek to be an encouragement to revival.

After discussing how pastors can hinder revival, Roberts mentions how

congregations can also exist in opposition to God’s work. The five false loves of a

congregation were mentioned already in the section on revival and the church. To review,

the five false loves of a congregation which hinder revivals are: a love of tradition, love

of disorder, love of brevity, love of comfortable truth, and love of respect.151 When a

congregation is more concerned with any of these things it is devastating to revival.

The final area which Roberts teaches on that hinder revival are general

hindrances to God’s movements. General hindrances can affect individuals, churches, or

even whole denominations. In this area, Roberts lists three qualities that will impede the

work of revival. The first hindrance is erroneous interpretation of Scripture, particularly

in the area of eschatology.152 Roberts states that many preachers do not help the work of

revival simply because he teaches that the world is in its final days. The logic is that if the
world’s end is moments away then the church should simply persevere, not plead for God

to move among his people. Roberts argues against this idea, boldly writing, “To hinder

revival by arbitrarily announcing that it cannot come because of the late hour of history in

which we live is to abandon our role as faithful servants of Jesus Christ and to pose as

149
Roberts, Revival, 135.
150
Ibid.
151
Ibid., 137-43.
152
Ibid., 144.

80
God.”153 Improper interpretation of Scripture in any area can certainly lead a church away

from the true God and this of course would hinder revival.

The second general hindrance to revival is prayerlessness. Out of all the things

mentioned which hinder revival, Roberts most regularly returns to the lack of prayer in

the American church as a primary reason that revivals are not prevalent in recent

history.154 Churches that are not regularly meeting for corporate prayer are severing the

connection between God and the congregation. In contrast, Roberts writes that

congregations must awaken to the need to pray for revival. He states, “A mighty concert

of prayer is needed. Prayer meetings for revival should spring up in offices, homes,

factories, and schools across the nation.”155 But before these take place Roberts points out

that individuals must be faithful in their own prayers. When a person or church prays

regularly for revival and expectantly seeks it, the Lord is often preparing them for revival.

The final general hindrance to revival is faithlessness.156 Roberts connects this

strongly with prayer, citing Jesus’s words that those who have faith can move mountains

(Mark 11:22-24). He rhetorically asks his readers which is easier for God to do–move a

mountain or revive his church? The answer is that neither one is difficult for God and he

can do whatever he chooses to do in creation. For this reason, believers should pray with

faith that God can bring revival, if that is what he wants to do. Contrary, those who pray
without faith lack the trust that God can and will bring revival in his time and therefore

hinder revivals.157 Before leaving the topic of praying in faith, Roberts briefly addresses

153
Ibid., 146.
154
This quote was mentioned previously, but Roberts regularly uses it as an illustration in his
sermons, and it is pertinent to this point: “2,400 persons in attendance on Sunday; 600 in attendance on
Sunday evening (when the weather is not too good or not to bad); 60 for prayer meeting.” Ibid., 139.
155
Roberts, Revival, 147.
156
Ibid., 148.
157
Ibid.

81
that those who pray in faith for revivals should pray that in the revival God is glorified

and that the revival will advance the work of the church for Christ in the world.158

In summary, there are numerous ways in which revivals can be hindered by

believers and churches. Additionally, the sinful state of the world means that on some

level all Christians will be living in a manner which could hinder revival. Despite this

reality, pastors should strive to lead churches which are fruitful beds for revival. A pastor

should be leading the people of his church to pursue holiness, live in expectation, and to

be fervently praying for revival. When these elements are present, it is pleasing to the

Lord to send revival and to use the church as a glorious witness to his name. Conversely,

when congregations of believers are distracted and not seeking the Lord, they become a

hindrance to revival, and they must repent of this condition to return to their former faith.

True and False Revival

In the final section of this study of Roberts’s theology of revival it is important

to consider many of his remaining teachings on true and false revival. The reality is that

when one studies a lifetime of ministry on a particular topic there are often many pieces

that do not nicely fit into a specific category. For this reason, this final section will

discuss some items of Roberts’s teaching on revival that did not fit into categories above,

with the goal to further delineate his understanding between true and false revival.
First, one of the characteristics of true revival that Roberts regularly teaches is

that it produces faith. When discussing faith, he typically refers to Hebrews 11 and uses

the word faith as an acronym to show the fruit of revival.159 According to Roberts, when

someone grows in faith through true revival it will include: facts about God, active

obedience, intimacy with God, trials and perseverance, and hope for God’s future

158
Roberts, Revival, 148.
159
Richard Owen Roberts, “Richard Owen Roberts – G3 Conference Atlanta – Sermon 1 of 2,”
accessed February 3, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ_FRS53PCY .

82
work.160 When a person grows in faith he will learn more facts about God and his

character. A correct understanding of God is essential for a healthy faith. Roberts writes,

“What I think about God impacts my thoughts about myself … What I think about myself

impacts what I think about sin.”161 Of course, a person’s view of sin then impacts his

understanding of the atonement. A biblical understanding of the facts about God is

necessary for a person to respond in true faith and for a true revival to be possible.

In his teaching about active obedience, Roberts uses the example of Mary, the

mother of Jesus at the Cana wedding in John 2. He points to Mary’s faith and how it led

to actions by the servants as an example of how Christians should always respond to

Christ’s words to believers. In the passage, Mary says, “Do whatever he tells you” (John

2:5). In a similar manner, Roberts exhorts his hearers that their faith should lead to

obedience, and they should also do whatever Christ tells them to do.162 Following active

obedience, faith will produce an intimacy with God. When discussing intimacy with God,

Roberts asserts that God is present in different manners at different times. He

acknowledges God’s omnipresence, which he labels God’s essential presence.163 He also

discussed how God makes himself present in special ways during times of revival and

personal renewals. This presence is labeled God’s manifest presence; however, this is not

the presence that he is referring to in regard to intimacy with God. It is the final type of
God’s presence that he is speaking about – God’s cultivated presence.164 A believer can

cultivate God’s presence in his life by faithful obedience to the means of grace.165

160
Roberts, “Richard Owen Roberts – G3 Conference Atlanta – Sermon 1 of 2.”
161
Roberts, “Richard Owen Roberts - G3 Conference Atlanta - Sermon 2 of 2.”
162
Roberts, “Richard Owen Roberts - G3 Conference Atlanta - Sermon 1 of 2.”
163
Richard Owen Roberts, “True Saving Faith,” accessed February 25, 2017,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9fYIquITS8.
164
Roberts, “True Saving Faith.”
165
For Roberts’s teachings on the means of grace, see Richard Owen Roberts, “The Means of
Grace,” accessed February 1, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL__ayRYlr4 .

83
Through activities like Bible intake, prayer, and worship the believer can cultivate God’s

presence in his life. This cultivation is one of the marks of true faith and true revival.

Roberts also teaches that a believer with true faith will persevere through trials

and difficulties. In his teaching on this topic he points to the believers in Hebrews 11 has

examples of those who have persevered in their faith before Christ. His point is that

genuine faith will persevere through difficulties especially considering what Christ has

already done on the cross.166 The last element of true faith for Roberts is hope. The Old

Testament believers died before seeing that which they hoped for happen. As New

Testament believers, Christians can look back on the work that God has done and this

should fill them with hope for what he is still going to accomplish through the church and

at the end of the age. This hope should also extend into the area of revival. Faith should

produce a hope for God to continue to work in a mighty way among his people.167

The final area to consider in this study of Roberts’s theology of revival are

elements that he presented as clues of false revival. The danger of false revival is that it

only helps to solidify the kingdom of darkness by bringing false assurance to

nonbelievers.168 One of the clearest marks of false revival is when the excesses become

the focus or the goal of revival. Roberts is critical of the Toronto movement because of

its focus on holy laughter. He asks his hearers how laughing so loudly that the Scripture
readings cannot be heard brings glory to God.169 In a similar manner, the revivals in

Florida, called the Brownsville Revival, are viewed by Roberts as a false movement

because of its focus on the phenomena and the miraculous instead of on God.170 True

Roberts, “Richard Owen Roberts - G3 Conference Atlanta - Sermon 1 of 2.”

166

167
Ibid.

Roberts, “Marks of True Revival.”

168

169
Ibid.
170
Ibid.

84
revivals will ignore the excesses and return the attention to the preaching of God’s Word

and the presence of God among his people.171 This does not mean that all revivals must

look exactly the same, in fact, just because a revival appears to be different than past

movements does not make the revival false. Instead, it is important to note that revivals

come in different forms because God is their author. Roberts states, “Since God is the

author, no two revivals are the same.”172 One of the most important measures to use

against a movement which claims to be a revival is the people’s focus. If the focus is on

the preaching of the Word of God and the presence of God among his people, then the

movement is likely genuine. If the focus is on any other aspect, then it should be

considered a false revival and it should be avoided by genuine believers.

Conclusion
This chapter started by considering the very basic question, what is revival?

While many basic definitions of the term were provided, the main emphasis of these

pages was to consider Richard Owen Roberts’s definition and understanding of revival. It

was stated that Roberts has defined revival in this way, “True revival is God in the midst

of His people.”173 While his definition is short and simple, it is still very complex. For

this reason, a comprehensive view of Roberts’s theology of revival was developed and

explored. The purpose of this chapter was to examine his writing, preaching and teaching
and to organize his theology of revival into one structured and concise format. A lifetime

of ministry in the area of revival has provided numerous books, articles, sermons, and

lectures which present Roberts’s theology of revival in a multi-faceted manner. 174 To

171
See discussion above regarding James Davenport and the excesses of the First Great
Awakening. For Roberts, the Awakening is validated because it did not focus on the excesses that were
present, but instead the movement continually went back to the preaching of the Word.
172
Roberts, “Marks of True Revival.”
173
Roberts, “Part 1: The Nature and Incredible Beauty of True Revival.”
174
It is important to acknowledge that Roberts provides some structure to his views on revival
through his book, Revival, and his lecture series on the website http://www.collegeofrevival.org. While

85
seek organization and clarity, this chapter examined his understanding of revival as it

intersected these topics: God, man, the church, the community, results, hindrances, and

genuine revival. While no imposed structure can seamlessly organize Roberts’s complete

body of work in revival, this structure provided the needed guidance to come to a clear

understanding of his views on revival. In this process, Roberts’s theology of revival did

become apparent and the reader is now prepared to explore the significant connection that

he has made in his ministry to repentance and history in the following chapter.

these structures are helpful they do not include all the categories discussed in this paper. Additionally, the
structure of this chapter seeks to discuss Roberts’s theology of revival in a manner that is more consistent
with a systematic theology pattern.

86
 CHAPTER 4

HISTORY AND REPENTANCE

The previous chapter considered Richard Owen Roberts’s theology of revival,

and through that study it became apparent that there are two interwoven elements in both

his writings and teachings. These elements are history and repentance. Both topics in

Roberts’s ministry will be considered in detail below for the purpose of examining how

they impact his theology of revival. It is interesting to consider how both elements have

been prevalent in Roberts’s ministry even from a young age. One of his goals as a young

man was to read all of the books ever written on the topic of revival. About this goal, he

writes, “It almost surprises me now as I acknowledge it, but as a young teen-ager I

determined to read every book on the subject of revival which was ever published.”1

Along with this lofty goal he determined to create a complete bibliographic resource on

the topic of revival and to gather a significant personal library of material. In the process

of attempting these tasks he discovered the enormous volume of literature in the field and

quickly recognized the impossibility of the endeavor. After decades of research he

discusses the problem of not being able to provide a complete work by writing,

For more than forty years I have pursued this goal, and while I am a long way from
having fulfilled it, I have managed to read a great deal more of the literature of
revival than many believers know to exist, a substantial library of revival literature
has been gathered, and this annotated record is offered in partial fulfillment of these
youthful determinations.2
As one considers Roberts’s stated goals in interacting with the revival literature it is

1
Richard Owen Roberts, Revival Literature: An Annotated Bibliography with Biographical and
Historical Notices (Wheaton, IL: Richard Owen Roberts Pub, 1987), ix.
2
Ibid. The reader should note that this quote is over thirty years old, and since this time Roberts
has continued to pursue these goals. His work in this area is still incomplete.

87
difficult to not be impressed by his determination and perseverance in the task. Studying

and researching the history of revival has clearly been a primary objective in his life.

The second major element that is prevalent throughout Roberts’s ministry on

revival is the topic of repentance. The topic of repentance is in fact the area in which

most evangelical Christians would be familiar with his work. His book, Repentance,

seeks to call the church back to this topic because Roberts strongly believes that it is too

neglected in the American church today. He writes, “It is time for alarm, however, when

the church that the Lord Jesus Christ established knows scarcely any more about

repentance than does the sin-loving world. Tragically, that is the situation today.”3

Roberts acknowledges that the term repentance is still regularly used in the churches, but

he laments that it is grossly misunderstood and practically disregarded by most

believers.4 For this reason, many messages that Roberts has delivered, and most of his

books, have a strong emphasis on repentance and its importance in the Christian’s life.

The purpose of this chapter is to examine these two elements in more detail in

order to gain an understanding of their significance in Roberts’s ministry. From the

emphasis that Roberts gives to these topics one will see their importance to the church in

the area of revival. This purpose will be achieved by considering Roberts’s major written

works in these areas and making connections with many of his more recent teachings on
the topics. In this chapter, it will become apparent that for the church to truly understand

revival it is necessary to discover how God has moved in the past through the study of

history and how he impacts convicted sinners through the study of biblical repentance.

3
Richard Owen Roberts, Repentance: The First Word of the Gospel (Wheaton, IL: Crossway
Books, 2002), 16.
4
Ibid.

88
 History and Revival
Based on Roberts’s definition of revival one could argue that there has not

been a period of history that has not experienced revival on some level.5 Obviously,

some time periods have been more fruitful in this area than others, but throughout history

God has been drawing near to his people in special ways. To attempt to chronicle all that

God has done to revive individuals, churches, and even denominations would be an

impossible task. Even if one limits the study to major movements within the larger

church it would still be necessary to focus on specific time periods or locations. As a

young man, Roberts recognized the challenge of limiting his scope of study in terms of

revival. He discovered quickly that many in the church use the term revival and

evangelism interchangeably. As he compiled his annotated bibliography on revival he

struggled with where to draw the line when considering whether to include a text. He

determined to include all books that had the word revival in the title, even if he felt that

the subject of the book was actually evangelism.6 The simple act of trying to compile a

resource on the history of revival forces one to consider how to define revival and God’s

movements. One guide that Roberts used in the process of considering the history of

revival was to separate the events based on the one who initiated the movement. If the

movement was started by God, then Roberts considered it under the category of revival;

however, if the movement was started by a man he would consider it evangelism. On this
distinction between the impetus of revival Roberts states the following:

5
Roberts defined revival as “an extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit producing
extraordinary results.” Richard Owen Roberts, Revival (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1982), 16-
17. He later modified this definition and now defines revival as “true revival is God in the midst of His
people.” Richard Owen Roberts, “Part 1: The Nature and Incredible Beauty of True Revival,” accessed
December 1, 2016, http://www.collegeofrevival.org/part-1-the-nature-and-incredible-beauty-of-true-
revival/.
6
Roberts, Revival Literature, xiii. He wrote, “In the book before you I have sought to include
only those volumes that by my definition are actually on the subject of revival, that include a section on
revival, or that portray details of consequence concerning men used of God in revival. I have made one
continual exception to this rule, and that is, I have included volumes where the word revival is used in the
title even when, by my understanding, it is referring to something else – usually evangelism.”

89
 In the early years of my gathering information I saw little difference between
evangelism and revival and was inclined to suppose that anything that fell under the
broad spectrum of “revivalism” should be included in a bibliography on revival. In
more recent years I have come to the conviction that evangelism is something very
necessary we do for God, whereas revival is something perfectly wonderful which
God does for us.7
Anytime that a person is studying historical topics he must, by necessity, be selective.

Terms must be defined, scope must be narrowed, and through this process the researcher

reveals much about himself. This idea holds true for Roberts’s study of the history of

revival as well. By necessity he had to narrow his scope, define his terms, and exclude

many items just to make the topic manageable. This section will consider several of his

significant writings in the area of history and revival. The reasons why Roberts published

each work, the content included, and its significance will be discussed in each section.

Through this examination, Roberts’s understanding of revival will become more evident

and his concern over the study of the history of revival will be explicitly clear.

Roberts's Revival Literature

Roberts’s Revival Literature has already been discussed in detail above, but

when considering his emphasis on history and revival, this is easily his most significant

work. The book was published in 1987 after years of research and writing. While it is

comprehensive, it is not complete. Roberts acknowledges this fact when he writes, “No

one is more aware than myself of the inadequate nature of this book I set before you.
Several more years of labor might improve it and enhance its usefulness.”8 While stating

that more time would be beneficial he recognizes the need for his work:

I publish at this time because I do not know how much longer I will have to
complete my assigned tasks, because I believe this volume is needed at the present
time, and because I believe it contains information which can make a major
difference in the future of the church throughout the world.9

7
Roberts, Revival Literature, xiii.
8
Ibid., xi.
9
Ibid.

90
Roberts’s perceived need for the book was his primary reason for compiling these

annotations. The book itself contains five-thousand-eighty-three entries that relate

specifically with the topic of revival.10 By collecting such a large volume Roberts hopes

that students of revival would have one reference source for a study of the topic.

A second reason for publishing this book was that Roberts desires to reawaken

a passion in the broader church about the topic of revival. He admitts that studying about

revival will never in itself produce a revival,11 but it is still the church’s responsibility to

study this important topic because it reveals much about God’s character. He writes, “I

have no hesitation in saying the church cannot possibly excuse its long-standing neglect

of a matter so vital to its own welfare and so central to the issue of the glory of God.”12

As noted in the previous chapter, Roberts teaches that true revival is focused on God and

his glory. It is for this reason that Roberts focuses on the history of the church in revival.

When a person can see how God has moved in the past, he is able to see God’s character

more clearly. Conversely, when the church fails to study how God has previously brought

revival, then that body of believers is limited in its understanding of God. This limited

understanding of God likely leads to spiritual decline. Roberts explains this process in

this way, “A church in moral decline produces discontented believers. Discontented

believers strengthen the confidence of a cynical world. A cynical world robs God of glory
due his name.”13 Ultimately, Roberts produced this book to highlight the significant

10
This total includes only one entry regarding the works by George Whitefield. The entry
refers the reader to another significant book on annotations that Roberts collected: Whitefield in Print: A
Bibliographic Record of Works By, For, and Against George Whitefield: with Annotations, Biographical
and Historical Notices, and Bibliographies of Associates and Contemporaries (Wheaton, IL: Richard
Owen Roberts Pub, 1988), 493.
11
Roberts, Revival Literature, xi.
12
Ibid.
13
Ibid.

91
publications that discuss what God has done throughout history. He firmly believes that a

fruitful believer should be equipped with this knowledge of past revivals in the church.

The content of the book covers a massive, but selective, amount of material on

revival. Roberts admits that certain figures and movements received more attention in the

book because of his personal interests. In the introduction, he discusses how his interest

in men like Brainerd, Edwards, Dow, and Finney had led him to include more of their

works. In a similar manner, he omits many works on the history of Methodism because

he felt that the movement was well documented in other resources.14 Additionally, there

are noticeable differences in the entries, both in style and content, throughout the book.

Roberts attributes this to the changing nature of the project over the span of forty years.

He started this book with the intent of building his personal library and later recognized

the value that it brought to the broader church in the area of revival history.

The difficultly one finds when browsing through the content of this work is

that it can be a challenge to not become overwhelmed by its size. Instead of seeking to

consider the work in its entirety, it is better to consider the content of each entry and to

see the book’s usefulness as a refence resource. The book is set up alphabetically by last

name.15 Each entry starts with the entry number that Roberts assigned it. This is followed

by the author’s name and the dates of his life. The line under the author contains the book
title, sub-title, publisher, and copyright year. After the bibliographic information, Roberts

than lists some of the libraries which hold a copy of the work.16 For many of the entries

14
Roberts, Revival Literature, xiii.
15
Ibid. The book also includes a significant subject index which would allow a researcher to
study movements or geographical locations without first knowing what authors need to be considered.
16
Roberts used a code system for library names to reduce the space for each entry. The reader
must refer to the “Key to Library Symbols,” in the front of the book to see at which library Roberts was
able to find the book. This is particularly significant for rare books on the list, several of which Roberts
only found a copy of in personal libraries to which he was given access. Additionally, when reading the
annotations, one will notice the extent of Roberts’s personal library as many entries simply list “ROR” as
the library symbols—this code referring to Roberts’s personal library. Many of the volumes in his library
are now housed in an archive at the Billy Graham Library on the campus of Wheaton College in Wheaton,
IL. Ibid., xiv.

92
Roberts ends with some brief remarks on the work listed. For example, Roberts includes

three entries on John Gillies’s book, Historical Collections of Accounts of Revival,17 for

each entry he provides short comments, but when collected together the three entries

show his appreciation of the work. For the original 1754 edition he writes, “A truly

wonderful work.”18 On the updated 1845 version Roberts comments, “Bonar’s additions

make this an even more splendid work.”19 Finally, on the Banner of Truth reprinted

edition from 1981, he writes, “The Banner of Truth has done a great service in making

this precious volume available again. No serious student of revival should be without

it.”20 While the contents of these annotations are not significant in length they do reflect

Roberts’s opinion of the book which is helpful to the researcher.

Another helpful example of Roberts’s annotations of a book in this volume can

be seen in his comments on Charles Finney’s works. The first entry for Finney is not

actually for a book, but instead Roberts provides a brief outline of his life and ministry.21

In this sketch, Roberts is very critical of Finney, and states that just as many of his

contemporaries predicted, his views on God brought a quick end to revivals. He writes,

Thus, while very successful in his itinerations, the excitement generated by his
ministry alarmed many sober leader of his day who knew that the new doctrines
which he preached and the new methods he employed not only brought division and
tension on every hand but would in time bring great harm upon the churches of the
land. Some of Finney’s contemporaries went so far as to say that if Finney’s view
prevailed it would mark the end of true revival in America. Undaunted by such
criticism, Finney continued to follow his own convictions. Yet, just as predicted, the
seasons of revival ended considerably before the death of Finney, and true revival
has been scarce indeed in America since his day.22

17
John Gillies, Historical Collections of Accounts of Revival (1754; repr., Carlisle, PA: The
Banner of Truth Trust, 1981).
18
Roberts, Revival Literature, 205.
19
Ibid.
20
Ibid.
21
Ibid., 181.
22
Ibid.

93
Roberts is very critical of Finney’s ministry, yet he recognizes his significance to

American church history. For this reason, Roberts includes fifty entries on Finney alone,

and through these entries he provides a short overview of Finney’s life and ministry.23 In

this overview, Roberts comments on Finney’s changing perspective on revival as he

matured in life. In an annotation on Finney’s Letters on Revivals, Roberts writes, “A

lesser known work providing somewhat more mature views on certain aspects of revival

than will be found in the lectures.”24 While Roberts discusses some growth in Finney, he

determines that the overall impact of his ministry has negatively affected the church.

The impact that Finney had on the church is the main significance of Roberts’s

entries on his works. He certainly does highlight the positive and negative aspects of

Finney’s ministry, but the result was that Finney’s views has damaged the American

church to this day. Roberts final evaluation states, “While one must not question Finney’s

personal devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, the blind acceptance of his position depletes

the prospects of revival even in this hour.”25 For Roberts, the lessons that one can learn

from history is a significant reason to study history in connection with revival. Through

this study, the church today can learn from the past, see its current deficiencies, correct

them, and then turn to the Lord in an anticipation of revival. Regarding Finney, Roberts

believes that the church must turn away from a man focused theology to a God focused
theology. He writes, “A return to a view of a high and lofty God is the primary

prerequisite to revival in any age.”26 Without studying the history of revival it would be

23
Roberts, Revival Literature, 181-185.
24
Ibid., 183. While Finney’s Lectures on Revival is probably his most well-known book in
Letters on Revival, which was published later in his life, Finney corrects and modifies many of his
previously taught ideas on revival. Those interested in Finney’s theology of revival must consider his views
in Letters on Revival.
25
Ibid., 181.
26
Ibid.

94
difficult for one to see the impact that Finney has on the church today. In a similar way,

studying the history of revival provides a more complete view of God and revival.

The final area to consider in this discussion of Revival Literature is the result

of this work by Roberts. This work a significant for several reasons. First, the collection

displays Roberts depth of study on the topic of revival. Roberts spent forty years

compiling this resource through his diligence and desire to learn about revival. Second,

the work highlights the importance of history in the area of revival. While many of the

works annotated are practical in nature, discussing things like the purpose and nature of

revival, many of the entries are purely historical accounts of what God has done in

revival.27 Roberts could have narrowed the scope of his research by only focusing on

practical books, but he purposely kept his search broader because of his value on the

historical accounts and what they can reveal about God. A final significant impact of the

book is that it provides all students of revival a good resource from which to start his

study on the topic. The book can easily provide an overview of the resources produced by

significant figures or movements, giving the student a solid bibliography from which to

start his own research. Roberts provides a great service to the church in this work.

While there are certainly many positive qualities about this work, there are also

several deficiencies. The most glaring deficiency is the fact that Roberts does not provide
content annotations on all the books included. This of course would quickly expand the

book and make it necessary for multiple volumes, but its value would be much greater. A

second area in which the work could be improved would be to bring consistency to each

entry in formatting and structure. Finally, this work would benefit from technology that is

27
Two examples of historical accounts of revival included in this resource would be Jonathan
Edwards, “An Account of the Revival of Religion in Northampton 1740-1742,” in Jonathan Edwards on
Revival (1965; repr., Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1994), and John Gillies, Historical Collections of
Accounts of Revival (1754; repr., Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1981).

95
available now that was not available when Roberts first published the book thirty years

ago. Simply updating and digitalizing this work would add great benefit to the church.28

Overall, this volume is significant in the study of Roberts’s theology of revival

because it very clearly displays his passion to connect his understanding of revival to the

history of how God has worked in revival. Despite its few shortcomings, the book is still

an excellent resource in the area of revival. Roberts’s desire was to build his library and

add to his knowledge on the topic of revival, in the process he provides the church with

this work which highlights many of the time periods and ways in which God has brought

revival to his people. Throughout this work one is impacted not only by historical

accounts, but by a God who poured out his presence in specific times for his glory.

Roberts's Whitefield in Print

After considering Revival Literature, the second main resource that must be

considered when studying Roberts’s connection between revival and history is the book,

Whitefield in Print.29 The two books are similar in that they are both comprehensive

annotated bibliographies, but they differ in focus and structure. In Whitefield in Print,

Roberts focuses his study on only those publications that dealt with George Whitefield

and the First Great Awakening. For this reason alone, he could develop a more complete

reference resource in this book. The subtitle of the book helps the reader to know the
scope and purpose of the book by stating that it is a “bibliographic record of works by,

for, and against George Whitefield.”30 In addition, Roberts includes bibliographies of

Whitefield’s contemporaries so that he could state that this book creates a literary history

28
For example, in a digital form the book could link to World Cat and instantly provide the
researcher with a list of all libraries which hold a copy of the book under consideration.
29
Roberts, Whitefield in Print.
30
Ibid., title page.

96
of the First Great Awakening.31 Overall, the book provides a comprehensive record of

publications that focus on an important revival movement in the early American church.

Another way in which this book is similar to Revival Literature is that

Roberts’s primary purpose in writing the book was not to gain knowledge of a historical

time period of the church, but instead he is striving to learn more about the God who

brought the revival.32 In the preface to the book, Roberts continually refers to this volume

as a memorial stone to remind the church of what God has done in the past.33 He presents

his primary motivation is to create a memorial for God’s great works in the First Great

Awakening. He discusses this motivation by writing, “One single, grand, and valid

purpose has gripped me; and in my effort to fulfill it, I believe my time has been wisely

invested. I speak of a desire to memorialize the mighty acts of God among our Fathers of

the eighteenth century.”34 As he discusses this motivation in compiling these publications

into one source pointing readers back to God, he writes, “This memorial can direct

attention once more to the fact that God can when man cannot.”35 Additionally, “The

very God who revived His church then is able to do so again.”36 Throughout this

discussion it becomes very clear that Roberts’s desire to connect history and revival does

not stem from a passion for history, but a passion for God. Roberts connects history to

revival because he believes that in studying history the church can learn more about God.
The content of Whitefield in Print is structured and arranged in a similar

manner as Revival Literature, but Roberts includes several elements that provide more

31
Roberts, Whitefield in Print, title page.
32
Ibid., xiv.
33
Ibid.
34
Ibid., xii.
35
Ibid., xiv.
36
Ibid., xiii.

97
value in this volume. In addition to the bibliographic entry, in many instances Roberts

provides a brief description of the content of the publication. He also includes helpful

remarks on similar works for the researcher to consider, and finally, on historical figures

other than Whitefield, he provides a brief historical sketch of that individual. For these

reasons, this book is substantially larger than Revival Literature. Additionally, it contains

almost three thousand more entries for a total of eight-thousand-eighty-six total

annotations.37 Finally, this book ends with a helpful textual index to Whitefield’s sermons

which allow the researcher to locate his sermons arranged by Scripture reference.38

Overall, this volume contains valuable information to guide any research of Whitefield

and the First Great Awakening with the purpose of studying this movement of God.

In a similar manner to Revival Literature, the significance of this book has

been reduced by advancements in technology which allow a researcher to access much of

this information on a digital library catalog. Despite this drawback, the result of this work

is still significant regarding this study and Roberts’s ministry. Each of the over eight-

thousand entries represent a book that Roberts has studied and contemplated. The entries

are from the time period which Roberts believes was the last wide reaching Word-based

revival.39 As he studied these publications he learned much about the church’s view of

God and man during this era, and this study has greatly impacted his own theology of
revival. Roberts places a heavy emphasis on God’s sovereignty and his control of revival

movements. In many ways, this book displays the scaffolding from which Roberts’s

theology was constructed. His hope through this work was that the researchers who used

this volume would come to see God in a similar manner, and through that view, the

church would be better equipped to experience another great Word-centered revival.

37
Roberts, Whitefield in Print, 722.
38
Ibid., 723.
39
Ibid., xii.

98
J. Edwin Orr
The two books previously discussed are both significant indicators of

Roberts’s initial focus on history and revival. They represent decades of his labor and toil

in studying God’s movements in church history. In the introductions to both of the works

Roberts clearly articulates his desire not to study history, but to highlight the God who

moved in history. Beyond these volumes, Roberts has been diligent in connecting the

church to revival history in several other emphasizes. First among the remaining areas

would be Roberts’s connection with J. Edwin Orr. The reason for this attention to Orr is

that Roberts edited and published four of his works which discuss revival.40 Out of these

four books, two, in particular, will be examined to demonstrate that Roberts specifically

chose Orr’s works because he places spiritual value on historical revival events.

The first book to consider is Campus Aflame which is an edited version of

Orr’s dissertation. In preface, Roberts discusses the value of this work because a

comprehensive written account of campus awakenings does not exist. He also feels that

Orr was uniquely qualified to write this book because of his deep concern and

involvement with campus revivals. Regarding these two topics, Roberts writes,

Few in the history of the world have ever known so much on this precious theme of
campus awakenings as the author, J. Edwin Orr. Perhaps even fewer have cared so
much and prayed so long to see it happen again and again. Certainly, almost none at
all have themselves been used as instruments of awakening on so many campuses in
so many nations as our beloved friend now in glory. 41
Based on the passage above, it is clear that Roberts views Orr’s ministry with admiration

and respect. Further in his introduction to the work, Roberts approvingly comments on

how Orr stood against the majority of his time period who, following Finney, taught and

40
See J. Edwin Orr, An Apprenticeship of Faith, ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL:
International Awakening Press, 1993); Orr, Campus Aflame: A History of Evangelical Awakenings in
Collegiate Communities, ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1994);
Orr, The Event of the Century: The 1857-1858 Awakening, ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL:
International Awakening Press, 1989); and Orr, My All, His All, ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL:
Richard Owen Roberts Pub, 1989).
41
Orr, Campus Aflame, 11.

99
practiced that revival came through the proper means and methods. He writes,

While Dr. Orr found it impossible in his lifetime to stand fully in accord with those
whose theology made revival “nothing other than the right use of the right means,”
he did believe, as do the principles of International Awakening Ministries, that we
ought to do what we can by way of preparation of our minds and hearts for revival;
and we ought even more to so thirst for the Lord God Himself that He will quickly
come and pour water upon those that are thirsty, knowing full well that as our thirst
is quenched, the floods will rise upon the dry ground of the heathen world in which
we have been placed.”42
It is clear that in Orr, Roberts finds a man of similar theology and practice. He also

presents one who had a desire to preserve the history of revivals, and for this reason

Roberts edited, or reprinted, several of Orr’s work which intertwined history and revival.

The value that Roberts describes in Campus Aflame is that it clearly displayed

the continual and ongoing revivals which have been prevalent on American college

campuses since the time of the First Great Awakening. Roberts notes that one of the

reasons for ongoing revivals was that the impact of a campus revival rarely went beyond

the student body; therefore, it was necessary for a new movement every four years.43 One

of the exceptions to this pattern which Roberts points out was Professor Albert Hopkins

who taught at Williams College.44 Sometime after his graduation from the college,

Hopkins was converted, and when he returned to the school as a faculty member he had a

deep burden for the student body. About this burden, Roberts writes, “Before God, he

made the solemn determination, the Lord making it possible, no generation of students
would graduate from Williams College during his tenure without the benefit of having

experienced firsthand a true outpouring of heaven’s rain.”45 Roberts continues by stating

that God did indeed grant this request to Professor Hopkins and the college. Orr’s book

42
Orr, Campus Aflame, 12-13.
43
Ibid., 11-12.
44
Ibid., 12.
45
Ibid.

100
following this introduction carefully presents movements of God on college campuses. It

powerfully displays the strong history that higher education has had with revivals.

The second book that will be considered to make the connection between

Roberts and Orr is The Event of the Century. This book is a detailed history of the 1858

prayer revival which started in New York.46 Orr uses the first several chapters to present

the spiritual condition of the United States leading up to the movement. The middle

section of the book highlights the beginning of the revival in New York, and then trace

the movement throughout North America. The end of the book outlines some general

characteristics of revival and its lasting benefits for the church. The book was written

shortly before Orr passed away, and in many ways, it reflects his lifetime of ministry in

the area of revival. Roberts acknowledges that sections of the book appeared in other

publications, but in total it represents a significant work in history and revival.47

In the introduction to the book, Roberts lists seven reasons as to why he feels

that Orr’s work needs to be published. First, he notes that Orr had a passion for revival

that started as a young man. When he was young, Orr regularly traveled and wrote about

his experiences throughout the world with churches in revival.48 The second reason that

Roberts published this work was because he believes that it continued to highlight Orr’s

desire to see scholars focus on revival movements.49 Third, Roberts notes Orr’s ability to
recall statistics about revival and to use these figures to inspire others. He writes,

I have often been with him, and in his presence never felt like more than a
kindergarten boy when it came to the details of awakenings. His ability to rattle off
statistics must be considered one of the phenomena of modern times. Who else ever
acquired such a vast array of information on, and so comprehensive a grasp of
details concerning revivals, and was able to use them with such telling and

46
Orr, The Event of the Century.
47
Ibid., ix.
48
Ibid., vii.
49
Ibid.

101
 delightful effect?50
Roberts writes that Orr’s worldwide status as a man of revival was the fourth reason why

he decided to put this book into publication.51 He states, “While some God-honored

evangelists are better known than J. Edwin Orr, no revival scholar has gained a broader

audience or had a greater impact on this century.”52 The fifth reason that Roberts lists as

to why he published this work was that Orr’s life was marked by revival in his personal

friendliness and warmth towards other people.53 Sixth, Roberts admires his work effort,

stating that Orr accomplished more through personal discipline than many did with larger

budgets and support staff. He writes, “By tremendous personal discipline and exertion he

accomplished more than most men with secretaries and large budgets even dream

possible.”54 The seventh, and final, reason that Roberts provides for desiring to publish

this work was because in his marriage Orr was blessed by a wife who supported and

enhanced his ministry in the area of revival. Roberts notes that Orr’s wife Carol’s support

of his work has had an extremely positive impact on the worldwide church.55

From an outsider’s perspective, the seven reasons listed above may not equally

justify the publication of Orr’s work, but they do all display Roberts’s appreciation and

respect for his life and ministry. In Orr, Roberts admires a man who was gifted and called

to equip the church in the area of revival. Many of Orr’s works were historical in nature,

and this book, in particular, had a strong connection between studying a historical event
and teaching the church about the elements of revival. By editing and publishing this

book, Roberts reinforces his desire to educate the wider church about the history of

50
Orr, The Event of the Century, vii.
51
Ibid., viii.
52
Ibid.
53
Ibid.
54
Ibid.
55
Ibid.

102
revival, and through that process to help believers better see the God who brings revival.

In this purpose, Roberts once again displays his desire to strongly connect church history

to the study of revival. Overall, Roberts’s connection with Orr through editing and

publishing has almost a complete emphasis on historical works focused on revival.

The Welsh Revival

The Welsh Revival of 1904-05 is another topic which clearly displays

Roberts’s concern with connecting history and revival. While he mentions this awakening

in several settings,56 the primary source for his connection with this revival is in the book

that he edited and published, Glory Filled the Land.57 In this book, Roberts compiles

three different viewpoints on the Welsh revival which he feels accurately portray the

remarkable works of God at that time. He writes, “The three volumes of this trilogy

present the reader with the unique opportunity of viewing the revival not only through the

eyes of three men, but from three totally different perspectives.”58 Roberts edited these

works for publication so that the church could learn from this important time of revival.

An additional reason which Roberts discusses for publishing this volume is to

provide correction to the church. The Welsh revival was not heavily influenced by strong

preaching like the First Great Awakening. It was, what Roberts would call, an

experience-centered revival.59 While many would suggest that this emphasis on

experience is a great strength of the movement, Roberts writes that it is its weakness:

56
One instance would be Richard Owen Roberts, “Revival: Experience Centered & God
Centered,” accessed February 4, 2017,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec_MscSLaUU&index=5&list=PLmmTx77FrqRcmfBrKjoDC8QUz-
dOBslVj.
57
Lewis, H. Elvet, G. Campbell Morgan, and I. V. Neprash, Glory Filled the Land: A Trilogy
of the Welsh Revival (1904-1905), ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening
Press, 1989).
58
Ibid., xiii.
Roberts, “Revival: Experience Centered & God Centered.”
59

103
 Some have thought that one of the great strengths of 1904-1905 was its lack of
preaching. A more sober judgment makes that lack as one of its most grievous
weaknesses. The Church will never be strong enough to fulfill its world-wide
mandate if it moves forward merely on the basis of experience. The powerful,
Spirit-anointed preaching of the Word of God always have been and always will be
both the Church’s best safeguard against inner error, and its one truly effective tool
for bringing the world into submission to Jesus Christ.60
While Roberts believes that the movement was less effective because of its emphasis on

experience over preaching, he still sees great value in putting the movement into books

for the church. The value in learning from this movement is through the process the

church could become better prepared to lead in coming revivals. He writes,

While we rejoice with great joy at all that God did and accomplished in the Welsh
Revival of 1904-1905, and while there can be no question but that “Glory” truly
“Filled the Land” in those days, we must not fail to learn the precious lessons our
brother Evan Roberts learned. By the grace of God, let us learn them before the
revival comes, instead of waiting until we have harmed the fragile and precious
work of the Holy Spirit by our own insensitivity and foolishness.61
In this statement, Roberts clearly articulates his main desire in connecting church history

and revival. It is his hope that he can help the church learn from past errors, so that the

church would be better equipped to follow the Lord’s leading in upcoming revivals.

First Great Awakening

The final area to consider Roberts’s connection between history and revival is

the First Great Awakening. In this area, Roberts has published two books of note:

Salvation in Full Color and Sanctify the Congregation.62 The content of these books was
discussed in the previous chapter; therefore, it is sufficient to restate that these books both

demonstrate Roberts’s understanding and appreciation of this period of church history.

60
Roberts, Glory Filled the Land, xv. Additionally, as discussed previously, one of the leading
figures of the movement, Evan Roberts, reflected later in life that his emphasis on experience over
preaching during the revival most likely led to a premature ending of the movement, see xiv.
61
Roberts, Glory Filled the Land, xv. Emphasis added.
62
Richard Owen Roberts, ed., Salvation in Full Color: Twenty Sermons by Great Awakening
Preachers (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1994); Roberts, Sanctify the Congregation: A
Call to the Solemn Assembly and to Corporate Repentance (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press,
1994). Additionally, the annotated bibliography on Whitefield could certainly fit into this category, but it is
such a significant work for Roberts that it was given its own section above.

104
Both books are a collection of sermons that Roberts personally chose to teach his readers

about an issue. In Salvation in Full Color, Roberts provides sermons which present the

full gospel message to the reader.63 For this book his selection of historical sermons were

all delivered around the time of the First Great Awakening. Many of the preachers were

prominent men during this time, but Roberts also highlights lesser known figures who

were preaching sound biblical messages to their churches at that time. The point of

highlighting this fact is that when Roberts could choose any sermon that he desired,

including his own, to carefully describe the work of salvation, he selects historical

sermons. This only serves to reinforce his desire to connect the church with the historical

revivals for the purpose of connecting believers to God’s previous work in revivals.

The second example of Roberts’s connection with the First Great Awakening

is in the book Sanctify the Congregation. This book is a selection of sermons that have

been edited by Roberts to demonstrate the practice of a solemn assembly.64 In the

introduction to the book, Roberts highlights the fact that the sermons selected were all

delivered between 1645 and 1753. His reason for focusing on this time period is because

he believes the church of early America has much to teach the modern church about

corporate repentance. Regarding this concern with repentance, he writes,

Early Americans, despite their faults, knew that God hated sin and punished it in the
unrepentant, including unrepentant believers and churches. Because they feared God
and His ability to punish, they sought to lead their people in quick and thorough
repentance.65
To teach believers about the need for corporate repentance, Roberts looks back to the

First Great Awakening. He purposely highlights this movement because he believes that

this is certainly one area were a historical revival has much to teach Christians today.

63
Roberts, Salvation in Full Color, xvi-xix.
64
Roberts, Sanctify the Congregation, xiii.
65
Ibid., xii.

105
Conclusion
The purpose of this first section was to demonstrate the intentional connection

that Roberts has fostered between history and revival. By examining several of his

written and edited works it has been established that Roberts sees value in pointing

believers back to earlier time periods to teach about revivals. When one examines the

strengths and weaknesses of previous revivals he can learn from successes and failures of

the church leaders at that time. From this knowledge, one can become better prepared for

the next time God brings revival. Ultimately, for Roberts the greatest reason for

connecting revivals with history is that through the study of the ways in which God has

worked in the past, the Christian can better know God and prepare for true revival.66

Repentance and Revival

The second main section of this chapter will examine the connection that

Roberts cultivated between revival and repentance. In one of his messages on revival,

Roberts introduces the topic by asking his listeners to consider what type of revival they

were praying for God to bring. He asks if his listeners really desire for God to revive the

church in its current state of licentious faith. He asks his listeners if they really desire for

God to revive the church with its current leaders more concerned about man’s opinion

than about God’s opinion. Roberts states that he, of course, prays for and desires revival,
but the revival he prays for starts with repentance.67 He further elaborates that he sees no

need to pray for God to continue, or to increase, the general state of things in the church,

but that his desire is for God to bring the church to repentance which would lead to its

66
While Roberts may be unique in his time for connecting revival and history, he is certainly
not the first person to make this connection. Jonathan Edwards regularly wrote out accounts of revival so
that others could hear about what God had done, and through learning this history that person may be
encouraged towards revival. He shares the account of how the revival of the First Great Awakening spread
from town to town on the testimonies of those impacted in A Narrative of Surprising Conversions found in
Jonathan Edwards on Revival (1965; repr., Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1995), 16-17.
67
Richard Owen Roberts, “What does Christ want?,” accessed on May 12, 2017, https://heart-
cryforrevival.org/fusionlivestream/.

106
holiness.68 In this sermon, and throughout his ministry, Roberts teaches that genuine

revival starts with repentance. He discusses the issue of repentance in numerous sermons

and lectures, but the importance of this connection will be examined primarily by

considering three of Roberts’s works that make his purpose explicitly clear: Repentance,

Revival and “The Solemn Assembly”.69 In these three resources it will be demonstrated

that Roberts purposely connects revival and repentance because he believes that true

revival will always start with biblical repentance in sinners and believers.

Roberts's Repentance: The First Word of

the Gospel
When discussing the topic of repentance in Roberts’s ministry the place to start

is his book titled, Repentance. It is in this work that Roberts most fully develops his

understanding and teaching on the topic. For this reason, the contents of this book will be

examined with the purpose of overviewing Roberts’s theology of repentance. The subtitle

of this book firmly displays the value that Roberts places on repentance by stating that

repentance is the “first word of the gospel.”70 Roberts builds his case for supporting this

statement through three main sections: biblical repentance, statements on repentance, and

what repentance leads to.71 Each of these three sections will be considered below.

Before the first section of the book, Roberts introduces his topic and considers
the reasons for why he believes that many in the church do not have a biblical view of

repentance. First, Roberts describes a general disregard of the doctrine in the church.72

68
Roberts, “What does Christ want?”
69
Richard Owen Roberts, Repentance: The First Word of the Gospel (Wheaton, IL: Crossway
Books, 2002); Roberts, Revival! (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1982); and Roberts, “The
Solemn Assembly,” (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1989).
70
Roberts, Repentance, front cover.
71
Ibid., 5. These divisions are from the author, but they are still helpful for dividing the fifteen
chapters of this book for overviewing its contents.
72
Ibid., 16.

107
Second, those who do preach on repentance do not consider the topic enough in their

preaching.73 Third, the church often fails to understand the mandatory nature of

repentance.74 The fourth reason is that many have embraced the false teaching that

repentance has nothing to do with salvation. Fifth, repentance is neglected because the

church is too focused on positive messages, therefore it avoids difficult topics that are not

considered encouraging.75 Sixth, Roberts writes, “the doctrine of repentance has suffered

at the hands of the church’s large-scale commitment to success.”76 Finally, Roberts closes

his reasons for writing this book by stating that there is a “tragic lack of moral

earnestness” in church leadership.77 With these reasons presented, Roberts then moves

into his first section of the book which develops a portrait of biblical repentance.

In chapter 1 Roberts demonstrates that the first words of John the Baptist,

Jesus, and the twelve’s messages to the people is to repent.78 He also argues that it was

the focus of Peter’s preaching79 and the core of the apostle Paul’s message.80 The chapter

closes with a brief presentation of Jesus’s final words to the churches in Revelation and

his call to them to repent.81 Following this first chapter, Roberts highlights God’s call to

his people to repent throughout the Old Testament. He writes, “God Himself is grieved

over the failure of His own people to repent, and He has issued many passionate calls for

73
Roberts, Repentance, 17.
74
Ibid.
75
Ibid.
76
Ibid., 18.
77
Ibid.
78
Ibid., 23, 27, 32.
79
Ibid., 33.
80
Ibid., 35.
81
Ibid., 37-39.

108
them to repent and turn back to Him.”82 Through this calling to repentance, God displays

many of his characteristics such as patience, holiness, and love. God was patient with the

people of Israel despite their continual unfaithfulness. God’s holiness was evident in his

continual reminders that sinful people cannot be his people. Finally, God demonstrates

his love for his people by delaying his judgment and by sending a line of prophets to

speak for him. Throughout the Old Testament the need for repentance is portrayed

through the nation of Israel’s unfaithfulness and God’s call to them to turn back to him

and avoid his wrath and judgment. Roberts carries this forward to the church as he calls

his readers to repent of their sins and marvel at the fact that God would forgive:

The true import of repentance is heightened by a thoughtful consideration of the

divinely ordained lot of every sinner. All people are sinners and none have a right to
expect mercy, but strangely and wonderfully, God does bestow mercy on those who
repent.83
For Roberts, the call to repent that is found in the Old Testament is still the same

wonderful call to people today to repent and receive God’s mercy and grace.

After reviewing repentance in the Old Testament Roberts focuses on

repentance in the New Testament in chapter 3. In this chapter, Roberts presents seven

doctrines on repentance found in the New Testament. Doctrine one is that repentance is a

universal necessity.84 All people, regardless of race, ethnicity, or religious background

must hear the gospel and respond in repentance and faith to avoid the eternal wrath of
God for their sins. The second doctrine that Roberts presents is that there is an

unbreakable connection between faith and repentance.85 About this pairing, Roberts

writes, “True repentance does not stand alone, but it is always linked with true faith. True

82
Roberts, Repentance, 45.
83
Ibid., 61.
84
Ibid., 63.
85
Ibid., 68.

109
faith does not stand alone, but it is always linked with true repentance.”86 Additionally, to

those who would argue that one can have faith without repentance Roberts states, “It is

impossible to believe when you are going the wrong direction.”87 The chapter continues

to develop Roberts’s teaching on New Testament repentance with doctrine three, which

stated that God’s hatred of sin demands that people must repent.88 Roberts’s hope in

discussing the wrath of God on sinners is that it will lead them to repentance. He writes,

“The hope that sinners will flee to Christ in repentance and faith is vastly increased when

the wrath of God on unrepentant sinners is tenderly taught and preached.”89 Roberts’s

aim in teaching the wrath of God is to bring people to repent and trust in Christ.

The fourth doctrine of repentance that Roberts presents in this chapter is the

conditional nature of God’s mercy on sinners makes repentance necessary.90 His point is

that God in his mercy offers forgiveness to sinners, but this offer is contingent on a

person responding with faith and repentance. He writes, “God has chosen to be merciful

to hell-deserving sinners by providing an atonement for their sins. The benefits of this

atonement are freely provided and yet are conditioned upon repentance and faith.”91

Roberts follows this point with his fifth doctrinal emphasis on repentance, which states

that the devastating impact of every sin makes plain the need for complete repentance.92

In this section, Roberts discusses how often people will perceive their own sins as being

86
Roberts, Repentance, 68.
87
Ibid., 69.
88
Ibid., 70. It should be noted that even while building a New Testament doctrine of repentance
most of Roberts’s scriptural references come from the Old Testament. He does turn to the New Testament
passages for additional support. This is consistent with much of Roberts’s preaching which has a much
heavier emphasis on Old Testament passages than many contemporary preachers.
89
Ibid., 75.
90
Ibid.
91
Ibid., 77.
92
Ibid., 79.

110
less offensive to God than other people’s sins, but he carefully explains that this is very

arrogant and unbiblical. Roberts emphasizes that there is not an insignificant sin in the

eyes of God. He writes, “That means that your sins, no matter how small you reckon

them, are among the sins that nailed Christ to His cross. You are indeed the sinner for

whom Christ died.”93 He then continues, “Every sin you have committed is as wicked and

loathsome in God’s sight as the worst sins of the most vile sinner who ever lived.”94 His

point is that it does not matter how a person views his sin, even one sin is an eternal

offense against God and it requires the sinner to turn in repentance and faith.

The sixth doctrine which Roberts presents in this chapter is that the process of

sanctification makes repentance necessary for a believer.95 Sanctification is the process in

which the Spirit of God continues to work in the Christian bringing their life to greater

holiness and obedience. Certainly, an important part of that process is repentance. As a

believer is convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit he must decide to turn to God in repentance

of that sin or to continue to live in disobedience. Roberts writes, “Sanctification occurs as

the believer keeps on repenting and believing […] by daily reckoning ourselves dead to

sin and alive to God, the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit moves steadily forward in

our lives.”96 The final doctrine of repentance that Roberts presents in this chapter was that

to be a fruitful Christian one must repent.97 In this section Roberts considers a number of
Scripture passages which lead him to the conclusion that fruit bearing is a required

characteristic of a believer’s life.98 His purpose in this section is to display that all fruit

93
Roberts, Repentance, 79.
94
Ibid.
95
Ibid., 80.
96
Ibid., 81.
97
Ibid.
98
Ibid., 82

111
bearing in the Christian’s life is dependent on the believer’s continual repentance.

After concluding his chapter on the doctrine of repentance, Roberts uses the

next nine chapters to present general statements on the topic. In each chapter, he provides

seven statements that are arranged around a theme. He writes on the seven myths,

maxims, motives, graces, fruits, models, dangers, and words of advice on repentance.99

Each list is unified on the idea that all people must come to a point of repentance before

God for his sins, turn to God for forgiveness, and place his faith in Jesus Christ. Apart

from this process there is no hope for any person. Roberts concludes this section of the

book by asking the reader to not delay in his repentance, but to heed his words, and the

words of Christ, by repenting of sin and believing in Jesus Christ for salvation.100

The final main section of the book, Repentance, discusses the results of

repentance in the believer’s life. In chapter thirteen, Roberts discusses the breadth of

repentance. He presents how every person must repent of every sin personally,101 he

states that repentance cannot be done by proxy,102 and finally, repentance is even needed

by organizations or entities.103 This chapter concludes with a discussion of the character

of God as it pertains to the issue of repentance. The main portion of this chapter considers

the story of Job and how God’s character drove him to repent in dust and ashes.104

Roberts’s point is that a correct view of God will lead a person to a correct view of
himself, which will ultimately lead that person to repentance. About this idea, he writes,

There exists a very critical link between our view of God, our view of ourselves, our
view of sin, and our view of salvation. When our view of God is right, our view of

99
Roberts, Repentance, 5. It would provide little benefit to reproduce each of these lists in this
section as Roberts’s seven points in each chapter can easily be gleaned by skimming through the sections.
100
Ibid., 270.
101
Ibid., 273-87.
102
Ibid., 293.
103
Ibid., 287-92.
104
Ibid., 302-17.

112
 self will be right, and thus our view of sin and salvation can be right also; but if we
tolerate a low view of God, we are almost certain to have an excessively high view
of ourselves and erroneous views of sin and salvation.105
When a person knows God’s character he will see his sin, and this will bring repentance.

In the last chapter of the book Roberts highlights the many instances in

Scripture where a person repents in sackcloth and ashes. His purpose in these remaining

words is to ask the reader to consider whether he has truly ever repented at a level like

those modeled in the Bible. Using Job as an example, Roberts concludes that many

believers must really see their sins for the offense that they are against God. This clear

view of sin, according to Roberts, will drive the person to repentance. He states,

Our urgent need now is very much like Job’s then. We must go beyond an
understanding of what repentance is to an experience of repentance so deep that no
single portion of our lives is left untouched. Only a Job-like encounter with the
living God can produce that. No artificial use of dust, ashes, or even sackcloth will
bring us anywhere near the repentance that accompanies an awesome encounter
with the living God.

The purpose of this chapter, then, is certainly not to seek to compel you to use dust,
ashes, and sackcloth in your repentance. If anyone were to try to do so merely at my
urging, it could be a very shallow experience and one highly offensive to God. If
you ever come to repentance in dust, sackcloth, and ashes, it is my hope that you
will have been driven to it by an experience with the living God of such vast
proportions that you can find no other means as suitable for humbling yourself
before Him.106
In his views on revival and repentance Roberts is consistent. Revival starts and ends with

the movement of God. Repentance starts and ends with the movement of God. Certainly,
men can do all sorts of things to try and reproduce these events, but at best it will be a

wasted effort, at worst it will be a great offense to God, and it will lead to his wrath on

the church and the people. In the previous chapter, it was demonstrated that revival

cannot be worked up through steps or processes, in this section it has been demonstrated

from Roberts’s Repentance that he also believes that repentance cannot be produced

through any human effort. Repentance, like revival, only comes from God.

105
Roberts, Repentance, 299.
106
Ibid., 320.

113
Roberts's Revival and “The Solemn
Assembly”
While the book Repentance is the most comprehensive of all Roberts’s

teachings on the topic, he certainly discusses the issue in many other places. Of these

other teachings two more will be considered here to illustrate his purposeful and

significant connection between revival and repentance. The first resource that will be

considered is his book Revival.107 The second writing that will be evaluated in this

portion of the chapter is Roberts’s pamphlet titled, “The Solemn Assembly.”108 These

two sources, along with the book Repentance, give a good representation of Roberts’s

continued connection between revival and repentance in his complete teachings.

The book Revival has been considered previously, but the purpose of this

section is to briefly revisit it with a focus on the topic of repentance.109 In Revival,

Roberts seeks to provide a basic overview of the topic by answering questions about

revivals. The second chapter’s question is “When is revival needed?,”110 and Roberts

primarily states that revival is needed when repentance is needed. It is in this chapter that

Roberts presents the idea of the backslidden believer, and asks the reader to consider

twenty-five questions regarding his spiritual condition. Roberts’s conclusion of the

chapter is that revival is needed when there is sin present in the believer and the church:

When professing Christians are filled with their own ways and backsliding is
evident everywhere, it is definitely time to pray in the words of Habakkuk: “O Lord,
I have heard thy speech, and was afraid; O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the
years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy” (3:2).111
For Roberts, revival is needed when repentance is needed. The need for repentance leads

to the need for revival. These two things are linked together and cannot be separated.

107
Roberts, Revival.

Roberts, “The Solemn Assembly.”

108

See the discussion in chap. 3 of this book in the context of Roberts’s theology of revival.
109

110
Roberts, Revival, 29.
111
Ibid., 52.

114
Additionally, he continues in the next chapter of the book to outline when a revival

should be expected. His answer to this question is to have the reader consider the state of

the culture. The more prevalent sin is in the culture, the more revival is needed. Again,

Roberts is making it explicitly clear that when repentance is needed revival is too.

One of the significant points about Roberts’s book on revival is that it

dedicates so much attention to the issue of repentance. Consider an additional chapter in

the book which discusses what the focus of a revival should be on. In this chapter,

Roberts writes that revival should emphasize repentance.112 Three of the seven chapters

in this book place a heavy focus on repentance. To a lesser degree, the four chapters not

mentioned in this section all deal with the topic as well. The purpose of highlighting this

is that Roberts is intentional in making his connection between revival and repentance.

He is adamant that a revival must emphasize repentance for it to have any value:

This is the great truth revival must emphasize. Without repentance, the Body of
Christ is doomed to limp when it was designed to fly, to drag when it was called to
draw, to drift when it should set its sails to catch every wind of the Spirit.113
Repentance sets the believer and the church right for revival. Roberts focuses his

teachings in the area of revival on the great need for repentance. He regularly seeks to

persuade his readers and listeners to repent of their sins and humbly approach God.

The third resource to consider in this section on repentance and revival is the
pamphlet that Roberts wrote titled, “The Solemn Assembly.”114 This short pamphlet

presents the need for, and the process of, having a solemn assembly. A solemn assembly

is a time for the corporate church to gather together and confession its sins before God.115

112
Roberts, Revival, 73-98.
113
Ibid., 98.
114
This resource was discussed in some detail in the previous chapter. It is mentioned here
again just to reiterate the point that Roberts has taught that repentance is both an individual and corporate
process and it must be sought in both settings.
Roberts, “The Solemn Assembly.”
115

115
In the pamphlet Roberts presents the biblical basis for such an event, the historical

precedence in the church, and some practical suggestions for holding an assembly. The

overall purpose of the document is to implore the church to consider its corporate sins

and its need for repentance. Roberts laments the lack of concern over corporate sin in the

modern church as he asks the reader to consider the early American church leaders, “Our

Fathers believed God was offended by sin. They themselves were deeply troubled both

by the existence of personal sin in their own lives and by the presence of unconfessed

corporate sins in the churches and in the nation.”116 In his teachings on revival, Roberts

desires to see the church return to regular times of corporate repentance, because through

these moments the church becomes better prepared for God to bring revival.

The second section of this chapter sought to examine the connection that

Roberts cultivates between revival and repentance in his writings and teachings. By

examining his books Repentance and Revival and his pamphlet, “The Solemn Assembly,”

it was demonstrated that Roberts makes explicit and purposeful connections between

these topics. This connection is drawn out of his theology of revival which taught the idea

that true revival will always start with, and be marked by, genuine biblical repentance.

Conclusion
The purpose of this chapter was to demonstrate the connection that Roberts
made between history, repentance, and revival, throughout his writing and teaching

ministry. It became apparent through this study that Roberts believes that for a church to

truly be equipped for revival it must have a solid understanding of how God has worked

in previous revivals. It also became apparent that, according to Roberts, true revival is

always marked by biblical repentance. In this study it was shown that these connections

with history and repentance stem from his theology of revival and that Roberts believes

Roberts, “The Solemn Assembly.”

116

116
that both areas are vital to the church seeking revival. This chapter examines several of

Roberts major works in the area of history and repentance which demonstrates his

passion for the topics and his desire to connect these overlooked issues for a church

concerned with revival. Roberts’s ministry has been focused on revival, but because of

his theology on the topic, he makes the connection between history and repentance a

major focus. His study of the history of revival starts with times of biblical revival and

followed the movements of God through church history. He emphasizes the early

American church with the hope that the modern American church will turn back to its

founders for guidance in this area. Roberts’s study of repentance is mandated by his

belief that true revival starts with God moving believers and sinners to conviction over

their sins. When a person is convicted of sin the only acceptable response is repentance.

Without repentance there is no hope for revival. For these reasons, Roberts desires to

place these two topics before the church for its consideration and for its benefit.

117
 CHAPTER 5

A SYNTHESIS OF REVIVAL, REPENTANCE,

AND HISTORY

The purpose of the previous chapter was to highlight the significant emphasis

that Richard Owen Roberts places on repentance and history in the study of revival.

These themes are also evident in the second chapter biography of Roberts’s life and

ministry, and in the third chapter which examines his theology of revival. After

thoroughly displaying these themes in Roberts’s ministry, the final objective of this

dissertation is to demonstrate why these connections are significant. While it may be easy

to recognize the traits of repentance, and the emphasis on history, in Roberts’s works, it

now must be considered whether this is a unique characteristic in the field of revival

literature. Finally, if it is unique, what do other contemporary authors say about revival,

and how is Roberts’s work comparable or different? In this chapter, Roberts’s vital

connection between revival, repentance, and history will be summarized. It will be

demonstrated that his understanding of true revival and true repentance necessitates that

he makes continual connection between the two topics. Also, Roberts’s understanding of
revival forces him to rely on revival history to return to church eras which align more

closely with his practice. After reviewing Roberts’s connections between these items, this

chapter will then consider a sample of literature on revival to determine how several

authors have handled issues of repentance and history in their understanding of the topic.

Finally, the chapter will conclude by examining several critiques against Roberts’s

ministry with the purpose of further learning from him. Through this process, it will

become clear that Roberts’s vital connection between revival, repentance, and history is a
needed, and valuable, correction for much of the contemporary literature on revival.

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 Robert’s Vital Connection:
Revival, Repentance, and History
Before turning attention to contemporary literature on the topic of revival it

will be helpful to review Roberts’s teachings which demonstrate his vital connection

between revival, repentance, and history. Roberts’s published definition of revival, as

discussed in the third chapter of this dissertation, is “an extraordinary movement of the

Holy Spirit producing extraordinary results.”1 Additionally, he has modified this

statement slightly over his years of ministry on the topic. In recent teachings on revival,

he defines it as, “True revival is God in the midst of His people.”2 While both of these

statements are simple, and clear, Roberts’s complete teachings on revival, as

demonstrated above, has been much more complex. In his teachings on revival, he

discusses how revivals are preceded by “a breaking, a remaking, a pouring full, and a

great overflow.3” By the term breaking he means that believers will become broken over

their sins and turn back to God in repentance. This will be followed by a remaking of the

believer as he is forgiven and restored in his relationship to God. After the remaking, the

believer will be filled with God’s grace (pouring full) until the grace is so abundant in his

life it overflows into the lives of those around him. What is noticeable in this teaching on

revival is that, for Roberts, it starts with believers repenting. Per Roberts, any event

labeled as a revival without evidence of repentance is counterfeit and not a true revival.
A second important aspect of true revival that Roberts regularly teaches on is

the distinction between experience-centered and Word-centered revivals. An experience-

centered revival is one in which believers are revived through prayer, worship music, or

1
Richard Owen Roberts, Revival (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1982), 16-17.
2
Richard Owen Roberts, “Part 1: The Nature and Incredible Beauty of True Revival,” accessed
December 1, 2016, http://www.collegeofrevival.org/part-1-the-nature-and-incredible-beauty-of-true-
revival/.
3
He discussed these four elements in numerous places, specifically see Richard Owen Roberts,
“Part 4: Is It Too Late for Another Great Awakening?” accessed December 19, 2016,
http://www.collegeofrevival.org/part-4-is-it-too-late-for-another-great-awakening/.

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some other means other than preaching. It is a revival that is often described as an

emotional and moving experience from those involved.4 A Word-centered revival is

initiated and sustained by the preaching of the Bible. In Word-centered revivals men

faithfully preach the Bible. Often the men preach in a similar manner that they have their

whole ministry, and yet in revival, people are impacted, convicted, and changed by God’s

Word.5 Roberts states that both types of revivals are legitimate, but Word-centered should

be desired because its impact is greater and longer lasting.6 While Roberts makes a

distinction between these types of revival, both types must begin with the repentance of

sin by believers for them to be considered true revival.

After considering true revival in the teachings of Roberts it is also important to

revisit what he teaches on repentance. Roberts’s main teaching on this topic is his book

Repentance.7 In this book he argues that the gospel message starts with repentance.

Additionally, he laments that much of the church today neglects this significant doctrine.

The reason that he believes that the church neglects repentance is because it has an

improper view of God.8 According to Roberts, the church has focused too much attention

on the love and grace of God, while neglecting his holiness and need for justice. This

imbalance has caused much of the church to have a licentious attitude towards sin and its

impact—after all if God is loving and graceful he will forgive all sins anyway. For

4
According to Roberts, the 1858 New York prayer revival and the Welsh Revival of 1904 are
historical examples of experience-centered revivals. See Richard Owen Roberts, “Revival: Experience
Centered & God Centered,” accessed February 4, 2017,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec_MscSLaUU&index=5&list=PLmmTx77FrqRcmfBrKjoDC8QUz-
dOBslVj.
5
Per Roberts, the First Great Awakening is the best example of a Word-centered revival. Ibid.
6
Richard Owen Roberts, Scotland Saw His Glory: A History of Revivals in Scotland (Wheaton,
IL: International Awakening Press, 1995), viii.
7
Richard Owen Roberts, Repentance: The First Word of the Gospel (Wheaton, IL: Crossway
Books, 2002).
8
Roberts discussed this improper view of God toward the end of the interview with this
researcher. His exact comments can be viewed at the end of the transcript included in the appendix.

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Roberts, this opinion has been a tragic distortion of the gospel. He believes that the main

hope for the church in this condition is a revival which will draw people to repentance

and reform their understanding of God and the practice of their faith.

In addition to repentance the other vital connection that Roberts makes in the

area of revival is with church history. A short review of this connection before examining

contemporary literature will be helpful. It has been demonstrated that Roberts places a

strong emphasis on history in his writing and publishing ministry. When he started his

publishing business he had a decision to make about what type of material he would like

to publish. Instead of simply publishing any kind of material, Roberts decided to focus on

historical documents—particularly those which were connected to the First Great

Awakening.9 The reason that Roberts selected this time in the history of the American

church is that he believes it is the period in which the church most closely resembled a

New Testament church. An important principle drawn from Roberts’s decision to publish

historical documents about revival is that when believers recognize their need for revival

it is inspiring and helpful to study when God revived the church in the past. For Roberts

historical times of revival are a source of encouragement today.

Roberts’s ministry also displays his connection between revival and history

through the books that he edited and authored. As the editor of several books Roberts
could select the documents from which to make his point, but he exclusively choses to

use documents from the historical times of revival in the church. A primary example of

his selection of material in this manner is Salvation in Full Color.10 This book is a

collection of sermons built around the order of salvation, and all the sermons were

originally delivered around the time of the First Great Awakening.11 An additional

9
See interview transcript for Roberts’s discussion of this decision.
10
Richard Owen Roberts, ed., Salvation in Full Color: Twenty Sermons by Great Awakening
Preachers (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1994).
11
Ibid, xvi-xix.

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example of Roberts’s intentional focus on history is a book that traced the history of

revival in Scotland from the time of John Knox until D. L. Moody.12 This book, Scotland

Saw His Glory, follows the extraordinary works of God on the island of Scotland by

drawing extensively from historical works written by W. J. Couper, Mary Duncan, James

Burns, and others.13 The book does not contain many words written by Roberts, he

instead focuses his effort in making rare historical works available to a broader audience

in a new generation. A third book to revisit in this discussion of Roberts’s historical focus

is Glory Filled the Land.14 This book, which Roberts edits, is a collection of three

accounts of the Welsh revival written close to the event. It also demonstration Roberts’s

intentional focus on bringing historical revivals to the wider attention of the church today.

The final area to reconsider to strengthen the argument for the connection

between history and revival is Roberts’s publishing of J. Edwin Orr’s material. As was

mentioned in the previous chapters, Roberts published four of Orr’s written works after

he had passed away.15 His purpose in publishing these works was once again to highlight

some of the ways in which God has moved in the past, hoping that it would inspire the

current generation of believers to seek similar movements. The purpose of this section is

not to revisit the discussion of these works completely, but to simply refresh the idea that

throughout his ministry Roberts has been intentional in connecting the topic of revival
with the history of how God has revived the church in the past.16 This connection with

12
Roberts, Scotland Saw His Glory.
13
Ibid, ii.
14
H. Elvet Lewis, G. Campbell Morgan, and I. V. Neprash, Glory Filled the Land: A Trilogy of
the Welsh Revival (1904-1905), ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press,
1989).
15
J. Edwin Orr, An Apprenticeship of Faith, ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL:
International Awakening Press, 1993); Orr, Campus Aflame: A History of Evangelical Awakenings in
Collegiate Communities, ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1994);
Orr, The Event of the Century: The 1857-1858 Awakening, ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL:
International Awakening Press, 1989); and Orr, My All, His All, ed. Richard Owen Roberts (Wheaton, IL:
Richard Owen Roberts Pub, 1989).

This section has not even revisited Roberts’s two significant works: Richard Owen Roberts,
16

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history, and his focus on repentance, is beneficial for revival literature because, as it will

be demonstrated in the next section, many contemporary authors have not given much

attention to these themes, and therefore the church’s understanding of revival suffers.

Correcting the Shift in the Church

In the third chapter of this project several definitions of revival related to

Roberts were presented and discussed. The definitions came from men like Martyn

Lloyd-Jones,17 J. Edwin Orr,18 and Stephen Olford.19 It was noted that although these

men all defined revival in slightly different terms, they were all similar in the fact that

they believe revival is a work of God, that must be initiated by God, and that cannot be

manufactured by believers. While Roberts and these men could be grouped into similar

camps on the topic of revival, these men can no longer be considered as contemporary

authors for the church today.20 While the men served the church during a similar time

frame, their impact is fading in respect to the current church generation. For this reason, it

is important to consider some of the more recently published works on the topic of

revival and discuss what current authors are emphasizing to the church today.

It would be difficult to survey all the books published in the last several years

on the topic of revival.21 For this reason, this section will highlight a selection that

Revival Literature: An Annotated Bibliography with Biographical and Historical Notices (Wheaton, IL:
Richard Owen Roberts Pub, 1987); and Roberts, Whitefield in Print: A Bibliographic Record of Works By,
For, and Against George Whitefield: with Annotations, Biographical and Historical Notices, and
Bibliographies of Associates and Contemporaries (Wheaton, IL: Richard Owen Roberts Pub, 1988).
17
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Revival (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1987), 100.
18
J. Edwin Orr, The Flaming Tongue: The Impact of the Twentieth-Century Revivals (Chicago:
Moody Press, 1973), vii-viii.
19
Stephen Olford, Heart Cry for Revival: Expository Sermons on Revival (Westwood, NJ:
Revel, 1962), 33.
20
Of the four men being discussed, only Roberts is still living at the time of this writing.
Stephen Olford passed away in 2004, and the other two men passed away in the 1980s.
21
The topic of revival has a wide appeal, even outside of Christian literature. For example,
even Stephen King has written a novel which is set in New England during the 1960s and includes
elements of church revivals. Stephen King, Revival: A Novel (New York: Gallery Books, 2014).

123
represent the wider literature being published and marketed towards Christians on the

topic. Yet, before moving into recent books, it is important to highlight one book which

has impacted the church on the topic of revival simply because of the author’s fame.

In 1995, Bill Bright’s book The Coming Revival was released, and because of

Bright’s popularity it quickly found an audience.22 The main idea of the book is that

Bright is calling two million Americans to fast for forty days.23 He believes that the Lord

had told him that if this happened the church and the country would be revived and that

America would become a Christian nation once again.24 While there are several areas of

difficulty with this idea, the problems stem from Bright’s definition of revival. To define

revival, Bright follows the guidance of Charles Finney and his new measures, even

stating that Finney is, “revered as the father of modern revival.”25 Bright defines revival

as, “a sovereign work of God—in answer to sincere prevailing prayer.”26 He follows this

definition by explaining that in revival God grips his people with deep conviction over

sin, fills them with the Holy Spirit, fills the community with his presence, and causes

non-believers to seek him.27 While on the surface this sounds like a decent definition and

understanding of revival, the problem is that the remainder of the book focuses on the

part of the believer in prevailing prayer—and fasting—in essence seeking to force the

hand of God to move in revival. With Finney, Bright is stating that if believers do things
the right way, with the right attitude, then God must bring revival to the church.

The believer praying is certainly part of revival, but revival is not something

22
Bill Bright, The Coming Revival: America’s Call to Fast, Pray, and ‘Seek God’s Face’
(Orlando, FL: New Life Publishers, 1995).

Roberts discussed this book, and Bright’s definition of fasting, in the interview. His critical
23

thoughts on Bright can be viewed in the transcript.

24
Bright, The Coming Revival, 37.
25
Ibid., 15.
26
Ibid.
27
Ibid.

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that God can be forced into—no matter how many believers are praying for it. A more

accurate way to describe the prayers that proceed revival are that believers are led by the

Spirit of God to pray for revival and under God’s direction revival comes. The size of the

group praying matters very little to God, he can use two, or two-million, the ultimate

purpose of revival is to bring God glory and this cannot happen when others get credit for

starting the movement through their actions. Bright believes that two-million people

praying is the answer for the spiritual decline, and lack of revival in the church. He

followed this book with two other books which sought to build momentum in the

movement.28 It is not difficult see how two-million people fasting and praying could have

benefits to the church, but forcing revival is not one of those benefits. Unfortunately, the

year 2000 came and went without another revival in America, and the movement that

Bright sought to begin started to fade away.29 Bright’s revival did not come to the wider

church, or to the country, but in many ways his approach to revival has carried forward.

As Bright follows Finney’s approach to using measures to bring revival, other

authors have also approached the topic from this direction. In Jimmy Davis’s book,

Revival Sermons, he provides the reader with sermon outlines to deliver in a series of

meetings he labels as revival meetings.30 His book contains about twenty sermons that he

delivered in various contexts throughout his ministry, and while it could be a helpful in
several ways, bringing proper understanding to revival is not one of those ways. The

28
See Bill Bright, 7 Basic Steps to Successful Fasting & Prayer (Orlando, FL: New Life
Publications, 1995); and Bright, The Transforming Power of Fasting and Prayer: Personal Accounts of
Spiritual Renewal (Orlando, FL: New Life Publications, 1997). While Bright’s movement did not produce
its desired result, more recent authors have taken up a similar plan to impact America. See Lou Engle and
Dean Briggs, The Jesus Fast: The Call to Awaken the Nations (Minneapolis: Chosen, 2015).
29
The year 2000 was the deadline that Bright believed the Lord had given him to gather the
people into the forty-day fast. Bright, The Coming Revival, 36.
30
Jimmy Davis, Revival Sermons: Give Me that Old Time Religion (Seattle: Amazon Digital
Services, 2015). Kindle. Davis was connected to Bright towards the end of Bright’s ministry. This book is
examined here because of its high Amazon ranking at the time of this research. When the average person
searched for recent publications on the topic of revival on Amazon Davis’s book would be one of the first
listed.

125
book could be used as a personal devotion, illustration finder, or sermon preparation

guide. Davis’s book demonstrates one of the most glaring misunderstandings of revival in

recent church history. The idea is that a revival is a series of meetings where a guest

preacher comes to a church to deliver sermons. The motivation behind these meetings is

to strengthen believers and present the gospel to those who are lost, but the meetings

cannot truly be labeled revival. This practice as faded in many churches today, and some

even lament this fact believing that a vital aspect of Christianity is being lost. Davis

displays this sentiment with his subtitle, Give Me that Old Time Religion.31 This idea

carries forward Finney’s teachings that the right means will lead to revival. It

unfortunately neglects the fact that God’s hand cannot be forced into bringing revival.

Another book, which reflects a trend in revival literature, is Deb Wilson’s

Revival: The 21 Day Challenge.32 In this book Wilson provides three weeks of devotions,

questions, and prayers which are designed to bring about personal revival. The book

starts with a good understanding of revival. For example, in the foreword, Blake Bennett

presents an important question about revival with equally helpful answer. His question,

“Why is there no magic formula for revival?” is answered by stating that there is not a

formula for revival because revival can only come from God.33 He then, helpfully,

explains that a believer should prepare for revival through spiritual disciplines, but the
believer cannot force revival. Wilson also continues forward in her introduce with the

31
The subtitle does accurately reflect a church practice of recent history, but the revival
meetings, or tent meetings, are not old-time religion in the New Testament sense. Instead these meetings
became popular through Charles Finney, followed by men like D.L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and most
famously Billy Graham. For a resource on the foundations of the revival meetings see Iain H. Murray,
Revival and Revivalism: The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750-1858 (Carlisle, PA:
The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009).
32
Deb Wilson, Revival: The 21 Day Challenge, Rekindle Your Passion for God (Seattle:
Amazon Digital Services, 2016. Kindle). Again this book was selected for this section because of its high
Amazon ranking at the time of this research, meaning that those looking for recent literature on revival
would be presented with this option at the beginning of their search.
33
Ibid., locs. 78-92.

126
idea that revival can only come to those who are humble before God.34 Beyond this

foundation, the book falls into the trap that the Christian can do certain practices to bring

revival in his own life, and then extend revival into other people’s lives. Wilson does not

express the book explicitly in this way, but its set up demonstrates this understanding.

She provides a twenty-one-day guide that will lead people into powerful prayer and

God’s awakening. This book is a good devotional guide, but it cannot produce revival for

the reader. Instead, Wilson’s book should be viewed as an aid in spiritual growth,

because faithfulness and persistence in spiritual disciplines like prayer, Scripture reading,

and mediation, will likely lead to spiritual growth. These spiritual disciplines are a

necessary component of a believer’s life, but they cannot mandate God to bring revival.

A final book to consider in discussing contemporary literature on the topic of

revival is Christina Yarbrough’s book Revival: Be a Fire Starter.35 In a similar manner to

Wilson’s book, Yarbrough presents a thirty-day guide a bring revival. Her intention

through the thirty devotions is to lead the reader into a personal revival that will then

ignite others in revival as well. Again, as a devotional, the book is fine it is how the

author connects spiritual disciplines to revival that is troubling. Like Wilson, Yarbrough

implicitly states that the reader will experience personal revival by working through her

book. Unfortunately, this presentation is Finney’s new measures redressed in personal

spiritual devotions, and it simply does not guarantee revival. Throughout church history

there have been men and women who have faithfully read their Bibles every day, who

had remarkable prayer lives, and who lived with spiritual vitality, but they never

experienced God in a season of revival. The misunderstanding of revival in these last two

books has been that intentional personal disciplines should cause revival – again, this is

34
Wilson, Revival, locs. 143.
35
Christina Yarbrough, Revival: Be a Fire Starter: A Month-Long Journey (North Charleston,
SC: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016). This book was also selected for this section
based on its high Amazon ranking at the time of this research.

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simply changing Finney’s measures from a corporate to a personal nature. God cannot be

forced into bringing revival through believer’s efforts or devotion. There is not a formula

that will necessitate revival in the corporate or individual sense. Instead, as it has been

demonstrated through this study, revivals are “an extraordinary movement of the Holy

Spirit producing extraordinary results.”36 Practicing regular spiritual disciplines is not

something that can make God move in remarkable ways, faithfulness in this area should

be the natural response of a grace filled believer in Christ. Revivals are times that go

beyond the regular movements of God in believer’s lives. Revivals are times when God

draws nearer to his people in an extraordinary manner for his purposes and his glory.

Additional books could certainly be examined in this section and each would

display some elements of proper revival and many elements of misunderstanding. Mark

Shaw’s book, Global Awakening, does an excellent job of highlighting movements in

Christianity throughout the world during the last century.37 His global view of the

movement of God is helpful, but his wide inclusion of various sects leads one to wonder

about his ecclesiology. In another example, Jim Cymbala provides the church with an

inspiring story of how God impacted his ministry and church, but his conclusions imply

that faithful prayer will lead to church growth or revival.38 Finally, Robert Coleman

provides helpful guidance and biblical support of revival in the first half of The Coming
World Revival, but unfortunately, the second half of the book becomes very pragmatic

and focuses on conducting a successful series of meetings.39 In total, these books

36
Richard Owen Roberts, Revival (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1982), 16-17.
37
Mark Shaw, Global Awakening: How the 20th Century Revivals Triggered a Christian
Revolution (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2010).

Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire: What Happens When God’s Spirit Invades the Hearts
38

of His People (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997).

39
Robert E. Coleman, The Coming World Revival: Your Part in God’s Plan to Reach the
World (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1995). The first half of Coleman’s book is a valuable study of
revival and the great need for it. Coleman clearly articulated that revival starts and ends with God in the
book. The second is more of a reflection of Coleman’s years of ministry when revival meetings were
effective, then it is his prescribing the meetings as the only way in which God will revive the church.

128
demonstrate the broad understanding of revival present in the church today; however,

most of them contain elements of believers working up revival. Correcting this

misunderstanding is where Roberts’s teachings can bring great value to the church. His

connections with repentance and history help to clarify what is revival, and it helps

provide discernment to evaluate what it is not. A discerning voice in this area is needed.

Lack of Repentance and History

Now that several examples of books from contemporary literature on the topic

of revival have been examined it is important to note two elements that are emphasized

by Roberts, but lacking in much of the current literature. The first element is repentance.

While many of the books mentioned above recognize that repentance is part of revival,

the authors do not give the topic significant attention like Roberts does in his works. In

many ways, this fits with the pattern followed in the books. The books open with a brief

acknowledgment of God’s role in revival, and then the authors focus most of their

attention on what the believer must do to bring revival. For example, Bill Bright writes

that revival is “a sovereign act of God,”40 in one section and then later states that

believers do not need to wait for God to bring revival. In his own words,

In America today, we need not wait for a sovereign act of God to bring revival. We
do not have to wait for a general outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church and the
nation. Our task is to surrender to the Lordship of Christ and the control of the Holy
Spirit, fast and pray, and obey God’s Word. Meeting these conditions, we can expect
the Holy Spirit to transform our lives.41
The main issue here is that Bright has mixed up the ideas of revival and spiritual growth.

A believer faithfully pursuing spiritual disciplines can expect to grow in his faith, that is

how God designed it to be; however, pursuing spiritual disciplines does not necessitate

that revival will follow.42 In the recent literature reviewed it would be helpful to

40
Bright, The Coming Revival, 82.
41
Ibid., 89.
42
See Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, 3rd ed. (New

129
acknowledge that regular practice of spiritual disciplines does not guarantee revival,

instead the disciplines put the believer in an appropriate condition to be prepared if God

does send revival. In a similar manner, the authors would do well to consider that

repentance is not something that a believer can decide to do apart from the work of God.

The Holy Spirit must bring conviction and move the believer into a time of repentance.

This repentance is not something that a person can do without God’s work in his life.

The second element that is lacking in much of the current literature on revival

is a focus on how God has moved in the past. Roberts has intentionally focused his

efforts on publishing material on how God has moved in the past revivals. Unfortunately,

much of the current literature surveyed gave very little attention to historical works. Part

of the explanation for this is that much of the contemporary literature has transitioned

from discussing corporate revival to individual renewal. As mentioned above, the Wilson

and Yarbrough books, which claim to be books on revival, were personal devotions better

suited for spiritual growth. From the books surveyed, one that considers revivals in a

corporate sense is Davis’s Revival Sermons; however, his interaction with history is

limited to short sermon illustrations to support a point that he is making in his message.

Even Shaw’s book, which provides some historical elements, only considers what has

happened in the last one hundred years of church history. The church today would benefit
from books which display the highs and lows of spiritual vitality, and how in moments of

spiritual decline, or disinterest, God has sent his Spirit and brought about great revival.

One possibility in examining historical revivals is that it could open a believer’s eyes to

consider more than his own personal revival, but to start pleading in prayer for a great

movement of God. By examining how God has moved in the past, the wider church could

start to see the hope that God could certainly do a similar work again. The true hope for a

York: HarperCollins e-books, 2002), 248, Kindle; Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the
Christian Life (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2014), loc. 146, Kindle; and Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the
Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives (New York: Harper One, 1988), xii.

130
declining church is God moving in his people through revival.43 Sadly, the current

literature on revival is lacking this connection with history, and from this deficiency the

church lacks in its knowledge of how God has revived his people in the past. Without this

vision of what God has done in the past, many believers simply turn inward and believe

that the only hope they have is for personal renewal, and that the larger church is beyond

the ability to truly be revived. Yet, consider the church before the Reformation, or the

spiritual condition in America before the First Great Awakening. The church today needs

revival, and God has demonstrated that he can bring it in situations worse then what the

church is currently experiencing. Roberts’s focus on the history of revival is vital since it

can bring hope and encouragement for this generation of believers.

Critique of Roberts’s Ministry

While much of this dissertation has been favorable to Roberts’s ministry and

intentions, it must be noted that there are certainly shortcomings in his teachings. This

section will examine several items that were evident to me during this project. The

purpose of this section is not to degrade, or detract, from the ministry that Roberts has

provided to the church, instead it is simply recognizing that no one has a flawless

ministry, and that people can often learn and grow by examining shortcomings in others.

Lack of Global Focus

The first critique to mention regarding Roberts’s ministry is its lack of global

focus. Roberts almost exclusively focuses his attention on the American church and

Western Christian history. In several ways, this missing element is explainable. First,

Roberts’s life and ministry has been in the United States, so he is most familiar with the

condition of the church in this country. Second, his research in the area of revival has

43
Bill Henard, Can These Bones Live? A Practical Guide to Church Revitalization (Nashville:
B&H Books, 2015), 218.

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been conducted in the United States and England, therefore most of the literature

available to him would be focused on Western church history. Finally, much of Roberts’s

focus has been on the time-period of the First Great Awakening, a time when the church

was centered in Europe and America. For these reasons, it is reasonable to see why

Roberts’s attention is primarily on this section of the world. Despite this fact, Roberts

could have been influential on the global church had he focused and taught about

movements in other parts of the world. It would be interesting to have Roberts speak to

movements in a similar manner as Mark Shaw.44 Certainly, many of these movements

would be critiqued heavily by Roberts, but much could be gained from his insights.

Lack of Balance – Sin and Grace

Another area in which Roberts’s ministry must be examined is the continual

controversy that he found himself in with his contemporaries regarding the exposing of

sin. It is not a critique that Roberts confronted sin when he saw it, it is more a critique

that it appears like Roberts prefers the role of condemning prophet than that of

proclaiming grace.45 This preference can be seen in his discussion of his interactions with

the Air Force veteran and his pastoral ministry in London. In the interview Roberts

shared the time when he was invited to preach in the veteran’s church in London for a

week-long series of meetings. Through this time, it became apparent to Roberts that the
man was in an adulterous relationship and that his relationship with God was not what he

claimed it to be.46 Roberts first confronted the man about his sin, and the man responded

poorly with anger and fleeing the situation. Later at the church, the man made a vague

44
Shaw, Global Awakening.
45
These two roles are not mutually exclusive, and a healthy pastor will function in both these
ways when it is appropriate. Roberts’s preference in this area is likely an over correction of the strong
emphasis on God’s love and grace in the church today and church leaders avoiding topics of God’s
judgement, wrath, and condemnation.
46
Roberts claimed that during one prayer time with this pastor it was apparent that he was
praying to an unknown God, rather than to a God that he knew intimately through Jesus Christ.

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confession of his sin in front of his church, but Roberts made it very clear to the church

that the pastor was living in serious sin. With the leadership of the church, Roberts helped

put together a plan for the man to have time to come to repentance before the future of his

ministry was decided. At this point, Roberts ended his story without providing the

resolution. In many ways, Roberts did what he needed to do in this situation. He

confronted the man in private about the sin, and after the man tried to downplay his sin in

front of the church, Roberts made it clear that it was much worse. He even led the

leadership to take important steps in providing room for repentance in this man’s life.

The reason that this example is mentioned in critique of Roberts is that it illustrates that

he appears to minister in the role of condemning prophet more than in the role of a

graceful pastor.47 Throughout many of his examples of interacting with churches Roberts

appears more often as the person pointing out the sins which need repentance, than as the

one leading the person through the process of repentance, forgiveness, and grace. To

illustrate in another manner, in the ministry of Jesus, it appears that Roberts would be

more comfortable confronting the rich young ruler in his sins (Mark 10:17-27), then he

would be in extending grace to the woman at the well (John 4:1-42). In another analogy,

Roberts’s ministry has been notable in his role as salt in the world (condemning sin)

rather than light to the world (proclaiming grace).48 Both roles are certainly needed, but
Roberts has reflected more of one and a better balance would improve his ministry.

The preference that Roberts has demonstrated in this area, in part, stems from

the lack of true repentance that he has seen in the wider church. It also is a by-product of

his emphasis of true revival stemming from biblical repentance. Roberts would likely

47
This critique is not to imply that Roberts’s never acts as a graceful pastor, it is simply to
highlight that when viewing his ministry, he tends to prefer being the prophet. This in part can be explained
by his role as an itinerant preacher, and his desire to correct the church’s over emphasis on grace, but a
stronger emphasis on the hope that a sinner can find in the work of Christ would be a welcomed addition.
48
John Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity
Press, 1978), 57-68. In his commentary on Matt 5:13-16, Stott argues for a need for balance in the Christian
life of being salt (preserving the world from sin) and being light (displaying the truth to the world).

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answer this critique by asking, what is the purpose of sharing grace and God’s blessing if

one has not come to truly understand the magnitude of his sin before God? Yet, with

God’s complete Word being revealed in Christ, the minister today must strive to seek a

balance between condemnation and grace in his preaching and ministry.49 Even in an

itinerant ministry there can be opportunity to lead people to conviction and repentance,

but still exhort the hearers to accept God’s grace and forgiveness. In fact, it is sometimes

through the presentation of God’s grace that a person will come to an understanding of

how costly his sin has been, and in discussing grace a person can be moved to repentance.

It could be beneficial for Roberts’s ministry to present both sides in his teachings.

Lack of Balance – Preaching

An additional area to examine Roberts’s ministry is his selection of passages

from which to preach. It has been mentioned previously that Roberts’s preaching has a

strong Old Testament emphasis. It was even demonstrated that Roberts’s explanation for

this fact is that almost two-thirds of the Bible consists of the Old Testament; therefore,

more preaching should come from these passages. One of the reasons that Roberts

preaches so often from the Old Testament is to correct what he perceives to be an over

emphasis on New Testament preaching by most pastors today. While it is difficult to

argue against him on this point, it cannot justify his overcorrection in his own ministry.
In preparation for this project I viewed over thirty-five sermons delivered by

Roberts that are available online. These sermons, listed in the bibliography, represent a

sample of Roberts’s recent preaching.50 The sermons also roughly divide as two-thirds

Old Testament and one-third New Testament as the main passage being expounded.

49
Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, 57-68.
50
Additionally, I attended a church service in Carpentersville, Illinois, when Roberts was
preaching. He had been preaching through the book of Ephesians to this church as an interim preacher, but
on the Sunday that I attended, his passage was 2 Cor 7:1-16.

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While this does not seem excessive, or out of line, it does only reflect Roberts’s starting

point for his messages. Many times, Roberts starts with a New Testament passage as his

text, but then spend a majority of the sermon discussing an Old Testament narrative or

example. This emphasis would probably not be as noticeable if Roberts served in the

same pulpit for an extended period, and in many ways, it would be beneficial for the

church body to hear Old Testament preaching to that degree. The critique of Roberts on

this point stems from the fact that in an itinerant ministry he often only has four to five

opportunities to preach to a gathered audience. In these time, he must seek to bring the

people to an understanding, and practice of, biblical repentance, and then to the point of

receiving God’s offer of grace and forgiveness in Christ. For this reason, his ministry

should emphasis passages which cover these foundational themes more explicitly. It may

seem minor, but with limited time before a given audience, Roberts might be able to

proclaim the whole gospel more clearly by developing the themes of repentance,

forgiveness, and grace through a New Testament passage or message.

The apostle Paul provides some support for this argument in his words to the

Ephesian church. In the third chapter of his letter to the believers, he wrote in verses four

to five: “When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,

which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been
revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit (Eph 3:4-5).” The point is that in

New Testament passages the church has God’s redemption fully revealed in Jesus Christ,

whereas passages in the Old Testament are limited unless one makes connections to what

is revealed in the New Testament. For this reason, a critique of Roberts’s preaching

ministry is that he could emphasize New Testament passages more given his time

constraints before congregations and his need to present the full gospel in Jesus Christ.

A closely connected point to this critique is that Roberts’s ministry is focused

on the issue of sin and repentance sometimes to the omission of Christ and grace. Again,
Roberts has been seeking to correct a perceived error in the church. He believes that the
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church has neglected the full character of God. In fact, he teaches that too many churches

act as if there is a different God in the Old and New Testaments.51 He criticizes churches

today as viewing the God of the Old Testament as a god of judgment and wrath, whereas

the god of the New Testament is filled with grace and love. He correctly emphasizes that

God is unchanging throughout Scripture and that the church must have a proper view of

God; however, his preaching tends to focus on the judgment of sin and the need for

repentance without including a strong offer of grace in Christ. Again, this critique is not

that Roberts never presents God’s grace in his messages, it is simply to highlight that he

sometimes lacks balance in this area. One would like to see his teachings become more

Christocentric. Certainly, one must focus on the need for true repentance, both in the

individual and the corporate church, but every message must point the hearer to Christ

and God’s provision of forgiveness and grace. Roberts often abruptly ends his messages

with a prayer for repentance to come, but he should also include instructions to those who

are experiencing God given repentance and who need counsel in how to respond.

Conclusion
There were several purposes in this chapter. The first purpose has been to

examine contemporary literature to determine if it included similar emphasizes that

Roberts’s as put on repentance and history. After examining a sampling of recent

literature, it has been determined that the literature is lacking in the areas of repentance

and history. This chapter discusses why this connection is significant, and therefore, why

Roberts’s ministry is important for the church today. Roberts has brought an emphasis on

God’s sovereign control over revival, and the fact that no human measures can force God

to act. Additionally, he emphasizes biblical repentance to a church that as overly

51
Richard Owen Roberts, “Part 5: The Four Things That Always Precede True Revival,”
accessed December 23, 2016, http://www.collegeofrevival.org/part-5-the-four-things-that-always-precede-
true-revival/.

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accentuated God’s grace. Roberts deliberate actions to highlight the period of the First

Great Awakening has kept valuable literature available for coming generations. Overall,

his ministry, whether spoken or written, has benefitted the church in numerous ways.

Countering this praise of Roberts’s ministry, an additional emphasis of this

chapter has been to critically evaluate his ministry, and to present areas in which he may

be critiqued. The purpose of the critique was not to diminish his ministry in anyway, but

to provide another avenue for others to learn and grow from his example. Roberts’s

ministry is critiqued for being too focused on the American church and for lacking

balance in the areas of sin-grace and in his preaching texts. In each of these areas,

Roberts can be critiqued, but overall, these are very minor issues when one considers his

almost eighty years of public ministry. Like any minister, Roberts has not been perfect to

any degree, and he would himself admit to many other faults. By and large, he has been a

faithful example of what it should look like to faithfully follow Christ in life and

ministry. In the interview for this project, Roberts remarked that one of his goals in

ministry has been to be in his life what those in public have thought him to be.

Throughout his years he has made mistakes, but when confronted with an area of sin he

has gone before the Lord to seek forgiveness and grace to improve. Throughout years of

blessings and challenges, Roberts has sought to be faithful in his call to preach the Bible,
lead churches in understanding of revival and its history, and to call Christians and

unbelievers to repentance before God. In these endeavors Roberts has been a man of God

and a faithful example for believers to follow.

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 CHAPTER 6

CONCLUSION

At a time when many in the church either have a complete misunderstanding of

revival, or it is a concept that is completely ignored, Richard Owen Roberts has sought to

bring forward a biblical perspective on the topic through his writings and teachings.

Throughout his lifetime of ministry, he has mostly observed the American church in a

state of numerical decline. Instead of feeling defeated, he has remained faithful to his

task, recognizing the impact of his ministry is solely in the Lord’s hands. In addition, his

prayer for the church has not only been for revival but for reform as well, he said:

I have a doctrine of revival that doesn't quite fit the pattern of the church. But here's
a very critical issue – in urging people to pray for revival, what we have been doing
is urging them to pray for an increase of what's going on. And I’ve come to the
realization that's not what I want at all. I don't want to see the church revived. I want
to see the church reformed. I want to get back to the Scripture. I want to ask
fundamental questions like, what does God want? Is he concerned about these vast
numbers of converts that we’re making? Or rather than a thousand, would he rather
have one single person that radiated the life and the holiness of Jesus Christ. And I
know I've always been aimed in that general direction, I am only saying that it is
becoming clearer to me than it ever was before that we just don't want any more of
what we’ve got. We want to get back to the Scripture.1
In his decades of studying revival, he has not wavered in his hope that the Lord could

move in the American church, and his prayer, and hope, for the church has even grown to

seek from the Lord dramatic changes that would make the church more faithful to its

mission. Despite the many faults that could be put against the church, Roberts has

remained confident that the Lord can use believers who are willing to be broken and

1
See interview transcripts for these remarks. These comments were made in a larger discussion
of the Heart-Cry for Revival Conference. Roberts lamented the change that this conference has experienced
over the last decade as it has become less focused on biblical revival and God’s character and more focused
on pragmatic matters of how to do revival.

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remade through his reviving work. The American church certainly needs God’s reviving

work to renew and reach a new generation of people, and those seeking this movement

would benefit greatly from examining Roberts’s contributions to this important topic.

Issues Discussed
In the introduction to this study of Roberts’s life and ministry several issues

were presented to be examined and discussed. These issues were divided into three main

subject areas: a biography of Roberts’s life, an examination of his theology of revival,

and a evaluation of his connection between revival, repentance, and history. Through

these areas the following issues were addressed and several questions were answered.

First, how did Roberts’s early life impact his understanding of revival? And

was his understanding of repentance a result of his conversion or later life events? These

questions were addressed through the biography of Roberts’s life. His childhood was

presented with a particular focus on the impact of the Great Depression, Second World

War, and his conversion. Through these events it was displayed that Roberts’s upbringing

in a conservative Presbyterian church brought him to a reformed theology which

impacted his understanding of revival and carried forward into his teachings as an adult.

Second, has Roberts’s shifted in his teachings on revival from the early

nineteen-eighties to the present day? The answer to this question was handled in the third
chapter as part of the examination of Roberts’s theology of revival. While Roberts has

modified his definition of revival from his book on the topic to his more recent teachings,

he has not demonstrated any significant shift in this area. This is also evident by the shift

in preaching invitations that Roberts has received. Early in his ministry Roberts regularly

received invitations from Presbyterian and Congregational churches, but as these

denominations experienced shifts in theology and practice, Roberts started to receive

invitations from more conservative groups. Later in his ministry he has primarily taught

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in Baptist and Church of Christ settings. This reflects more on the changes in the

denominations then it does on any shifts in Roberts’s understanding and teachings.

Third, what led Roberts to pursue a bookstore and publishing ministry instead

of other ministry avenues? Has this decision been beneficial or detrimental to the overall

impact of his ministry? In the interview, Roberts discussed these issues in detail. He

started his bookstore ministry to provide steady income to allow him to preach without

financial concerns. The publishing aspect became a natural extension of the bookstore as

Roberts sought to be responsible in managing his business. While Roberts started the

bookstore and publishing under a secondary purpose, both aspects grew to be significant

components of his overall ministry, and both have proved to be beneficial to the church.

Fourth, what are Roberts’s views on the global church and God’s movements

in other areas of the world? How does he respond to movements that are outside of the

American Evangelical norm? These questions were addressed under the critique of

Roberts’s ministry in chapter five. It was discussed that Roberts’s ministry focused on the

American church, and Western Christian history, and that he did not interact with the

global church to any significant degree. One could speculate that if Roberts interacted

with the global church on the topic of revival he would find many areas in which to

critique it. One reason that he would likely critique these movements is that much of the
activity that has been labeled as revival in the global church does not conform to the

biblical examples of revival as Roberts has taught them.2 Additionally, these movements

also appear very different than the First Great Awakening, which is a movement that

Roberts views as a solidly biblical revival. Overall, Roberts has provided very little

interaction with the global church to answer these questions about the global movements.

Fifth, did Roberts intentionally pursue a strong connection between revival,

2
For examples of these global revivals, see Mark Shaw, Global Awakening: How the 20th
Century Revivals Triggered a Christian Revolution (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2010).

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repentance, and history or were these natural out workings of his convictions and

interests? Of all the questions examined in this research, this question was answered the

most directly through the research. Chapter four developed the connections between these

three issues in detail. Roberts was intentional in his pursuit of connecting revival,

repentance, and history. His desire has been to connect today’s church with the historical

church and to bring attention back to the time when God brought true biblical revival.

Sixth, in what ways have Roberts’s views on revival, repentance and church

history impacted his pastoral ministry? This question was addressed in the second chapter

and interview transcript of this research. Roberts spent some time during his ministry in

the pastorate and as an interim pastor, but for the bulk of his ministry he has been an

itinerate preacher. Throughout his ministry Roberts has remained consistent in his

teachings on these topics, and churches have either embraced him or not – his ability to

fit the pastoral role has been determined by the church’s response to his views. Two

examples from his life illustrate this well. The first was his experience in the established

church in Fresno, in which he struggled through a year as the pastor. The second was the

church plant in Fresno in which he experienced almost eight years of fruitful ministry.

Overall, Roberts pastoral ministry was impacted both positively and negatively by his

views on these three topics, whatever the impact, Roberts sought to be consistent.
Seventh, does Roberts’s believe that he has ever been involved with a true

revival? If not, why does he think that this is so and is he disappointed about this? These

questions were answered in some ways in the biography section, the interview transcript,

and in the examination of his theology of revival. If revival is personal or among a small

group of people, then Roberts would state that he has experienced moments of revival in

his life. If revival is a larger movement of God in which the church is transformed and the

wider community is impacted, then Roberts would state that he has not, and neither has

the recent church, experienced true revival. Despite the lack of corporate revival, Roberts
has remained hopeful that God may still move in the church in a powerful revival.
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 Eighth, how will Roberts’s ministry be evaluated in the coming generation?

Will he be remembered in his own right, or simply seen as one who preserved other’s

work such as J. Edwin Orr? These questions on Roberts’s legacy were asked during the

interview and his response is included in the transcript. His connection with Orr was

examined, and it has been demonstrated that although the two men had overlap, and a

friendship, their focus and intents were different. Roberts did publish four books written

by Orr after he passed away, but the content of the books fit into his general guidelines

for publishing. Roberts sought to put Orr’s work before more readers because he saw its

value for the church, but Roberts’s ministry will be evaluated on its own standing.

Ninth, how does Roberts view his own life and ministry? What is his outlook

for the future of the church in America? Is he hopeful or concerned? These final questions

were addressed primarily in the interview with Roberts. He does not measure his ministry

success through standards such as numbers or through audience response, instead he

considers his ministry through faithfulness to his call. In evaluating his ministry Roberts

focused on how well he has followed the Lord’s leading. He believes that he has been

faithful, but allows for God to be the judge of his service. In several places throughout

this research it has been discussed that Roberts has remained hopeful that God can bring

revival to the modern church. He believes that God has not pronounced final judgment on
the American church; therefore, there is still time to repent to God and to be revived.

Areas for Further Study

In every research project, one is limited to the extent and scope of what can be

studied and to what degree. This project, which examined Roberts’s life and ministry to

understand his theology of revival, has been limited in many ways. For this reason, there

are several areas which could be studied further regarding Roberts’s life and ministry.

The first area in which this study could be built upon would be to continue to
develop the biographical information on Roberts’s life and ministry. In this area, this

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research was limited to resources available online and through a single interview with

Roberts. One could certainly improve upon the research by on-site studies in

Schenectady, Fresno, and Wheaton. In these locations, one would be able to examine

material in archives to verify and support the events that Roberts has recalled.

Additionally, much could be gained by careful study of Roberts’s collection of revival

literature in library at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. Finally, if access

would be granted, the biography could be strengthened through access to Roberts’s notes

and personal correspondence. Roberts’s life provides a steady example of faithfulness

which is deserving of study and what is provided here may simply be a starting point.

Some additional areas which could be pursued further in research would be

Roberts’s connections with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Wheaton

College. For the second half of his life and ministry, Roberts has lived within a short

walk of the Billy Graham Center on Wheaton’s campus. He has had numerous

interactions, both positive and negative, and it would be interesting to further consider

these relationships in a formal study. One could consider how the relationship started, to

what extent the two worked together, and what difficulties resulted through these

interactions.3 In a similar manner, another area of study would be to consider Roberts

along with his contemporaries in the area of revival. A comparison analysis of how he fits
into broader revival community would be an interesting and beneficial study. This study

would provide an important glimpse into the broader understanding of revival during the

last century and better equip the church to see areas to grow in the coming years.

Final Reflections
At the conclusion of this study, as one considers all the avenues in which

3
Roberts mentioned that he was hurt by Wheaton College, and the college asked him to never
step foot on its campus again. He did not provide details on what led to this interaction, and the in the scope
of this study it was not possible verify this course of action from Wheaton College.

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Roberts has impacted the church in the area of revival, it is difficult to not lament that the

wider church as largely ignored his teaching. This is unfortunate because the church is in

great need of true revival, but it is largely remained confused, or in error, about the topic.

With this confusion, the church is not able to properly prepare itself to seek revival. At

the same time, this confusion leads many to label movements revival, when in fact the

movement is much less. Of course, God can overcome even these difficulties, and move

among the church, reviving his people and returning them to proper understanding of his

character and his work. While the church’s misunderstanding of revival is troubling,

according to Roberts, the greater tragedy is its misunderstanding of God. He writes,

Many tolerate a view of God which is vastly beneath the revelation which God
makes of Himself in Holy Scriptures. God describes Himself in the Bible in such
language as, “I am that I am” (Exodus 3:14); “I change not” (Malachi 3:6); “I am
holy” (1 Peter 1:16); “I fill heaven and earth” (Jeremiah 23:24); “I will do all My
pleasure” (Isaiah 46:10); “I know thy works” (Revelation 2:2); and “I will ease Me
of Mine adversaries” (Isaiah 1:24). He never portrays Himself as soft on sin or as
loving perpetually unrepentant sinners. He does not favorably compare Himself
with man but in a great variety of ways insists that our thoughts are not His thoughts
and our ways are not His ways.

God does not indicate that He needs us but insists on our need of Him. He does not
accommodate Himself to our life-style but demands that we conform our ways to
His. Contrary to the thinking of many, God is not evolving into a softer, more
cuddly Being, but is as full of righteous indignation now as when He flooded the
earth, destroying the civilization of Noah’s day and when He poured fire and
brimstone from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah. The meek and gentle Jesus is
the very God who pronounced, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” and
asked, “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of
hell?” (Matthew 11:21,22); at the same time warning, “Thou, Capernaum, which art
exalted into heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works which
have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this
day. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the
day of judgment, than for thee” (verses 23,24).4
Roberts’s point is that the church needs to return to a full understanding of God. The

church cannot simply view God in the ways in which it desires, but must continually

return to Scripture to grow in its understanding. Through the Bible, God has revealed his

4
Richard Owen Roberts, ed., Salvation in Full Color: Twenty Sermons by Great Awakening
Preachers (Wheaton, IL: International Awakening Press, 1994) xi.

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character to the church, and a proper understanding of God best prepares the church for

revival. Roberts states, “A powerful relationship exists between what a person thinks of

God, what they think of themselves, what they think of sin, and what they think of

salvation.”5 Proper understanding of God is necessary to gain proper understanding in

other areas of salvation. When the church has a proper understanding of these important

topics it is best equipped to seek and pray for revival among its people and community.

Overall, Roberts has provided the church with a needed correction and refocus

in the area of revival. His understanding of the character of God has led him to base his

understanding of revival as purely a movement in which God is in sovereign control. For

this reason, he defines revival as, “an extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit

producing extraordinary results.”6 If revival is simply the natural progression of a church

working through certain steps, then Roberts could not make this claim. Instead, revivals

are those special moments in church history when the Lord has decided to visit his people

in an extraordinary manner, for his glory and purpose, to make his name great.

5
Roberts, Salvation in Full Color, xi.
6
Richard Owen Roberts, Revival (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1983), 16-17.

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 APPENDIX

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

ROR: I think maybe for a moment before you to start your questions for me to make a

statement that's essential.1 We recently had a conference at the Cove, in Asheville. It will

be twenty-two years, this is the end of twenty-two years in which I have participated in

this conference. It’s called the Heart Cry for Revival conference, which was started by

the Sutera twins and Stephen Olford, and a group of men of substance like that. And I am

the only one that's participated each time over the twenty-two year span, but it's become

increasingly difficult to do so, and in a very inconsequential way because the Cove is a

terribly expensive place and the speakers all pay their own expenses. That's pretty

dubious whether that makes sense or not. But then that's a very inconsequential thing, the

issue really is a concept of revival that others hold to. And I had a call this morning from

Al Whitinghill, I don't know if you know Al, but he's the head of the, oh I've forgotten

the name at the moment, anyway a group of itinerants who started in Australia years ago.

Street preachers, and it’s small, but it's quite substantial. And he said just a few minutes
ago, ‘well you know the reason people go is to hear you because you’re the last of your

kind and the rest of it is sheer nonsense.’ Well that’s what I'm trying to say. The bulk of

the time is spent on strategizing. Now what has strategy to do with the work of Christ?

He’s already laid out the strategy. We just have to follow. So, my impression is that the

interest in revival, at a time when it is more needed than ever before, is just zero. Those

1
This appendix is a verbatim copy of the interview that I had with Richard Owen Roberts for
this dissertation. As such it is conversational in nature and not intended to be a polished written document.
Its purpose is to accurately display what was discussed in the interview. Roberts has signed a statement of
verification which can be found at the end of the transcript. Finally, since this is verbal transcript one may
find errors in facts or recollection. I have not made any corrections or changes in these instances, but have
simply provided what Roberts recalled at the time that we spoke.

146
who are talking about it still, like the IHOP movement and so on, there’s just a lot of

nonsense that has nothing to do with Christ or Scripture. And to think that you can do

some planning that will make revival happen, it's so utterly absurd. It is deeply grievous

to me. And I don't think I've wasted my life. In fact, I think I've done exactly what the

Lord has called me to do, but in terms of impact, there's no evidence that it's had any

impact. But then, the glorious thing about revival is when God suddenly decides to do

something, it's done. No matter how black it looks before.

DRC: Yes, I appreciate you sharing that. I watched your message from the Heart Cry

conference.

ROR: It was out of tune with the whole the conference.

DRC: It seemed like there was something bothering you when you got up, but I didn't

want to spend the time to watch the other messages.

ROR: I don’t know if you have ever considered this, and I think I made mention of it in

that message, and this happened, it came about in a rather odd way for me. Several years

back, I recommended to a fellow who had served as a missionary in Russia for some time

that he do some serious biblical work and that he get a set of Keil and Delitzsch, and pay

close attention to their word studies. So, he's been doing that, and so he called me several

months back and said, ‘I'm in a pickle.’ He said ‘I never saw this word before, and I don’t
have any idea of the correct pronunciation, but let me read and spell what I can't

pronounce and you tell me what Kyle and Delitzsch says?’ Well it was a reference to

Hosea and the heart of it was, in most English translations the Lord chose to destroy

Israel because of the lack of knowledge. But the actual word used is the word, sagacity.

And this is what I have been seeing, that there is an incredible lack of sagacity in the

American church. And I want to be very careful in this next statement because as perhaps

you have discovered by now, I am not a Southern Baptist. Nor have I ever been. Nor will

I ever be. At the same time, I receive more invitations from Southern Baptists than any
other group in America. And I think more highly of Southern Baptists than any other
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group because despite all that’s wrong there is a body of true believers among Southern

Baptists. But nonetheless the bulk of the Southern Baptists is operating from the position

that they suppose that God over-built heaven. And he needs their help in filling it up. And

so, the average the Southern Baptist pastor acts as if his great task is to get as many

people to agree to a few misinformed facts as he possibly can, and then he feels obliged

to tell them that they've been converted, and that they are now a Christian. And I began to

see this a long time ago. I don't know to what extent you got at all acquainted with my

past, but we came here to Wheaton roughly forty-five years ago to work with the Graham

Association at Wheaton College. And I was deeply troubled by the constant emphasis

upon, you were saved - don't let anybody convince you that you are not saved. And I

often spoke out against that in gatherings with Graham Associates. And time after time

the men would say, ‘we want you to sit down with Billy and explain this to him, we don’t

think he understands.’ But I said I'd be willing to do that, but it will never happen. Well

he's been guarded against all influence that is old fashioned or that is in keeping with the

Biblical position other than what they’ve embraced. But anyway, this was where I began

with the Heart Cry conference. I think that the church is characterized by this lack of

understanding what the real purpose of God is. Although I'm not intending to go into

detail, I would like to remind you at the outset, the New Testament gives a very clear
picture of the church, and you know I don't know a single local church anywhere in

America that tries to match that. But you know in the New Testament the church is made

up of living stones and Christ is the chief cornerstone. And it does not add one single

dead stone to the temple that God is building. Well the Southern Baptist is probably at

least 70 percent dead stones, maybe worse than that. And then of course you have the

teachings say in Peter. Every person who is born of God is born of that same

incorruptible seed as resulted in the conception of Christ, and how can two who were

born of the same seed be squabbling with one another. And yet the Southern Baptists are
marked by squabbling. So. So where as the obvious purpose of God is to provoke Israel
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to jealousy through the Gentile church, there is not a chance in the world of that

happening because Jews regard Christians as disgusting and they're not at all inspired or

affected by the holiness of Christ, within the Christian community. So, whenever you talk

about that you're out of step with the crowd and that of course is what happened at the

Heart Cry Conference, and the amazing thing is they don't dare to cancel me out because

they know that of the relatively small attendance a fair percentage come just to hear the

ancient truths. Anyway.

DRC: I appreciate that. And I will say some of these questions, even in the Heart Cry,

you referred to one of my questions, I have to ask you, and you referred to it as a silly

question, and there are other things involved in here than just what I would like to ask

you. I've had some questions I've been have been told to ask. And so, we get to a silly

question just know - I've heard your answers and I know your answers to some of these

questions, but I still have to ask them. Basically, opening questions. You've obviously

had a long ministry, and you're still preaching. What are some of the practices in your life

that have helped you sustain your ministry?

ROR: Well to try to keep my eyes on the Savior, not on the people I am trying to help. I

don't know of anything more discouraging than looking at the results of your labors. And

if somehow one were to convince themselves that results are somehow connected with
failure on your part you would give up. What would be the point in continuing with

something that doesn’t matter in the long run. But the thing that has sustained me has

simply been the realization that the Lord didn’t necessarily call me to be effective or

successful, but to state as clearly as I know how what He himself has said. And I often

remind myself, and that's true of the situation, I pray very seriously, should I keep going

on with this and the answer that comes to me, well for the time being they need to have

ample evidence that they are. And when they stand under judgment and say we never

heard. They will not be able to get away with that because the Lord can say I can tell you
of at least one instance when you heard very plainly. So that realization that I am just
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called to do what the Lord gave me to do. But if I look at what's happening I get

discouraged. I just keep my eyes on Christ I am not affected by the response.

DRC: Talking about results, when looking back over your ministry, can you describe a

time that was most personally rewarding to you?

ROR: Well the Lord, in his grace, gives us seasons of unreasonable results. I only mean

by that, results that you could just have not anticipated. They don’t seem to fit the

situation, and I would say in the early years of my life in ministry I was a pastor of a

Congregational Church in Portland, Oregon. At the time that I became pastor, I was

under the impression that there might be one Christian in the group. It turned out I was

mistaken, the person I hope was a Christian most certainly was not. But I was also

mistaken in that there was an elderly man, who was ill, at the time that I considered the

church. And so, I didn't get to meet him, and he was a true believer and a praying man.

But anyway, I think it was the third, possibility the fourth Sunday, when I preached there,

I made a statement like this, ‘there may be some here who can no longer live without the

knowledge of sins forgiven. I will be at the church at two this afternoon to meet with

anyone in that condition.’ Now that was provoked really because I thought I saw a face

on which there were some tears as I preached, and I tried not to be carried away with

enthusiasm, but I honestly thought I saw tears on a second face. And, a single tear on a
third face. So, I felt when I gave that invitation there was at least one would come. Well

to my astonishment thirteen came, and so many that I could not do as I had intended by

way of counsel to each one. So, I laid out the specifics of what it would take to surrender

to Christ, and for him to become Lord and master. And then I said, ‘now I would like to

meet with each of you privately in the course of the next six days. You could come to ask

questions or for help, but what would be much more wonderful would be if you came to

tell me how the Lord had transformed your life.’ Well it’s incredible to me as I look back

over the next six days, eleven out of that thirteen came telling me how Christ had
transformed their lives. And the evidence from then on was mounting up that the Lord
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was at work doing something wonderful. And I feel as I look back that there was a time

in this country when there was a more general movement of the Holy Spirit then now.

But at the same time, I've also felt the Lord gave me that season of incredible blessing

just so as I could look back from time to time and thank Him and have that awareness

that I didn't know anything then, and I don't know very much now, and wasn't anything I

knew or anything really, I did except faithfully proclaim what I knew to be true. And it

was the blessing of God upon his own Word, not upon me. And so that's been a great

help and encouragement.

DRC: That's good. Thank you. On the other side, ministry can often to be challenging, so

would you describe a time that you found particularly challenging in your ministry?

ROR: Well I've had an experience when I was quite young that was immensely helpful,

and which I think is worth stating. I had, at the urging of my pastor, I had skipped the

eleventh grade of high school, so I graduated high school when I was sixteen and I had no

interest in college or education. I don't know that would be correct to say that I was a

dummy. But at the same time, I was disinterested in academic matters, and I didn't really

care to go to school. But after a few months I got up enough wind so to speak. So, I went

off to Gordon College in Boston, at that time. And it was a rather ridiculous time. I didn't

gain much there, but I was for a year and a half. And I was so bored with the whole thing
I just quit. And I was in my own home church that was in Schenectady, New York on a

Wednesday night at the prayer meeting of our church. A total stranger stepped up to me.

And he said, ‘I've been informed that you're looking for a job.’ ‘Well, yes,’ I said, ‘that's

true.’ ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I'm the head of the control engineering laboratory at the General

Electric Company. And I would like to ask you a question.’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘alright.’ He

said, ‘I want you to explain electricity to me.’ I said, ‘that's preposterous, I couldn't, I

couldn't begin. I won’t have the foggiest notion.’ ‘Splendid,’ he said, ‘your hired. I want

you to appear at the employment office at two o'clock or ten o'clock. I’ll make an
appointment for you at ten o’clock in the morning. It will just to be to fill out the
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necessary paperwork, but the job is assured you.’ Well in astonishment I said, ‘why

would you say that because I couldn't even answer the basic question?’ ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘I

was quite sure that because you didn't attempt to answer it that you are the very kind of

person we're looking for.’ Well, then it happened exactly as he said I had a job at the

control engineering laboratory at the General Electric Company. It was a huge situation,

and my task was to test equipment that was being manufactured, life test it and make sure

that it had all of the necessary components and that it would more than adequately fulfill

what they were advertising it would do. But now here I come to my point, I was

practically speaking the only uneducated person in the laboratory. The rest were all

doctors, and not frivolous, but earned doctorates. And what I discovered was that some of

these men who were doctor this, or doctor that, it almost seemed as if they couldn't even

tie their own shoes without their mother’s help. So, they were a critical specialist in some

incredibly narrow area of interest, but in practical ways they knew nothing. That became

a huge lesson to me. I thought true wisdom is not outward knowledge, but insight,

understanding to the genuine motives and purposes of God. So that's has sustained me for

a very long time. I am constantly reminded, I respect men who are well educated, but I

understand their range of knowledge is severely limited. The fact that a man has a degree,

even a Ph.D., doesn't prove a thing except that he knows more on a given subject, in
which virtually nobody’s interested, than anybody else. But the critical question is

always, does he have the wisdom of God, and because of that type of thinking that was

inspired at that time, I began to realize that what the Bible is really talking about is the

beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. So, a man who lacks the fear of God is

guaranteed to lack wisdom, though he can be intensely intelligent in a small range.

DRC: Thank you. Now moving into your life, in general, and trying to put together a

picture of from when you were young to today. Described some of the things you

remember from your early childhood, and state where you were born, the day, and the
year.
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ROR: Well I was born in Schenectady, New York, in 1931. Now 1931 was a bad year

during the history of this nation. We were in the midst of a great depression at that time.

My father worked as laborer, a factory worker, in the General Electric Company. One of

the memorable events of our childhood was his coming home with his check for a week’s

worth for twenty-six cents. And we learned to live on very little, and I’ve often thanked

the Lord for the privilege of growing up in a home of what today would be described as

poverty stricken. My parents paid rent on the home in which we lived, and the rent was

twenty-six dollars a month. And as I said, dad’s employment check was twenty-six cents.

If a kid got a job at twenty cents an hour it was a huge income. As a boy, I was one of the

wealthiest kids on our street because I worked regularly at twenty cents an hour, or did

various types of jobs. Like during the time of the Second World War one of the issues

was Victory Gardens, and everybody was requested to make the best of what they had.

So, if you had a little plot of ground and you planted a Victory Garden. Well as a youth, I

was involved in Victory Gardens, and I was peddling vegetables all around our village

that I grew in my several Victory Gardens that I was able to exploit. So, there was a huge

benefit that came to me living leanly and having as little as possible to get by on. And yet

at the same time having the influence of parents who were profoundly converted, and this

might be helpful to consider, when I was eight years of age my parents decided that the
children, I had an older brother and an older sister and a younger sister. So, there were

four of us. They decided that we older kids should attend Sunday school. We went to a

Methodist Sunday school where we were taught the story of Jonah and the whale was a

piece of fiction that had certain nice applications that would be wise to remember. We

came home, I was, as I said, eight at the time, and we told our mother that we had been

learning about this fairy story of Jonah, and my mother's words were extraordinary. She

said, ‘we don't send children to Sunday school to learn to be unbelievers. We’re all

unbelievers by nature.’ Now what made that incredibly urgent was my mother had
absolutely no religious background. Her father had been a very successful businessman.
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Her mother died when she was very young. Her father remarried the critical, typical

wicked witch step-mother. My mother had a very, very sad childhood and no religious

training. My dad on the other hand, his family came from Wales, the principality of

Wales. And he had a religious background, but he was totally disinterested in anything

spiritual. But after we came home telling our mother about the fairy story, an aunt and an

uncle began putting pressure on my folks to attend special meetings in a little holiness

church. And within a few days they were profoundly converted, and our home just

radically transformed. And so, I had the benefit throughout all of life until nineteen or

thousand-two, my mother died in thousand-two. I had the benefit of a praying mother all

those long years, and that was a huge factor in my childhood. And then, we were

originally in this little holiness church that was making warfare over little things that

were utter stupidity. Just to illustrate if a woman wore a blouse with a sleeve that came

below the elbow it was considered holy, but if she had a blouse with the sleeves that was

cut off above the elbows she was considered wicked. If a person wore a wedding band

that was considered a sign of great worldliness. So, the church was loaded with all kinds

of stupidity, but all around the walls of this little sanctuary were plaques. Over the pulpit,

an arch that said, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever.” And as I said

around the walls, plaques with biblical references on them. I was every Sunday studying
these plaques and this inscription over the pulpit. So, by the time I was ten I had a deep

conviction that the most beautiful thing in all the world was holiness. And I began to

desire a life of holiness, and to see that was the greatest thing that could ever happen to

anyone. So that deep sense of true Christianity inspired by that miserable little church and

then praying parents. And then, wisely my parents left that little church when I was

eleven, and we were taken to a Presbyterian church that was still faithful to Scripture. So,

I had this incredible background of spiritual things. And although it would be very

impossible for me to declare when I became a Christian, well I honestly don't know, but I
do know that right after my parents were converted they began attending cottage prayer
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meetings, and I loved to go to these prayer meetings as a boy of nine and ten years of age.

And although they were way over my head they were of incredible importance. So, I am

personally grateful for a childhood of that sort.

DRC: Finding an outline of your life has proved to be challenging. I did find a website. I

think some of it is accurate, and other parts of it is not, because it says you've pastored in

Jamaica, which I don't think is accurate. So, I'm saying I don't think this is a hundred

percent accurate. So, I wonder if you could just briefly outline your life with rough years.

So, you grew up in Schenectady and lived there through college time, and then I believe

went to Portland from there.

ROR: I went to Gordon College when it was in the city of Boston, and I was seventeen, I

think when I went there. I was there for roughly a year and a half. And I was not getting

any real ground and so I left. I then had a job in Schenectady at the General Electric

Company as I said in the engineering laboratory. And that lasted for a year. And then I

went to college in Spokane, Washington, at Whitworth College where I graduated. And

then, went from there to seminary in Pasadena at Fuller Theological Seminary. And then

I was only there for, I think, a year and a half, and I was deeply troubled by what was

going on there. And in, above all else, what really troubled me greatly was I realized I

was losing my confidence in the Word of God and I had reached a place where I would
say to myself, I want to believe the Bible. The Old Testament was highly suspicious, but

I'm going to hold to the New Testament.

So, after some days of struggling with that I decided there would be wisdom

in talking to the Dean. So, I went into the Dean and made an appointment, and went in to

see the Dean. And when he heard my brief story he said, ‘I want you to do what I'm

going to do at the end of this quarter.’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘I couldn't possibly agree to that

without knowing what you're going to do.’ ‘Now look,’ he said, ‘you trusted me enough

to come and talk to me, and to lay out this problem that you're facing. Now I want you to
trust me enough to agree to do what I'm going to do.’ ‘No,’ I said, ‘I am sorry.’ Well he
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said, ‘I'm leaving here at the end of the quarter.’ ‘Oh well,’ I said, ‘I can do that.’ So, I

left seminary and I returned to Spokane, Washington. Where I had rather an extensive

ministry as a young fellow in the churches around the whole inland empire. I went into

the rescue mission. And I said to the director, ‘this is my circumstance, I have no money.

My parents will be immensely grieved when they learn I have quit school. My pastor will

be terribly upset with me. But this is what's happened to me, and I need some help.’ And

this dear man said to me, ‘we have a room here at the mission that I will assign to you.

You can stay there as long as you like. You can come to the dining hall for meals, or we'll

have the men bring up meals to you. Whichever suits you best. But, you stay there until

this problem is resolved.’ So, I closed myself up in my room, and day after day, I

compared the New Testament with the Old Testament. The first thing that really gripped

me was if I was going to throw out the Old, I had to throw out the New. Because the New

is full of quotations from the Old. Well, I didn't want to do that. And so, I determined just

to press on in studying.

And one day I just suddenly realized I believe every word of God’s book. And

I went and told the superintendent, and he said, ‘praise the Lord for we been praying that

the answer would come and it has.’ Well then, I was ready for ministry, and a church in

Portland, Oregon, called me. And then I served for roughly four years there in Portland,
Oregon. Then I went abroad. I had started two books on revival bibliographies. The first

one was called, Revival Literature when it was finally published. And the second one was

called, Whitefield in Print. And so, I went to Europe and I was doing the research work in

various libraries.

And at that time, I heard Martyn Lloyd-Jones preach at Westminster Chapel,

and the very odd thing took place, or at least seemed odd to me. I was doing a lot of

studying at the Evangelical Library, as well as [Dr.] William’s library and the British

Museum. But a great deal of time spent in the Evangelical Library. And a deacon from
the Westminster chapel was serving as a volunteer there, and he kept saying to me, ‘the
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doctor wishes to meet you.’ Now many who are acquainted with Martyn Lloyd-Jones

know that he was a medical doctor before he entered the ministry. And thereafter he was

always referred to as the doctor. Anyway, the man kept telling me the doctor wished to

meet me, but that sounded absurd to me. I couldn't imagine any reason why the doctor

would wish to meet me, so I paid no attention to his constantly telling me that. But then

one Sunday after service, he was quite a large man, with huge hands. He took me by the

upper arm and he said, ‘the doctor wishes to meet you. He will be grieved if you keep

resisting.’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘I haven’t really resisted, it just seems preposterous to me.’ And

he said, ‘now is the day.’ So, he took me from the sanctuary through this doorway in the

front, and there was a long hall. It was crammed with people. And I tried to stop at the

end of that line, but he dragged me clear to the front of the line. And we stood just

outside the pastor’s study and in a few moments, someone came out, and I was ushered

in. And it became immediately apparent that the doctor did wish to meet me. And

honestly it was a simple enough matter when I thought through the issue. He had this

great burden for revival. And anybody that shared this burden he was deeply interested

in. So, we had the most lovely conversation about revival and the things that we were

both deeply interested in. I have no idea how long it lasted, maybe twenty, twenty-five

minutes. And then we left, and when we got back out in the sanctuary, I thanked the
deacon for taking me to meet the pastor, but I said I would have gladding stopped at the

end of the line. ‘Why did you drive me to the front of the line?’ ‘O,’ he said, ‘Mr. Roberts

you must understand I'm a man under orders.’ ‘Well now wait a minute,’ I said, ‘now

don't give me that.’ ‘No,’ he said, ‘you and I have had some serious conversations. You

know what it means to be a man under orders.’ ‘Well yes,’ I said, ‘but I can't interpret

that in the light of what you told me. Now answer me this question. Why was I taken to

the front line? I told you I would have gladly stopped at the end of the line.’ ‘Oh,’ he

said, ‘you were taken to the front of the line because the doctor wished to meet you.’
‘Well then, who were all these people standing in line?’ ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘were all
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inquirers.’ ‘What?’ ‘Now look, Mr. Roberts we've had these careful conversations. We

agree on what an inquirer is.’ ‘Well now look,’ I said to the deacon, ‘I think you owe me

something here. I want to know what is the impact, what’s really taking place?’ And this

dear man said to me, ‘you know the doctor hates statistics. He would be greatly offended

if he knew I gave you statistics.’ ‘Look,’ I said, ‘I really must know.’ ‘If you'll promise

me,’ said he, ‘that you'll never breath a word of this in the Doctor’s lifetime, I'll tell you

what I think, and what the other deacons think. We think that there are an average of

twenty-five persons converted every Lord’s day.’

Now I didn't breathe a word of that while the doctor was alive. But I have

made jillions of trips to Great Britain, and I've met loads of men, and I have met a great

many who have shared with me that they came to London to begin their life work as an

accountant, a dentist, a lawyer, or a medical doctor, whatever, and someone got them to

go to Westminster Chapel where they met Christ and were profoundly altered. So, I've

never had any reason to doubt that there was a great work taking place there. I was in my

twenties at the time. I was already deeply convinced of the authority of Scripture. But it

really became clear to me I had one great task in life. And that was to preach the Word of

God, and leave the results in God's hand. So that was a highly influential season. At the

same time, I want to share something that happened to me at the chapel. Now the doctor
had a usual method I don’t suppose he always did this, but typically he would start a

message with some event that was sort of in the minds of the people. Well one Sunday

night when I was there, the Russians had sent their first cosmonaut into space. This fella

had traveled around a bit, and he said he'd been all over heaven, and looked-for God, and

there was no such thing as God. And so, clearly this idea of there being a God is sheer

nonsense. And that's how the Doctor began that sermon, and then he said now this

evening I want to draw a comparison between the man's view of God and God's

revelation of himself.

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 As I sat there listening to this message something happened. I'm hesitant to

talk about this because some people might suppose I’m nothing but weird charismatic full

of all kinds of crazy stuff. But if they knew me they would know that's not even slightly

true. But that evening, I came to an understanding I had never ever faced before. True

preaching is the experience with God in his Word. And I set my heart on that occasion, if

ever God would allow it I would like at least once before I died to preach in such a way

that people experienced God in His Word. That's been my goal ever since. That was way,

way back in nineteen-sixty. But my heart has not moved from that, and I long that might

be true. And then I would like simply to add this, having described that hall full of

people, who were labeled by one of the deacons as inquirers. I would like to make

reference to the invitation that was given every Lord’s day. In giving the announcements,

as we would call them, or the intimations as that church described them, the deacon

dressed in a frock coat would stand in front of the congregation and read from a slip of

paper. ‘The intimations this week. Service this evening at six, all believers suggested that

they come. Prayer meeting at seven on the Wednesday all believers required to be in

attendance. Next Sunday, the Lord willing, the doctor will be preaching from…,’ and the

passage was stated. And it dawned on me. When people have experience with God in his

Word, that’s the only invitation that’s needed to produce a true conversion. And so that
thinking has governed me over the years.

DRC: So then, you were you were in London completing your studies. You come back,

and at some point, you plant a church correct?

ROR: I was gone from the church in Portland for somewhere approaching a year,

working on these annotated bibliographies. And it was at that time I felt it appropriate to

start the book business which I have had ever since. Because it dawned on me that the

kind of ministry that I felt called to could not prosper sufficiently to earn enough to

support myself, or a family, and that I ought to start a business that I could work at part-
time that could support my family. So that when I accepted an invitation, or I should say
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considered an invitation, to a church or a conference I would never have to discuss

money. So that I really made the decision then if a church asked me how much I charged

to come and lead special meetings, my response would be anything that you feel lead of

God to give something to the ministry fine otherwise it's no expense.

So that was the decision that was made at that time, as I said I started the book

business at that time. And then, I entered the itinerate ministry, and that really began in a

way that I think was truly providential. When I was a student at the seminary in

Pasadena, I had become somewhat familiar with Dr. Charles E. Fuller, who was the

founder and spokesman of the Old-Fashioned Revival Hour. And it was his family

money, his father was the founder of the Sunkist Orange Company, and it was money

from that which actually brought into existence Fuller Theological Seminary. Anyway, I

notified the man in charge at the seminary that I was ready to enter the itinerancy, and by

the grace of God some of the invitations that Dr. Fuller had received, and could not

honor, were turned over to me. So, that my life and ministry as an itinerate began that

way. We then continued in that ministry for several years. I was in the meantime

married, during that period, and then when we had young children, about say five and

three, I was away from home so much in the itinerate ministry. But I didn't see how that

could possibly be right because my children didn't really recognize me when I came
home. They might hide under the table because they had no idea who this strange man

was that was so familiar to their mother. And so, both Maggie and I began to pray for

some sense of solution to this problem. And we were praying specifically for an

opportunity of ministry that was at least equal to in need and challenge of the itinerate

work. And to our amazement I was invited to serve as pastor of one of the strangest

churches in the world. Its name, The Free Evangelical Lutheran Cross Church in Fresno,

California. And a very odd thing occurred, that I was quite mindful of, they had decided

to vote on three different men at the same time. And it was a church of some size, in fact,
at that time it had a sign out front saying, Central California's largest church. That was
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probably an exaggeration, but none the less it was a very sizeable church. So then as I

said they voted on three men at once. I received something like eight hundred votes, the

next fellow seven hundred votes, and the third fellow six hundred votes. So, there were

vastly more who voted against me than vote for me. But I became the pastor under those

circumstances. And, as I said, I was quite mindful of that, none of that took me by

surprise. And it was a perfectly glorious answer to a prayer for a challenge that was at

least equal to the itinerate work that I was doing.

So, every Sunday I had the immense privilege of preaching the gospel to

people who hadn't the foggiest notion what Christianity was all about. Now just a

reference to the name, as I said, Free Evangelical Lutheran Cross Church. Only one word

fit the situation. The word, cross, they were the crossest people we ever had dealings

with. It was not free because membership was determined by paying dues. At the time I

went there, there were two-thousand-four-hundred people paying their dues. There were

five-thousand families on the constituency list. It was not Evangelical because I was the

only Evangelical pastor they ever had. It was not Lutheran, in fact, while I was there they

received a letter from all the Lutheran denominations in Central California asking them to

drop the name Lutheran because they were not a Lutheran church. They were in actual

fact, a congregational church. The mother church of five-hundred German

Congregational churches that existed in United States at that time. But they were, as I

said, cross. We were there and had this glorious privilege for a year. But the first Sunday

that I was there as pastor the deacons waited on me and informed me that they didn't like

my sermon, and they would not allow me to preach that way. And that from then on, I

was to submit my sermons to them on Tuesday, and they would go over it and remove the

things they didn’t like. And I said to them, ‘I have read the constitution of this church,

and the constitution says that the deacons are to assist the pastor. So, let it be understood,

from now on you are my assistants. I am not your servant. I serve the Lord God
Almighty, and I don't take directions from anyone other than him, but if you know
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somebody sick or a person who is dying and you feel some hospital ministry or home

ministry might be effective feel free to let me know. But otherwise, I will give you

directions and I will not receive directions from you.’ And they said, ‘we'll put out.’ And

I said, ‘I can't prevent you trying, but I know I'll be here until the Lord removes me.’ So, I

had a wonderful year of preaching. I preached twenty-six messages out of the Sermon on

the Mount and the last Sunday the text was, ‘deliver us evil.’ And we've often laughed,

and said they thought that they were delivered from evil, we know that we were delivered

from evil. We then started to church where we served for about eight years, and then

came here to Wheaton to work with the Billy Graham Association. So that's a bit of the

history.

DRC: The church you started, that was in California?

ROR: That was in Fresno.

DRC: So, you've mentioned a little bit about your father growing up. But again, what

was your father like when you were growing up and how did your relationship with him

change as you grew into an adult?

ROR: My father was an uneducated man, he had been through the sixth grade. His

family came from the principality of Wales, as I already said. He was a laboring man, but

a very kindly, and an outgoing man. A warm, personable person. I think he was a
splendid father. But he was completely orientated toward the world until his conversion.

And then after that he was oriented toward the Lord. So, over the years my dad was of

incredible help to me because, he didn't speak much, and I was not ever living in the

immediate area where he and mom were, but they would come to see me. I mentioned the

time I was in Fresno; the time I was in Portland, they would come and visit. But Dad

would always give me very sound advice. For instance, one time somebody had hurt me

very grievously, and had spoken terrible lies. My dad happened to be with me, and he

knew I was thinking about writing a letter to correct these grievous errors. And my dad
said, ‘Dick, has not the Lord been your guardian over the years?’ ‘Well yes, certainly.’
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‘Then will you take advice from your father, and throw that letter away and leave it in the

Lord's hands?’ So that was the kind of advice I got from my dad, and constant assurance,

mom and I are praying for you every day and we're praying that you will have a ministry

that is pleasing to the Lord, whether any man is ever pleased or not.

DRC: The other part then is your mother. What was she like growing up, you've talked

some about her, and was your relationship with her and how did it change as you grew

into an adult?

ROR: My mother was a very quiet woman very sweet. A wonderful mother. I would say

it would be hard for me to imagine a better mother. Not in any way a pushy person. A

person with very strong personal convictions and standards after her conversion. And I

would say the great influence of my mother was the simple fact that she was herself and a

godly woman. And that constant awareness that my mother was praying that my life

would not waste, but that the Lord would indeed touch at least some through me. And I

had that assurance, constantly, never any variation in that.

DRC: I guess you've already shared this some, but if you want to add anything on what

ways your parents have influenced your ministry?

ROR: Principally, I would say through example. If I ever had any reason to wonder what

a real Christian was, I had only to think of my parents. And to know that their stalwart
example, my father, as I said was uneducated, my mother had no religious background in

her childhood or youth. But when they were converted, they were truly converted. My

mother for instance was in a regular attendance and participation in a very serious prayer

meeting that went on for years in Schenectady, and she was involved in that as long as

she was physically able to get to these gatherings. My dad was a very urgent Christian.

My own preaching ministry began in an extraordinary way, I would say. Soon after his

conversion my dad got a burden for the poor house. At that time, virtually every county

had a poor house, and those poor houses were places where the inhabitants who were
incapable of supporting themselves. They were looked after by the county. The poor
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house in our county had, I think, between four and five hundred inhabitants. My dad

started a ministry at the poor house soon after his conversion, and for all the years that I

can remember he went every Friday night to the poor house. And he would take a group

of young people from our church with him. And they would visit the various places, my

dad had four places where he preached each Friday night. For some rooms in this poor

house and young people bring the people from their rooms in the wheelchairs or on their

crutches and so on. And my dad would preach to them. I don't suppose it could be said he

would have qualified to serve as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburg,

Pennsylvania, but I doubt that any group of people were ever exposed to more serious

minded and faithful man than my father.

Soon after my call to public ministry, I was at that time thirteen, Dad said to

me one night, ‘now you’ll preach here tonight.’ And so, my preaching ministry began

because I went with my dad regularly to these Friday evening gatherings and that's where

I started preaching. And by God's grace, I discovered I could still preach on street

corners, and in prisons, and at the county mission. And so, opportunities came of every

sort.

DRC: You've mentioned your siblings, I think you said one brother, two sisters.

ROR: Yes. My brother finished his schooling in Canada, and so he became a Canadian
Presbyterian. He still lives in Toronto area. For many years he was a missionary under

the Canadian Presbyterian Church in Nigeria. At one point, he was on the front line.

There was a huge war in Nigeria called the Biafra conflict. He was on the front lines

ministering to the troops. His wife and three of his four sons were in Lagos, Nigeria, and

they had arranged to pick up a missionary family who was returning from Canada at the

airport. They had a native driver and somehow the native driver veered across the

highway as he was going to the airport and plowed into a big truck. Two sons were

instantly killed, and the third son badly maimed, and the wife badly maimed. They were
dumped on the floor in a hospital in Lagos. And I don't know the full details but
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somehow Shell Oil learned of this. They sent men to the front to find my brother.

Brought him back to Lagos, and flew the family to London in their own private plane.

And my sister-in-law and the one son that survived the accident were treated in London

and restored to a significant measure of health. But because of the severity of that

accident my brother was unable to continue his missionary labors. He became the head of

the Presbyterian Board of Missions for Canada. And at one point he became a state clerk

of the Presbyterian church of Canada. He's now of course out of ministry by a very severe

problem with diabetes, but still a faithful Christian.

My two sisters married, one a business man and one an employee in one of the

technological companies in America. And they have remained faithful Christians over the

years.

DRC: Do you want to share a moment you remember in regards with your siblings

growing up that you think would represent you as children growing up in your home?

ROR: Well that might be a bit difficult. I don't think this is uncommon for children to

feel as if they don't belong. But I always wondered if maybe I wasn’t adopted because I

never really seemed to fit with my brothers and sisters. That was silly, because one has

only to look at a picture of my dad and a picture of me to know that I was no orphan

taken off the street. But I always had that strain, and because my brother is a wonderfully
earnest Christian, but a Presbyterian, and therefore quite straight laced, and I never quite

fit that pattern. I never felt any need to conform for anything except to the Lord and his

Word. And so, I was really over the years something of a misfit with them. My sisters, I

think I felt closer to, particularly the younger sister partly because the younger sister's

husband was a very effective and successful businessman but not a very serious minded

Christian. And so, I was more attached to her because I was able to be of some help and

encouragement to her. And because I've never lived anywhere near where any of the rest

of the family lived, we never have had an awful lot of contact, but there is a vital, warm
relationship that we keep in touch, but not in a very prominent way.
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DRC: You just describe a little bit of your personality as a child. How might you say

your personalities changed as you aged through life?

ROR: I don't know that it would be accurate to say that it has changed at all. I don't know

that. It might be helpful to give just a little the background of my call to ministry. As I

said we were raised in a very poor family, and I was born thirty-one, and that meant that

at the time that the Second World War began I was ready to respond. Although I was

only ten, young people back then acted more like adults. So, I had a job, full-time job, I

worked in the grocery store during winter. I worked on a farm during the summer. I had

to these Victory Gardens, I pedaled vegetables in our community. I was always at work at

something. For years we would collect newspapers and earn a little money that way. But

the result of all those odds and ends of things was said that at the end of the summer

when it was twelve years of age I had accumulated a fair amount of wealth. Now that had

to be put in connection with the times. I mean, somebody with two dollars in their pocket

was wealthy compared to somebody who couldn't even get a nickel together. So, I had

enough money to send myself to a Christian camp for a week at the end of the summer.

And so, I registered at Sunrise Mountain Bible Conference at Lake George, New York.

Now two things of incredible importance happened there. On the Friday night,

which was the last night of the week, because we would return home then on the
Saturday. A call was issued in the public meeting for volunteers for missions. And I felt

very strongly and very determined to be ready to hear from the Lord and respond to a

call. So, I stood and volunteered as a missionary. Now at that time as I said, I was deep

into Victory Gardens, I had two or three acres I was actually working myself. I was

selling vegetables. I worked on a farm, as well. So, I had quite an orientation in the

agricultural direction. And the second thing that happened in addition to this call on the

Friday night, because this was in the Adirondack Mountains there was a lot of hiking that

went on with the young people in this conference. And each day we would have some
kind of a mountain climb. Well, I was very small, but quite vigorous, and quite used to
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strained effort to doing things, and the rest of the young people tended to be kind of the

city slickers, or sissies, if you will. So, we'd go on a mountain climb and after just a little

distance they’d have to rest. Well on the Friday, in disgust, while the rest were resting, I

sat down on a stump to rehearse my discontent with the sissified people at the conference.

So that's Friday morning. Friday night there’s the call to missions. I go home on Saturday

and it turns out that what I did was sit down on a stump that was covered with poison ivy.

So, I got an incredible case of poison ivy which was under way pretty strongly by

Saturday. Now this was the end of the summer. It was ordinary in those days for public

schools to start the day after Labor Day, the Tuesday of that week. I couldn't go to school

because I had too severe a case of poison ivy and I needn’t go into details as to where I

had it considering that I sat down on it.

Anyway, my parents fixed a cot for me in this little tiny room of our rental

home. And I was home from school for two weeks, and every day I was dealing with this

issue of having responded to this call to missions. And I was explaining to the Lord, that

although I couldn't say anything, if I was called upon in the public school to answer a

question, I would just freeze up and I really couldn't say anything. And the Lord knew

that. So, I instructed him that what I would do I would prepare tracts and put tracts in the

bushel of beans or whatever and I could teacher people in other countries about how to do
agriculture and I would serve as an agricultural missionary. I was very pleased to be able

to do that. But I felt the Lord say to me, ‘but I didn't call you to be a missionary.’ ‘Well

Lord, that's what I know I can do. So that's what I'm planning to do.’ ‘No, I didn’t call

you to do that. I'm grateful that you were responsive, but that’s not what I called you to

do, I called you to preach.’ ‘Oh Lord, it's not that I wouldn't do whatever you asked me to

do, it’s just that I couldn't. I wasn’t made to do anything like that. So, I'll do what I can,

but I cannot preach.’ Well day after day of struggling with that. I became aware, well I

can’t, but I can. That if that’s what the Lord is calling me to do. That's what he wanted
me to do. So, I've had that deep-seated conviction that I was called of God to do it, and
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that all I could do was to respond to what he told me to do. And I didn't really have to

know how. And I didn’t have to do it well. I just had to do it faithfully. And so that's been

my conviction through all the years.

I don't know, has my personality changed? I don’t think so. My wife often says that she

doesn't mind go off shopping for the day and leaving me because it looks to her like I

prefer to be alone. Well, I think that's probably pretty true. But when I have an

opportunity to proclaim God’s Word, then I feel a very strong sense of call, and urgency,

and response to that.

DRC: The next several questions were about your conversion, which you shared some

bits and pieces of, so I will summarize all these questions. Is there anything else about

your conversion or that time of your life when God called you into ministry that you

would like to share?

ROR: Well I'm fearful that a great mistake is being made in many of our churches. I've

heard men say, that if you don’t know that hour that you were converted, you're not. Well

I think that's garbage, just sheer nonsense, doing a great deal of damage and if any good

at all I can imagine what good such a false statement could possibly accomplish. I believe

very, very, deeply, in the second birth. I made mention, in referring to Peter, of that

statement all who are born again are born of imperishable seed. And that being the same
seed that which Christ was conceived of the Word and the Holy Spirit. And what I truly

believe is that as the Word is preached, God, in an incredible way, just opens up a

person's mind and heart and enables them to realize, Christ is all I need. And if I will

come to the end of myself and turn everything over to Christ, that that is what makes a

person true Christian. And that doesn't necessarily happen in a point of time. That can

happen over a season, over a period. Now that’s not to say that a person cannot be

converted in the moment of time because some most certainly are, but it is to say that

there are multitudes who truly are yielded to Christ who could not pin point the day or the
hour. I made reference earlier to the prayer meeting, the cottage prayer meetings, that my
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parents attended. Those were of immense importance to me. Now, why would a ten-year-

old be interested in cottage prayer meetings where older people are praying? I don’t

pretend to know why, I just know that they were immensely important to me. And

studying the Scriptures and understanding not merely what the passage says but what the

heart of God is conveyed in that passage has been of great importance to me. So, I would

like to see the church place less emphasis upon the false and greater emphasis upon the

true. I have myself been delighted on numerous occasions to look out over a congregation

and to see some very blank faces in that congregation. And then as I have preached, it’s

one of the truly thrilling things to me. I don't know to what extent you have experienced

want I am talking about, but the congregation begins just seated back causally in the pew.

And gradually you see them moving forward. And soon, the whole congregation is

hanging on to the rail in front, and this perfectly blank face suddenly is lit up with the joy

of the Lord. And that person rushes up afterward and says, something marvelous

happened to me tonight, I came to a real relationship with Jesus Christ. And it’s so

obviously the work of God, not the work of man. And to have experienced the thrill of

that and then to resort to twisting somebody’s arm to try and get them to make a decision

for Christ that just seems so absurd.

DRC: Moving on to some questions about education in general. You said as a child
you're probably more disinterested, then applied and interested, are there any significant

events you remember from elementary through high school?

ROR: I don't know if what I am about to say is even accurate, but my memory of school

is boredom. I don't have the notion that everybody is the same. I'm deeply convinced that

God loves variety. Now, I think we, most all, sense that in terms of fingerprints. And that

perhaps registers strongly with many. But I think what impressed me even more greatly

than fingerprints was the realization that snowflakes are all different. Now when you live

in Louisville, that might not amount to much, but when you live in Wheaton and you get
about 24 inches of snow at one time, and you consider every single flake varies from
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every other flake it's quite remarkable. But anyway, the notion that God loves a variety

makes it difficult for me to create categories and to suppose that everybody fits into one

of these categories. I remember that as a youth I was determined to write my first book,

and I had entitled it in my mind, The Evangelism of Jesus. And as I was seeking to

prepare myself to write this book it gradually dawned on me that Jesus didn't have any

method. That he in fact treated every person as an individual. And I realized, well now to

write a book on the methodology Jesus in evangelism is absurd. That if I'm going to say

anything about Jesus I’m going to have to talk about his love of the individual, and his

ability treat them as very, very, different. Well, setting that into school, it just seems to

me that school is an attempt to make everybody fit the same mold, and it doesn’t work.

And there are lots of brilliant students that are bored almost to tears with school, and a lot

of dummies who seem to be doing splendidly. But if you could put any reliance on IQ,

which I don't think you can, but if you could you would find some who excelling have an

IQ of a hundred and one, and some who are doing terribly have an IQ of one-hundred-

fifty-six. So, it seems to me there's more than ample evidence that's not the answer. But

for each person to be treated as they truly are as an individual, then I can see some great

merit in that. So, I suppose at this late date of my life I have less interest in college and

theological seminary, than I have for discipleship and training people for service in the
Lord.

DRC: You mentioned you started preaching at thirteen, so throughout high school you're

preaching at these different opportunities. Do you think that had an impact, in what ways

did ministry opportunities impact your life? While your world would say, you're

supposed to be a student, but you're exploring God’s call for your life.

ROR: Well, I suppose in great candor what has to be said is I never felt any call to

anything other than to preach the Word. I didn’t feel called to school. I don't feel called

now to formal studies, but I do feel called to understand fully and completely as I can the
Word of God. And not, as I said earlier, not to simply have the knowledge of these things
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but sagacity to see inside, and to see the mind and heart of God as revealed in Scripture.

And if I can preach in such way that somebody understands the mind and the heart of

God and can enter into it. I think by God's grace I've been of some service to that person.

DRC: When you went to Whitworth, in Spokane, what was your major in college?

ROR: Well, that's an interesting question. I had been, as I said, working in the General

Electric Company, for a year. I had discovered that highly educated men were mostly

ignorant. And, I thought when I went to college that would go a long ways away from

home. I mean from New York to Washington State is some considerable distance. I

thought that maybe with a fresh start in a brand-new area would be beneficial. But, I

found that the guy that moved from New York to Spokane who was the same guy. And

that I hadn't really changed, and that to what I had to be was myself as fully aligned with

Christ as it was possible for me to be. And I had some experiences in college which are

immensely important to me. Soon after I had entered the college, I became friends with a

fellow who had been in the Air Force. And then was on the G.I. Bill and was gaining an

education, and he seemed to have a fervent heart for the Lord. And he and I became great

friends, and we became involved in various ministries throughout what's called the Inland

Empire. And that would be to say distances up to two-hundred-fifty miles or so from

Spokane. And one of the things that we did was we conducted Bible classes in areas just
outside the city.

I don't know if you been to Spokane, but Spokane is a city in a sense

constructed differently than say the Chicago area because you have the relatively flat area

of the city itself and then you have the prairies all around seven-mile prairie, five-mile

prairie, nine-mile prairie. These would be elevated places with very rich farmland on the

top of these prairies. Well we were holding Bible classes on these various outreach

places. And one night, we went to a Bible class, and we took turns. One night he would

speak, the next I would, and we would alternate that way. At this Bible class. I think it
was on seven-mile prairie, someone asked me a question. And, I said, ‘oh I'm sorry I
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don't know the answer to that, but I do know where I can get the answer. And if you’d be

willing to hold till next week I'll come back next week with the answer.’

Well my friend, immediately proceeded to answer the question. Well as we

were leaving he said, ‘you have completely ruined your ministry. Nobody will ever pay

any attention to you from now on. Because you admitted you didn't know something.

Now that's something you must never do. You must always have the answer.’ ‘Well,’ I

said, ‘the answer you gave is ridiculous. It had nothing to do with the question, it was

certainly not in any sense a correct answer.’ ‘Well,’ he said, ‘you know that, and I know

that, but they didn't know that. So, they highly regard me. And they think contentiously

of you, you’ve just spoiled everything.’ Well then, that very week, he was married and

living in a college provided apartment, and he invited me to dinner. And his wife, we

were seated at the table in the kitchen, and his wife, was putting the food on, and she put

on a bowl of green beans and he took the back of his hand he swept this bowl of beans off

the table on to the floor, and it crashed, and went in every direction. And his poor wife

broke into tears. And that was a profound lesson to me. He had done this utterly stupid

thing at the class, and then he had damaged his wife incredibly.

I just knew that couldn't be, that could not be true Christianity. Well now, the

interesting thing, and this is just an aside almost, but it's not. Years and years and years
went by I never heard that fellow. Then I got a letter from what used to be the largest

church in London, the Whitefield Tabernacle in London. Inviting me to lead an eight-day

series of special meetings at the Whitefield Tabernacle, signed by my college friend. And

that was in connection with Reformation Sunday, so that would have been in the Fall

sometime, I think October. But I had to be in Great Britain during the summer. There was

a fellow here that used to have a radio program, David Mains was his name. I’ve

forgotten at the moment, the name of the program, but he had never been to the United

Kingdom and I was scheduled to speak at a conference at Oxford, England. A revival

conference that was led by J. Edwin Orr for a very long time. And so, this fellow wanted
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to go with me, so we went, and we had two or three days, he had never been to London.

And so, I had arranged to stay this pastor’s flat, and a very odd thing happened. Now, I

don't know what your handwriting was like, but mine is terrible and if I write a note and

don't transcribe that immediately with a typewriter, I can’t read what I’ve written. And I

had been making a number of notes, and so, I said to this pastor, ‘I need to transcribe

some notes that I made this morning. Do you have a typewriter?’ ‘Oh yes, in there.’ So, I

went into this room that he pointed out and sat down to use the typewriter, and you know

how it is when you type something. We type a little and then we stop and think because

we want to make sure of what your writing. And I glanced up and there was a picture of a

very attractive woman. And I think, now that can't be his wife. Surely, he wouldn't have

daughter that attractive. Well just tend your business, so I went on with my typing. And

then, I went back out into the living room where the pastor and my friend were. But that

was kind of, you know some things stick in your mind, and I thought, I’m going to have

another look at that picture. So, I went back into that room. And to my astonishment the

picture had disappeared. So, I just filed it away.

So then when I went back in the fall for the series meetings. When he picked

me up at the airport at Heathrow he said, ‘I don't really think it's a good idea for a visitor

to start a series on Sunday morning. So, we'll start Sunday night instead, and then I'll
preach on Sunday morning.’ And I said, ‘I don’t have any idea what's going on Bob, but I

know this, you're out of God’s will.’ ‘Who do you think you are to tell me that?’ I said,

‘now Bob, you know I've been preaching a long time, and I've found over the years the

Lord never gives me a sermon that's not going to be used. There are times when I have

been unable to figure out what I supposed to preach on, and then as it turned out I didn't

need to know because I wasn’t preaching after all.’ But I said, ‘the Lord has never given

me a sermon that I did not use. And he gave me a sermon for Sunday morning, so I know

that you’re out of God’s will.’

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 Now it was on Saturday. He kept saying, ‘well I better take you over to the

church so you can get familiar with the arrangement, and so we can have a little time of

prayer.’ Well it was late Saturday night finally he said well, ‘let’s go over.’ And so, we

looked around a little and he said, ‘now we should have a prayer.’ And I realized that the

prayer he prayed was to the unknown god. But he never reversed this business about my

not preaching Sunday morning. But I knew I was going to because the Lord had given me

a message. And so, we went on Sunday morning and he said, ‘well now you just sit here

in the pastor’s office while I take care of some things around the building.’ And in walks

this very bold woman, puts something on the pastor’s desk and introduces herself to me.

And I think, that’s the woman in the picture. So, I'm seated on the platform. He says he’s

just going to introduce me so the people will know whose preaching that night. But,

instead he says, ‘now Mr. Roberts will preach.’ And so, I knew that was going to happen

anyway, so I was as I said prepared. But after the service I'm told we have an invitation to

this home for dinner. Now at that time the Whitefield Tabernacle had become the

English-speaking church for London. It was made up principally of heads of various

United States companies that had offices in London—Shell Oil Company, Mobile, and so

on. Just basically business men, managers of big companies, plus ordinary people as well.

I don't mean to say they were excluded, but principally that’s what it was. Well we go to
lunch and this woman is invited. And I don’t say anything, but I know something is

grievously out of order. So, we get back down in the late afternoon to the flat and I say,

‘now pastor you put in a very tough spot. You invite me to eight days of meetings in

commemoration of the ministry of George Whitefield. And the first thing I discover is

that the pastor is living in adultery.’ Well he denied it up and down, and got so agitated

that he got in a rage and left. And I made my way to that meeting that night, it wasn't so

far from where he lived to the church.

I didn't know what to expect, but when he got up, he had a little tiny slip of
paper which was just a little bigger than a postage stamp, the commemorative size
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stamps. And he read from this paper and it was something like this, your pastor has an

adulterous heart, he must ask you for your forgiveness. Well the odd thing was, have you

been in Europe at all? Most of the churches are constructed there with pulpits that are up

higher than would be typical in this country. And it was very common to have one that's

halfway between the floor and the balcony. So, there are usually several steps up into the

pulpit. Now whereas here, once you’re on the platform the pulpit is usually on the same

level as the platform. But that's not the common case there. Anyway, I had several steps

up to the pulpit. I think that you can picture this having done some preaching yourself. I

took those steps as slowly as I could because I had a total blank. I could not remember

what I was preaching on that night. I couldn't even remember whether it was Old

Testament or New Testament. So, as I said I went as slowly as I could. When I got into

the pulpit the only thing that I could think of was a text that popped in my mind out of the

Gospel of John and not knowing what else to do, I gave out that text and immediately I

had message that went with the text that the Lord clearly gave to me. I didn't go into any

of the details, but I made it clear that the pastor has tried to head off the consequences of

the evil by saying he has an adulterous heart. He has much more than an adulterous heart.

He is a vile, wicked man, far from Christ, and you need to deal with that. And then I

preceded with the message that I don’t remembered at the moment was.
Well afterwards the leaders of the church asked me to meet with them after

this service, and to outline a plan for dealing with this and essentially what I urged them

to do was discover three of the most godly men in the city. Assign the pastor to these

three men. Immediately suspended all ministry, completely for three months. Not one

single thing, but for three months in which to meet regularly with these men and for them

to supervise his repentance. And then you can decide after that what would be

appropriate action to take. Then, we went back to his flat as I said, and he was just full of

anger and he just raked me over the coals for exposing him to the congregation. And

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dealing dreadfully wrong with him and so on. And that was the second Sunday that that

all came out. There's a lot of details that don’t matter, but anyway.

I mention all that to say this has been the thing that has been so clear to me.

There are a lot of men in ministry whose personal lives defy the Gospel, and they believe

in grace. And I want to share something with you that came very strongly to me last

month. We had this Heart-Cry for Revival Conference at the Cove. And I was very

grieved and upset because I could see the whole tone of the thing was moved in the

totally wrong direction. But we sat, have you ever been to the Cove? It's a very attractive

place and the buildings like you would find in a national park. These big stone timber

buildings and it's quite beautiful. And we were seated in one of the parlors and there was

a pastor from somewhere in the east, New Jersey I think, who was chatting with me. And

out of the blue he quoted from the Book of Jude. And it struck me, now I'm quite familiar

with Jude, I’ve preached a fair amount from Jude. But, as he quoted, it’s like sometimes

something jabs your heart, and you see something you didn't see before. And so, I said to

him, ‘would you please repeat that quotation?’ And he gave it again just exactly as he

had. And I understood something that I had never really quite got a hold of. It says that in

verse four of Jude that these men will be called and marked out for this condemnation.

‘Ungodly men, who turned the grace of God into lasciviousness. Men who deny our
master and Lord Jesus Christ.’ Well now, what struck me with incredible force was this

statement, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. And suddenly it was very clear to

me this is what the bulk of the church is doing. There are assuring people that they are

under grace not under the law, that they can surely live anyway they please and they’ll be

under grace. And they're using grace as a license for licentiousness. And then, of course,

my thinking connects the dots. I am thinking that there are various men in various places

that I’ve been to who are doing precisely that. Proclaiming the gospel, they say. Often

people are wowed by them. They are considered the great giants of the faith and in our
church circles. And yet, there are men who deny their own Master and Lord Jesus Christ
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and they launch a life of lasciviousness either in themselves, or in themselves and others

and credit it all to the grace of God. And that's what we're faced with.

So, now this is not part of your questioning, but I want to add a profound

lesson that’s come to me, and it's been in the works for over a period of many months but

it’s beginning to crystalize very clearly. Now as you have discerned, and have determined

to do a thesis on this, I have a doctrine of revival that doesn't quite fit the pattern of the

church. But here's a very critical issue—in urging people to pray for revival, what we

have been doing is urging them to pray for an increase of what's going on. And I’ve come

to the realization that's not what I want at all. I don't want to see the church revived. I

want to see the church reformed. I want to get back to the Scripture. I want to ask

fundamental questions like, what does God want? Is he concerned about these vast

numbers of converts that we’re making? Or rather than a thousand, would he rather have

one single person that radiated the life and the holiness of Jesus Christ.

And I know I've always been aimed in that general direction, I am only saying

that it is becoming clearer to me than it ever was before that we just don't want any more

of what we’ve got. We want to get back to the Scripture. I was telling someone who had

called me earlier today about the biblical issue of the Jews being provoked to jealousy,

which is what I spoke of mostly at this Cove conference. But if the real purpose of the
Gentile Church is to provoke the Jews to jealousy, and has never happened, we don’t

have a single record of that ever having occurred. That means that you and I are standing

on the threshold, either on the destruction of this nation, as Israel was destroyed, or the

beginning of a genuine work of grace greater than anything that has ever happened. And

my heart craves that it will be that second, the beginning of a fresh movement of God.

And this is why the team that you said you felt strongly to focus your dissertation on,

concerning this connection with repentance and revival. Because what we’ve essentially

had is no repentance for anything at all. Now, I’m kind of assuming on your time here,
but I trust that you will find it of some benefit. The Heart-Cry Conference is, as I
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suggested already, has been on its way down. Now I don't know how you think about this

personally, but over the years I have come to the conviction that it is complete without

sense to suppose that the guy that has lead the church in the wrong direction will be the

guy that lead the church in the right direction. That can only happen if there is true

repentance on his part. And, I first began to think this way, and I don't know the time

frame, but I am going to guess, say thirty years ago. Do you know the Elliff brothers? Is

that a familiar name to you? Tom, I think is the older brother, and Bill is a little off, and

Jim is living in Kansas City. Well the two younger brothers Bill and Jim and I were

sharing supper one night together. And somehow in the conversation it came up, what

about a special conference on revival. And so, we prayed together and thought about it

and we came up with a plan for a conference on revival at First Baptist in Little Rock.

And it was called the North American Convocation on Revival. And it was determined

from the start that it would be by invitation only, and that there would be an attempt to

get, to some extent, to whatever extent possible, the leadership in this conference. And as

it was about to take place, we had fair success in this, as I recall we about five or six

hundred that came. And not exclusively, but largely pastors and denominational leaders.

But Bill Bright, I would assume that’s a familiar name to you, he was present, though I

don't recall his having been invited, but once it was understood that he was there some
were saying, well he is so important to the church we better have him speak. Well, I was

not in favor of that at all, but nonetheless, the others won, and he spoke. And he spoke on

fasting. Now you may be too young to been deeply involved, but then again you haven’t

told me your age. Well, he wrote a book on revival, and he did a lot of talking about

fasting and he made the claim that the Lord had shown him if he could get a million

people to fast and pray for forty days, revival would happen. That was taken by some of

us as a perfectly stupid thing, because we don't honestly believe that’s how God works.

And also, I had high suspicions of Bill because, to me fasting means abstinence, whereas
for him fasting meant you took all your food, put it in a blender and ground it up and
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drank it. I don't think that's fasting personally. But anyway, that's what he was proposing.

So, when he was urging for forty days of fasting, which most of us recognize as not

humanly possible, nobody can fast literally for forty days and survive. It can't be done.

Moses, obviously, did it, but it was a divine thing. And there are a couple other instances

in Scripture, but obviously the Lord was in it. And saying a million, doesn’t mean the

Lord’s in it. Anyway, I would be highly suspicious of that and now I'm coming to the

point I was wishing to make. What I came to was, it is utterly ridiculous to think that

those who have lead the nation downhill, away from God, can lead the nation uphill

towards God. And that unless Bill Bright comes to thorough repentance, he's not going to

be an instrument in revival. And so, that I had held. And then going back to the Heart-

Cry, you know the name Sammy Tippit?

DRC: Just from the website.

ROR: Well, Sammy’s been a major, typical Southern Baptist evangelist, getting all kinds

of people saved who came no closer to heaven than the devil himself. And then telling

them now you’re converted and you’ve accepted Christ. Well he started to get involved

in Heart-Cry some years back, and he has been the dominant voice and in all that time it

has gone downhill. So, I'm expressing a very strong conviction that I do not believe it is

possible to talk about revival and not talk about repentance. And instead of talking about
repentance of acts of extortion or of adultery, etc., etc. Let’s talk about the realities of

true repentance. What are you doing wrong that God will not bless that you must repent

of? Now there are not an awful lot of the guys in ministry who are involved in robbing

with the collection plate or that are involved in adultery, there are some, tragically, but

the bigger sin is promoting stuff that is completely contrary to Scripture.

And so, as I said, the conviction has been growing, but it's upon very strong

now, that we're not going to see anything—it can be called revival, and a lot of people

can be happy with it, but it’s not going to amount to anything unless there is a repentance

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of those things that are so abhorrent to the Lord, which includes what I said about Hosea,

a sagacity, a failure to see what’s on the mind and heart of God.

Let me excuse myself a moment.

Session 2:

DRC: You talked about seminary a little bit and I was going to ask you to share the

events from deciding to leave Fuller – because I had heard bits and pieces of that in other

places, but you’ve done that already – so we’ll bypass those. Just try and summarize your

education, and connect it with your preparation for ministry. Obviously, the Lord taught

you a lot, informally, but is there some significant aspect of your education that the Lord

has used in preparation for your ministry?

ROR: Well if there is, I’m not, myself, cognizant of it. I don’t think it would be correct

to say that I’m stupid, nor would it be correct to say that I’m disinterested. But I don’t

think that by and large what is taught in school is what is so desperately needed. And I

hope it’s not this way at Louisville, I know what it was like at Louisville years ago

because when – do you know Phil Roberts, not a relative of mine, but he taught at the

seminary. He went to Oxford and did a Ph.D. and his Ph.D. was rejected by, from

Oxford. His thesis that is. And principally because he had overlooked – I don’t know how

these things always work technically, so maybe I’m misstating something – but the
readers said he had excluded one who had written the only thing ever written on the

subject of the thesis. And he never mentioned it in the thesis, and so it was turned down

flat. And then, he finished the thesis at the Free University of Amsterdam, and was for

years president, and is now one of your Louisville men is president in Kansas City.

DRC: Jason Allen?

ROR: Yes, Jason Allen. Well this fella had been president at the seminary and just had

huge problems. And Jason seems to have managed it – by God’s grace – wisely. But

Kansas City school has been a quandary. But going way back, when Phil was teaching at
Louisville and Lewis Drummond was head of, I don’t know what it was called, the
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Department of Evangelism or whatever the correct language. I was there, I think maybe

three times, and deeply troubled because I would sit, say, in the faculty lounge in between

assignments. And most, for the most part the faculty didn’t know who I was or care. But

they would talk about the absurdity of signing these statements when they didn’t believe

a word about it, make a mockery of the whole thing. So, I knew what was going on at the

time, though there were some very good men there, but there were some fellas that were

far removed from what they ought to have been. And then of course, when your current

president stepped in, there was a huge upheaval. I remember being at a conference in

Dallas where I was speaking, some of the people were fuming over what had happened at

Louisville and faculty that were removed and so on. But, thank God for the changes that

have come, and I don’t know to what extent you thought of this, and this is quite an aside

from what’s on your question list. But do you realize that the only time in the history of

the church that a seminary has returned to its roots is what has happened at Louisville.

Now, there was something that happened at the Lutheran seminary in Kansas City, a bit

of a resurgence of Evangelicalism, but not at all the same, or equivalent, to what’s

happened at Louisville. So, some of us on the outside just stand in wonder, and awe, and

thanksgiving, to the Lord for what’s happened in some of the seminaries. But my own

sense is, I just don’t think that’s the answer. I think men trained under men in ministry
would be way ahead of those trained in theological seminaries. And this is not happening,

I don’t suppose to any great degree, but I know that Paul Washer in Virginia, and John

Snyder in Mississippi, and Jordan Thomas in Memphis area, they’re all training men

under them for ministry. And I’m sure there are weaknesses in that, but at the same time I

would have much more confidence in that. And I hope this is not true at Louisville, but

by and large, men teaching in seminaries are so removed from the day-by-day action of

the church that they don’t really know what they’re doing. But having said all that, I still

believe in wisdom, and some gain wisdom in going to school, and some gain wisdom as I
have done – or I hope I have done – in gathering great books and reading the finest.
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DRC: I think that points to the diversity that God uses different paths to get us to the

places He needs us to be.

ROR: And you know, as an old man coming toward the end of things, it’s very, very

hard for me to realize how little serious study is taking place among men in ministry.

And you go into a typical pastor’s library, look around and it’s mostly what he’s got on

his shelves are how to do it stuff, copycat kind of stuff that doesn’t matter. And very little

that will really help a man to think through the true biblical issues and come to grips with

the mind and heart of God and then you tie that in with the dread and the hatred and the

fear of God that’s so characteristic of today’s church. And then when you begin with the

fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and the churches despise the concept of the fear

of God no wonder said stupidity remains.

DRC: I guess a change from education then, to just a little about your marriage. What are

some words that you would use to describe your wife and your relationship in your

marriage?

ROR: Well, again, I don’t think that, I don’t think what applies to one applies to all. But

I had been pastoring in Portland as a single man, and it was very weird to have all the

mothers with marriage-aged daughters and trying to get me interested, I just thought it

was a dreadful thing. And I don’t think most young men have been given any gift of
abstinence from the Lord, and have been designed by God himself to be single, but that

most of us are made with qualities that make marriage very, very, important. And I was

cognizant through the years that I needed a wife, but I was also cognizant of my

incredible stupidity, and of how easily I could make a dreadful mistake and so I didn’t

really do anything to pursue the matter except through prayer. Well then, as I mentioned,

I had left the church in Portland and was in Europe for a season and then had these

invitations that came by of the Old-Fashioned Revival Hour. And when I returned from

Europe, I spent a little time with my parents in Schenectady, and my mother, who was
not as I said already, a pushy kind of a woman at all, but she said, ‘I think you should go
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to the young people’s meeting at the church.’ ‘Oh no mom, I don’t know anybody there, I

don’t think I’ll go, I’ve been pastoring for years.’ But anyway, I didn’t want to hurt my

mother either, so I said, ‘well ok, I’ll go.’ Well, I go to this university aged group that

was meeting prior to the evening service on Sunday, and I walk in where they’re meeting

and they’re standing around the piano singing out of an Intervarsity hymnbook, and I

know some of the songs, but most of them I don’t know. So, I stand there like a dummy,

which I was, and this girl slips over and says, ‘here, share my book.’ So I glance out of

the side of my eye and I say, ‘wow, I wonder who she is, that’s the one for me right

there.’ I mean, it was settled, and she knew the same approach that I knew, pray about it

and let the Lord guide you. And so, in almost no time we were engaged and we have been

married fifty-four years I think. And I don’t suppose that this is typical, but after we had

gotten acquainted, and I was travelling then, of course, and was gone a lot, she was just

finishing up university, and so when time came to propose I told her that I had prepared a

list of reasons why she would be very wise to say no to my proposal and asked her to go

over that list before she considered my proposition. And so, she did, and she said, ‘I think

to some extent I’ve understood all of that beforehand – I know that you’re much older

than I am, I know that you’re an itinerate and will be gone a lot, I can see that I would

have to raise the children, if we’re blessed with any, that I accept.’ Well, then the odd
thing was the Fuller Foundation, which I have mentioned had been alerted to the fact that

I was interested in someone, and they arranged a honeymoon trip to Bermuda. But they

had arranged for a hotel, and then a place where I was to preach as well. And so that was

in June, and so when I told Maggie that this arrangement had been made she said, ‘oh

well I’ve committed myself to serve as summer nurse in a camp and I can’t. I can’t

change now.’ ‘You’re right.’ So, we were married in September after that. But anyway.

She’s proved to be everything that one would hope for. I could foresee what was coming

in terms of being away, children not knowing their father and so on, and so she’s handled
everything, she looks after all of them, natural household expenses. She keeps things in
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order and I don’t pay any attention to them. And in fact, I’ve been quite surprised at how

effective and successful she’s been in looking after the responsibilities a father normally

looks after.

DRC: Was that sixty-three or nineteen-sixty-four?

ROR: We were married in sixty…yes, sixty-three.

DRC: Sixty-three, ok.

ROR: Sixty-two, I guess.

DRC: Sixty-two.

ROR: I’ve kind of forgot… I was just under thirty. I was thirty and a day. Next day I’d

be thirty-one, so that would be the determining at sixty-two. September of sixty-two.

DRC: I was going to ask about the list you gave her, because you’ve mentioned it other

times, but you addressed that already. From your memory any difficult memories from

the beginning of your marriage that you look back on as learning experiences?

ROR: Well, I would say marriage in itself is beset with difficulties and the thing that we

had both come to grips with – now Maggie came from a divided home, her father had left

the family and so she had some horrible experiences really in a fatherless home and a

mother who has never recovered from the long of the whole thing. So, when we married

it was with the understanding this is for life – and no matter what comes, it doesn’t
matter, this is for life. I said there’s no escape, and I think that a marriage approach from

that standpoint is totally different. When I was in the pastorate in Fresno, I would have

young couples that wanted me to preside at their wedding and they would say, ‘we’re

gonna give it a try, and if it works out, fine, and if not, we’ll get a divorce.’ And I

wouldn’t be, I just refuse to have anything to do with a marriage like that. So, in essence,

all I’m saying is you know trouble is going to come and when it comes you know what

the answer is, and so you just still to the commitment that you’ve made. And does it

stand, things disappear and things that look insurmountable become very small hills when
you’re determined to see them through.
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DRC: So, on the other side of that, describe one of your favorite memories from your

fifty some years of being married.

ROR: Oh well, we’ve had just all kinds of intriguing things, but one, I think, that would

be representative of our lives; I came home one day and I found that my wife was on the

telephone telling somebody that I was out of state and I’d be home for x number of days,

and there I am standing right there, and I mean it was so much travel that, neither of us

could really keep track of the comings and goings. But always anticipation and faithful

wife, and taking care of everything that had to be taken care of. You know, the bookstore

as businesses go, is not huge, but as book businesses go, it’s really quite substantial and

she’s looked after it for years. Been responsible, she doesn’t have the brains – if I can

use that statement with caution – I mean, I’m the brains, God gave me a sense of how to

do this, and I’ve taught her, so she’s followed directions, but still, she’s done so faithfully

and wonderfully through the years.

DRC: You mentioned the traveling in your marriage. What are some things you’ve done

to keep your marriage strong as you do travel so much?

ROR: Well, I would consider myself not very good at any of that, but I have tried to

retain the impression at all times that I was responsible for her well-being and the well-

being of the children and that what would be the most responsible was not to have ample
funds on hand, but to have such consistency that she wouldn’t have any grounds for fear.

I overheard her telling somebody once, they were pressing her, don’t you find it a terribly

lonely life, that sort of typical questions, and I remember her stating, ‘if my husband were

a salesman, and he was off trying to push this, or push that, I don’t know that I could

handle it. But knowing what he’s doing, I don’t have any real problem.’ Which I think

has been typical for her, she’s trusted me, she knew what my call was. I trusted her, and I

knew what her call was. And so, nothing insurmountable has happened - lots of typical

difficulties. I mean, everybody in ministry soon finds that you can make a business
arrangement with a non-Christian firm that is much more apt to hold than with a
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Christian firm. Trusting churches, trusting so-called Christians people, that’s dangerous,

and you don’t go very far in that boat to have some grievous disappointment. But the

greatest thing I believe that’s needed at all times is example, and although I don’t think

I’ve been particularly successful, I have longed at, all times, to be a reliable example of

Christ to others. And sometimes the impact of our lives is quite different from what we

intended or would expect. I remember one time, we have two kids – as I think you know

– and one is with Intervarsity in Maryville, Tennessee, and very unhappy because

Intervarsity is anything but Christian in many ways. But anyways. When he was young,

living at home, he went off somewhere sometime to help somebody, some Christian

conference I think, where he went to do some physical work, to build things. I didn’t

have any idea when he was coming home, and he came home in the middle of the night

and I was in the living room at that time praying. I don’t know, it might have been two

o’clock in the morning or something like that, and when he came in and he found me on

my knees he was really quite upset. And I was upset to think that he found me there,

because I never considered that anything for public display. But then it was very

heartening to me because he was involved in the College Church at that time, and one of

the leaders said to me, your son is deeply impressed with his father. He says his father is

the real thing. Well I hope that’s true, I mean that’s what we set our hearts to be, the real
thing. And no matter who injures us, we don’t want to be responsible for injuring

anybody else. And what greater intrigue is there than betraying somebody who thinks that

you’re a wonderful Christian, and then they discover you’re just flesh like everybody

else.

DRC: So, you’ve mentioned your children then. You have son and a daughter. Is your

son older, or is your daughter older?

ROR: Son is the older.

DRC: And how far apart are they?

ROR: About two years, I think.
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DRC: And did, your son’s name is Robert Roberts?

ROR: He’s had a real heart for the Lord. And that’s part of what’s disturbing him at the

Intervarsity, because there are such gross inconsistency between the leadership. Some

truly earnest godly people, and some on the line.

DRC: I guess just on family then, describe a little bit of your family life when the

children were young, and maybe now that they’ve grown and what that’s looked like for

you in ministry.

ROR: Well, it was never really any formal plan. I was more likely away than at home, at

the most difficult seasons of their life. But my personal aspiration was to always be to

them, what the public thought I was. And I think by God’s grace, I’ve had a good

reputation in public. But I think it’s very easy to betray what you are publicly, and I’ve

desired to be what I seem to be and always felt that if I had any inputs for good on the

children, it would be in what I am, not in what other’s think I am.

DRC: Do you have any grandchildren?

ROR: Well, this is an important subject and a subject of great pain for the ladies,

especially. But you know, you would like to think that not only are your children effected

by your example, but your grandchildren, and that that somehow will govern their course

of life, but it’s not always true. So, we have a granddaughter – our older son has six kids
– and the oldest of those has an illegitimate child and is a greatly grief to her parents.

And that hurts us, as it does them, because we, as I’ve said, you hope that somehow the

influence might be there, but it’s not. And every generation has to find the Lord on their

own, and nobody inherits their grandfather’s religion. So, she has a child, and she’s had a

second child that was out of wedlock and put up for adoption and she’s living with some

guy now. And this creates some pain for us, but a whole lot more pain for her parents

because they live in the same area. We don’t see them very often.

DRC: On a positive note then, can you discuss one of your favorite memories of just
your family life?
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ROR: Well, I suppose, when we were in Fresno, I told you I was just a little while in and

the deacons put me out, and then we started another church where we were. I think for

about eight years. But a favorite memory; we did the normal things, Sunday services,

Wednesday evening prayer meeting, bible study, and so on, but we also had a choir and

Maggie would sing in the choir. So, Maggie would stay at the church for choir practice

and, on Wednesday nights the children would go home with me, and it was an amusing

experience, and yet I think it was soundly beneficial experience. And I was always telling

them stories, and you know, to switch from a serious prayer meeting to a children’s story,

it’s not the easiest thing necessarily to do. And the stories were generally preposterous,

but things kid’s love and relate to and you can include great moral lessons in these

stories, and I remember so well, the kids getting in the car with me and right away they

were pressing me for the story, and I can’t switch that fast. So, I would say to the kids,

now you review last week. And their review of last week would give me a little time

then to get into the brain for continuing the story. That was a lovely memory, really. And

so, that time that we served in church was a beneficial time in many ways, and it was an

instructive time. And this is an aside, quite aside from your question, but I think it’s

significant thing. Very few churches continue generation after generation of preachers

that think in the same direction. This guy builds it up, and this guy knocks it down, this
guy builds it up, this guy knocks it down; the dreadful changes that churches are in for.

But we had a steady, strong ministry of building, and then the next guy just smashed it to

pieces in no time. And that’s a dreadful thing, and you know, we don’t have the final

answer here, but you can’t help but wonder, did the Lord ever call anybody to knock to

pieces what He called somebody else to build up? Is it because they weren’t called at all?

Or is it because they don’t know what they are doing? But you get people say, a high

percentage of the congregation involved in the prayer meeting and in the prayer life of

the church, and the next guy can smash that to pieces in a week – discourage everybody
from participating. Or he can hold to some view, oh, in the few years we were in Fresno
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perhaps it could be correctly said, I had already sat my heart in a pattern. I don’t think

incidentals matter, I really don’t. But I think true Christianity is ever the same, whether

it’s Baptist or Presbyterian or Lutheran, what difference does it make? The critical issues

are always the critical issues, so I determined in the pastorate to focus on the critical

issues and to pay no attention to the inconsequential. But the nature of people is, they

love the incidentals. So, I had this open policy; I’ll teach what I know to be the truth, but

I’ll not prevent somebody else from teaching what they think is the truth. But I’ll not

prevent somebody else from preaching what they think is the truth. So personally, I don’t

think eschatological concepts mean a thing. It amazes me that there are some men who

seem to think they know more about last day’s events than Christ himself knows. But I

would teach what I thought to be the case, and then I would say, now, so-and-so thinks

that otherwise, so he’s going to have three weeks now to present his reply. And that’s the

way we operated, and for most people that would be good. ‘We love Pastor Roberts, we

think he know what he’s talking about, we’re going to decide to see his side, but we’re

glad to have heard the other side, but we don’t think it’s right.’ But then you get

somebody who comes along and they think, well, this is critical, I mean, what a person

thinks about the rapture is about the most important event in the church. So, then they

don’t hesitate to smash your church to pieces to get some viewpoint across that’s by us
considered inconsequential.

DRC: This is not a surprise to you, but you preach longer than most do in churches

today. And so, what would you say, what influences have led you to preaching at a

greater length than what most churches would say?

ROR: Well, I don’t believe today’s church even slightly resembles New Testament

Christianity. To me it’s an insult to God to talk about the Lord’s day, when what you

mean is the Lord’s hour. And the Lord even being cheated even that hour because the

churches with multiple services have in many instances gone to 55 minutes, you know, to
get one group out and the next group in. So, I’m of the conviction that the Lord’s Day, is
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the Lord’s Day, and that people may think they are in a hurry, but if they are not thinking

correctly about the things of eternity they are not Christians anyway. I’m very much

moved by the passage in Hebrews 11:1 ‘faith gives substance to the things that are hoped

for, it provides the evidence of things not seen’. Now, a true Christian has vastly greater

interest in eternity than he does in the temporary. And while I am told in every direction,

‘oh you can’t preach long sermons, people just can’t, they can’t tolerate them, they can’t

listen that long.’ I know perfectly well that men can go to the football game, spend

seventy-five dollars for a ticket, and if the game is over in an hour he’s just as mad as a

hornet, and he’s ready to change the whole world of football because he wants at least a

three-hour event. And everything else, people have time, but in terms of the ministry of

the Word, they don’t. So, I just personal know that that’s nonsense. And that hungry

hearted people can’t get too much. And although I have had some who complain about

the length of the sermons, the biggest complaint I get is not that they were too long, but

that they were too short. And people often say of me, we really want to hear the whole

biblical perspective on this, not just a little piece. So, I am convinced that the bulk of the

people who are involved in our churches are unconverted, that they have the mentality of

this world, not the mentality of the world to come, and that I’m wrong to cater to those

with the wrong mentality. And I am convinced that people can get used to longer sermons
and treasure them. Now, we had this experience in Fresno, as I indicated, we were in the

one church for a year and then approximately eight years in the church we started. Now,

on the Sunday we left the second place to come here, I don’t know how many, but any

number of people said to me, ‘we’re facing the reality for the first time, we’ll never have

another preacher like you.’ And I didn’t take that in the sense, ‘oh, I’m the greatest pastor

they ever had.’ I took that in the sense that I tried more earnestly to proclaim the word of

God to them than anybody else ever did that they knew. And what they were going to be

missing was the full statement of the Word of God. And I tried to cultivate a spirit of
concern. Way back, when I was in Portland, and as I mentioned that was before I was
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married. Now, it was an unusual situation in that, as I told you, I thought there might

have been one believer – but it wasn’t a church of any size, I think there were ninety-six

members or something like that. So, it was a terribly small thing by today’s standards.

But when the Lord began to work and we had these, well jillions really, of new converts.

I said eleven in one week, and then, just, week after week after week converts had…well

the Sunday school had been running about thirty and it got up over two-hundred in

regular attendees and I didn’t have anybody to teach them. I was the only believer of any

length at the time in the church, the rest were all brand-new believers, utterly sincere, but

nonetheless, not with any adequate background. So, I applied first to Multnomah School

of the Bible asking if they could send some young people over who could help in the

Sunday school. And I didn’t get a reply, except that somebody from their practical work

department had shown up at a service and then I heard nothing more. Well then, I had a

visitor friend from Spokane – the pastor of the church where I had attended as frequent as

I could in Spokane – a very sweet-spirited, godly man, and he was doing a week of

special meetings at Multnomah stadium, he and his wife were staying with me. So, I said

to him one morning, ‘see if you can find out why I never got any response from

Multnomah.’ So, he came back that night, he said, ‘I’ll tell you why you didn’t get any

response – you’re a liberal. They won’t send their students to a liberal church.’ ‘Well,
what’s the basis for that?’ ‘Well, a man was sent over and in the Sunday school you were

teaching on the Sermon on the Mount and in the morning service you were teaching on

the Commandments and that proves that you’re a liberal.’ Well then, I mean we still had

all these kids coming and things happening by the grace of God. So, I thought, well,

we’ve got to have somebody to help. And so, then there was another school, Cascade

College in the area that had a spiritual background, so I applied there. Well I got three or

four students sent from Cascade to help. But one morning one of these boys that was

helping me said, ‘oh, we had a wonderful class this morning.’ So, I said, ‘was so-and-so
there?’ ‘Oh, I didn’t notice, but we had this wonderful session on…’ ‘Was this person
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there?’ ‘Oh, I didn’t notice,’ and finally I said to him, ‘are you teaching students or are

you teaching lessons?’ ‘Oh, well,’ he said, ‘I’m teaching lessons.’ I said, ‘that’s not what

we do here, we teach students here, that means we pay attention, we see how they’re

responding, we watch their faces, we study them, we know who’s present, we know

who’s absent because we’re burdened to help those that the Lord gives us.’ And that was

a powerful lesson to me, and because I thought I could be careless there, I adopted the

habit of taking attendance. So, after service I would go home, and I would go through my

attendance sheet because I wanted to know who was present and who was absent. And I

did that for all the years I was in the pastorate, and I never thought of myself as a very

good pastor because I didn’t really like hospital visitation. I didn’t really care for sitting

with the aged and so on. But, I think by the grace of God I did care about those that the

Lord gave me, and that’s the main thing I see missing. We find here in Wheaton, let’s say

at the College Church across the street, somebody could attend every service for seven

years and then drop out and never go again, and nobody would know they dropped out

because nobody knew they dropped in – nobody cares. And that, I think is a huge issue.

DRC: Thinking about your preaching, you started young - even I think, for your time

period, that was still young. Do you remember your first sermon at the county home, I

mean do you remember what the passage was or how it went, or just your feelings or
anything?

ROR: Well, I just remember dad said, ‘you preach here,’ and I just took it as of God.

DRC: And then, so how regularly would you say you preached as a teenager up through

going out to Washington?

ROR: For that long season, probably once or twice a week for years, and always with,

well, I think, astonishment. I don’t even know now what my age was. I told you that my

folks left the holiness church and became part of this Presbyterian church, and I don’t

really know, but I suppose I was eighteen and the elders of this Presbyterian church
approached me and they said, ‘pastor,’ excuse me, ‘the pastor has accepted a six-week
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assignment by the US government to speak to the troops somewhere in Asia, and you’ve

been appointed to take his place.’ And I remember thinking, well, that’s amazing, how

could I possibly do that? And yet I did it, and did it with confidence that it was of God,

even though it seemed like a remarkable thing to me, and that was a busy church; Sunday

morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, three or four bible classes during the week and

I just took it in stride. But I have just one single memory from that, and there was a

woman who really thought I was God’s gift to the world - until one Wednesday night. I

was dealing with the subject of carnal Christianity and I made it clear; to be carnally

minded is death, to be spiritually minded is life. And so, this whole issue of a carnal

Christian is make-believe that has no realty. It’s completely wide of the biblical teaching,

and I remember how angry that woman got. And she went everywhere denouncing me

because I had slain her false prophet, I guess.

DRC: What did your sermon preparation look like when you were young, during busy

times like that?

ROR: Well, I don’t think my memory’s perfect, so I wouldn’t be able to give an

adequate answer to that. But the one thing I do know is I would get down on my knees

and say, ‘Lord, I’ve been asked to speak here, and you know perfectly well I don’t know

what to do, so what should I do? And I would stay there until I knew what to do.’
DRC: Has that remained consistent then?

ROR: I would say that’s been largely the pattern. Now I have at least slight familiarity

with Scripture, and so I think I know what the Lord wants me to speak about, and then I

go over that Scripture and I think, well, now I don’t really have an adequate sense of the

meaning of this odd phrase, and so then I do what study I can to make sure I have a hold

of that correctly.

DRC: You mentioned earlier, just the use of an invitation, and just the impression

Martyn Lloyd-Jones put on you. Did you ever use an invitation in the sense that many
churches do today?
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ROR: Yes, I think I have. Not with the regularity that would be typical because as I’ve

tried to help you understand my background is anything but Southern Baptist. In a

Presbyterian church – and perhaps it would be helpful if I said, I remained a Presbyterian

while I was in college, but then when it was approaching time when I had to consider

ordination to ministry, I had this friend, who I mentioned a moment ago saying he came

with his family to stay with us while he was speaking at Multnomah. Well he was pastor

of the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Spokane, Washington, which was the strongest

Presbyterian church in that region, despite it being fourth. And it was a very, very

marvelous church, with many, many blessings. But I remember talking with him and

saying, ‘I don’t know what to do because I believe I have been called to the itineracy and

I don’t see how I could operate with freedom in the Presbyterian system.’ And he and I

had a significant discussion and he said, ‘I think you should become a Congregationalist -

it will not require any change in theology, but it will provide a range, and you’re more

suited to the range than a singular denomination.’ So, then I became a member of the

Congregational Church at that time and have remained since.

DRC: So, as you’ve grown older, in what ways would you say it’s been easier to be an

itinerate preacher, and how has it maybe become more difficult?

ROR: Well, as a result of facing that situation I just mentioned, can I function as I’m
called in the Presbyterian, and realizing that within the Presbyterian denomination you

have to serve the denomination, and you can only act with the approval of the

denomination. Whereas that’s not the case in Congregationalism. So, I became very,

very clear that if I was going to effectively serve in various places I had to have at least a

limited knowledge of what each group believed, because I could see that it would not be

meritorious to violate the various groups by being stupid in terms of their essentials. And

so, I adopted a policy as a youth. I was weighing this question, what would be the most

divisive issues in the history of the church? Now I’m not saying I came to an adequate
grip with that, but only as best I could under my circumstances – and so I’m asking
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seriously, what has been divisive throughout the history of the church? But I came to the

conclusion that there were three areas of great divisiveness; eschatology, which I’ve

already spoken ever so briefly about, and the ordinances; baptism and the Lord’s supper.

And huge conflicts and splits have occurred, and we can almost account for the multitude

of denominations, just on the basis of those three issues. So, I set my heart, not to violate

in those three areas, and although I have personal convictions, I don’t find it important to

pay any attention to essential issue in the whole doctrine of eschatology to my way of

thinking is be ready at all times. The essential in human baptism is not the amount of

water that’s involved, or the means in which that water is utilized, but that you have a

transforming experience with Christ which you are giving public testimony to in baptism.

And in the Lord’s supper, that the Lord’s table must not be open to anybody any

everybody, but carefully fenced and involving only those who have truly sought the Lord

and have repented of every known issue in their life where they are in conflict with him.

So, I’ve tried to hold to those three areas, and I don’t know how successful

I’ve been, but I don’t think I’ve ever been responsible for splitting a church over any of

those three issues. And I’ve just tried to hold to those all through the years, and obviously

one doesn’t know everything there is to know about a given group, but sometimes the

Lord helps us along the way. For instance, I remember quite well a situation where I was
preaching in a Lutheran church and I had some essential acquaintance with Lutheran

viewpoints, and so, at some point in this series of meetings the senior pastor said to me,

‘we’ve got a conflict brewing, stirred up by one of the younger men on the pastoral staff,

but involving your preaching and we’re going to meet in my office,’ and he named the

time and I think it would be helpful if you come. So, I was there, and he said – now, there

were three men as I recall on the pastoral staff of this church – and so he pinpointed the

younger fellow, he said, ‘this man has been stirring up a mess, because in all the times

you’ve preached you’ve never made any mention of absolution.’ ‘No,’ I said, ‘I haven’t.’
He said, ‘now look, Mr. Roberts, we did not invite you to preach on absolution, we know
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you’re not a Lutheran. We asked you to speak on repentance and faith because we don’t

know anybody more qualified to speak on that subject than you are.’ So, then he turned to

the young fellow, and he said, ‘now I want you to apologize to Mr. Roberts for the

hornets’ nest you’ve stirred up on absolution.’ ‘No! He’s never said a word about

absolution.’ So, then he repeated himself, ‘Mr. Roberts is not a Lutheran, we didn’t ask

him here to give us Lutheran viewpoints, he’s been faithful in giving us the things we

hoped he would give us. Now I want you to apologize.’ ‘No, I won’t,’ he said. ‘I’m going

to give you one more chance, you apologize to Mr. Roberts right now, or else you go to

your desk, you pack your stuff and you leave here. You are done at this church as of right

now if you will not apologize.’ ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I won’t apologize.’ ‘Well then, you’re

out.’ And he was, he was out, put right out. And I felt grateful to the Lord that I had at

least understood what was meant, that I had no intention of involving myself in

absolution, I personally think it’s a mistake, but I don’t find that the Lord’s called on me

to tell every Lutheran pastor that he ought to eliminate absolution. But I have tried over

the years to fit in to the various groups – not to conform to their viewpoints – which when

in error and they are part of the major parts - I don’t hesitate to declare myself and the

Word. But I don’t see any point in stirring up a mess over nothing.

DRC: Talking about denominations; during your ministry, you’ve preached in many
different denominations, and I think you’ve mentioned somewhere that that’s changed

from when you were younger to today…the different churches that are calling you to

preach. Can you describe maybe what denominations you used to preach in, and how

that’s transitioned and changed, and why you might think that’s happened.

ROR: Yes, well, in the early years because I was born in the north, and most of my

acquaintances were in the northern tier, the bulk of my preaching was across the northern

portion of the nation. And the churches that were functioning in those areas; so,

Presbyterian, Methodist, Congregational, Episcopal, and so on. And the bulk of the
invitations came from those directions, and as I’ve already said, I did seek to gain at least
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an elementary education in terms of what those groups stood for so as not to

unnecessarily violate them. And that remained the pattern for a fair length of time, and

then, a pastor in Colorado, who was a Southern Baptist contacted me and asked me if I

knew Bertha Smith. Well I did know her name and I knew something of the Shantung

Revival and so on. And I said, ‘no, I have met some of the ladies that she associated with,

but I’ve not met her personally.’ Well, we’re having this conference, and we’re wanting

to invite her, and you, to speak. And so, we were able to agree on a date and pursue

arrangements. Well, then Ms. Bertha died within a very short time of this engagement, so

I never did get to meet her. But then, I don’t know the timeframe, but maybe a year or

two passed. Now this was called the Rocky Mountain Keswick Conference, wasn’t really

a Keswick conference but it was to that group of people’s best understanding a Keswick

conference. So maybe within year or two he again said now, ‘we’re having a man from

the Southern Baptist denomination speak, and I’d like very much for you two to get

acquainted.’ And then, so we set the date with Henry Blackaby. Well then, a very odd

thing happened, now I had been by that time maybe four or five times at this conference

and with different speakers, there would always be at least two, sometimes three

speakers. And so, then it was Henry and myself – I’ve forgot now who the third one was,

but, as I was praying about what I was to speak on and I remember it was a Friday night,
and we had been from Sunday through the week without any visible conflicts on my part.

But, in trying to pray through the Friday night, I felt very strongly I needed to preach on

Joel and the solemn assembly. And I was forced to remind the Lord that I had already

spoken on that at that church, and it would be against my policy to knowingly speak on

the same matter, and reminded him that he must have forgotten that I had. But it was

very clear that no, he hadn’t forgotten, but that’s what he wished me to speak about. And

I don’t really think I was resisting the Lord, I think I was trying to be helpful, as if the

Lord needs it. Anyway, it was very clear, I either spoke on Joel and the solemn assembly,
or I refused to do what the Lord wanted. So, I thought, alright. So, I preached pretty much
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a sermon very similar to at least to what I had preached on another occasion. Well

immediately afterward, Henry came and he said, ‘now, we have a meeting at Glorietta

tomorrow, and it has been upon me to give leadership to that meeting of denominational

officials, and I hadn’t had any idea what to do, and now I know for sure what to do. So, I

will be going and speaking about the solemn assembly.’ Well, that’s really when the

change came, because after that, then Henry was at that time holding conferences

throughout the nation, and of course Southern Baptist’s had begun to move north, and

often not very effectively, but nonetheless doing so, and planting churches in a great

variety of places. But because of that meeting in, well that was in Pagosa Springs,

Colorado, then I began getting regular invitations connected with the Southern Baptist,

and my chronology may not be accurate here, but the first one I recall was from Dallas. I

don’t know if you’ve heard about the Cedars of Lebanon Conferences that were held at

Dallas for well, twenty-some years. And there was a fellow who was the head Southern

Baptist men of Texas, Bob Dixon, and he was the leader, and he invited me to speak at

this conference – it was called the Cedars Conference – and so that then began this

regular invitations from the Southern Baptists. And of course, I have never tried to

pretend to be a Southern Baptist, but I’m not aware of any area in my life where I would

disagree with true Southern Baptist doctrines as far as I know. I’m probably much more
baptistic than anything else, though I don’t really think baptism by immersion is essential

in any way to salvation. I’ve not been baptized by immersion, I’m not about to be. But I

do think it’s the preferential way, and by all means it carries the greatest significance. But

other than not being one, I’m probably about as close as you can get without being.

DRC: That’s good. Last thing on preaching; what ways do you think having your

sermons available on the internet has impacted your ministry?

ROR: Well, that’s a question that I don’t think I’m in a position to respond to initially.

And I think that you would probably find this would be generally true of the older
generation. We didn’t put much stock in the digital. But I do remember being at
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Louisville, and I don’t even remember the librarian’s name, but the librarian had lunch

with me one day, awfully nice fella, wish I could remember his name. And this would

have been thirty some years ago, but he said to me, ‘Mr. Roberts, I think I’m somewhat

acquainted with your work and I really feel I need to tell you that you’re going about it

very erroneously.’ He said, ‘let me explain the situation here,’ and then he gave me a bit

of a picture of the library at Louisville, and the percentage of books that were in

disintegration because they could not afford a climate control system that affected the

entire library, and that starting at this period up until that date, a significant percentage of

books were printed on a high acid content paper, and those were in the state of

disintegration. The only thing that would retard that would-be climate control where the

humidity was kept at fifty degrees steady. And so, the thrust of what he said to me was, ‘I

think you ought to move into the digital, and begin to publish things digitally, and not put

all your stress on the hardback, and you need to put out a premium publication and so on.

I think your reputation is established there, but we think you should change.’ Well, I

didn’t pay any attention, I thought he was wrong. I knew he was probably sincere, but I

just thought he was mistaken. Turns out, I’m the one that was completely wrong. So, in

regard to your question then, I, you see by the very nature of things, am kind of stuck in

the old world of print and have never given adequate consideration to the digital. But
something happened here a few months ago. I don’t know if you’ve seen any of the

filming on Behold Your God series, it’s been produced by the Family Association in

Tupelo. Anyway, a wonderful series that is gaining fairly wide circulation, and the

spokesman for that, Paul Washer, myself, and several others are on those videos, but the

main person is John Snyder. Well, John was here with a few of his folk, some months

back, and the day before they were going to leave, the fella who does the bulk of the

digital work for them said, ‘what would you think of being on the’ – I forgot what

language he used, but – ‘we’re doing a program tonight…’

DRC: On the podcast?
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ROR: Yeah. Well, it didn’t mean anything to me, but I said, ‘well, I’m not too engaged

this evening, I’d be glad to do that.’ So, we sat in the office over there, and he had a list

of questions of things he wanted to discuss with me and people apparently were listening

and calling in and asking questions. Well we went, I don’t know how long, maybe an

hour and a half to two hours, and then at the end he said to me, ‘do you know how many

people were listening?’ Well, you had 6,800 or something like that, and I thought my

word, I’ve just sat here in my office and answered some questions. I did so to the best of

my ability, biblically, and we have an audience – it’s not very often I speak in a church

with an audience of 6,800. So, it dawned on me, well, you’ve been sort of turning your

back away from a world of contact that could make a huge difference. So, I vowed then,

that God helping me, if I have a few days left or a few years, I’ll try to invest it more

wisely. So, I’m just gaining a beginner’s conscience on this and seeing that the impact

could be great. And no, I had a phone call last night from a man somewhere in Virginia

who said he had first contacted Henry Blackaby, and then came to a conference where

Henry and I were speaking, and then concluded, I’m going to follow this man Roberts

and not Blackaby. And he said he’s been getting all these sermons on the Internet and he

said it’s been a phenomenal impact. So, I have a dawning cognizance of that. But we’re

completely dumb, neither Maggie nor I, now Maggie handles the emails – I don’t even
know how to do that – and what I would expect is we need some young person who

understand all this, who has some time on his hands to do what we can’t. Now, Paul

Washer’s group in Virginia created this website – I don’t even know what they call it -

trust is in the word, or in the title, but anyway, they have put up some stuff. And then, to

my astonishment, another group – The Harvest Prayer Ministries Group approached me a

couple years back and asked if I would give a series on revival here locally that they

would film and put on the Internet, and I said, well, ‘I don’t think I could do that unless it

was an audience.’ So, then they rented a space at the college and got thirty-forty people to
come.
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DRC: Was that the College of Revival series?

ROR: Yeah, the College of Revival. So that was done. Well, then two weeks ago at the

Heart Cry, Life Action had apparently turned a series of twelve, I think they said, into an

album which they distributed for the first time, and to my astonishment people are

grabbing them up. So, as I’ve said, I’m sort of getting an awakening in this area, but I’m

so dumb in terms of how, that it would be way over my head.

DRC: I’m skipping a bunch of questions, because I feel you’ve answer them already.

But, one on the bookstore. You’re obviously right next to Wheaton, but who would

primarily your customers here at the bookstore, who would you say they are?

ROR: Well, we were in California, as I’ve said, and I attended briefly, Fuller Seminary,

and by and large, I did not appreciate the faculty at Fuller. But there were a few contacts

that have remained through the years, and one of those was with Wilbur Smith. Wilbur

was said to have the largest and best private library in the world. And in the conversation

with him one time, he said to me, ‘I’ll tell you where you ought to locate your bookstore,

and that’s in Wheaton.’ Well then later, when I received an invitation from the Graham

Association to work with them on this project, and I already had this idea that Wheaton

would be a great place, and so we came here, as I said, I think roughly forty years ago.

And prior to that, we had been principally mail order. And when we came here, we
opened a public establishment, and for years it was worth doing because we had ample

help, I didn’t myself ever get involved really in the detail work, but the business served

its purpose for years. And, but what we found after moving to Wheaton, is that, Wheaton

is a dying community, and the interest in a serious-minded bookstore, now I don’t mean

by that to say we have nothing but serious-minded books, we have lots of junk like

everybody else. But we have had a vast array of the great books here. But Wheaton has

never shown any serious interest. I know I would be hated for saying this, but Wheaton

is not a well-educated – spiritually – community. When we moved here, it was a dry

community and there were strong laws against alcoholism, but all that’s a thing of the
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past. This is now an intensely mobile community with rapid change occurring. There’s

still some large churches, but their impact is minimal. And this was, when we move here,

called the holy city, or the evangelical Vatican. Well, now we’ve got a Muslim mosque

right here in Wheaton. And so, the face of the town has changed very rapidly, and after

moving here, we discovered that in actual fact, in moving from California to Wheaton we

moved closer to hell. Because what really is hell, not that it’s in total it, but I mean, hell

on earth is religion without Christ, and that’s what we’ve got here; huge amount of

religious atmosphere but nothing really of anything essential. So then, going back to

your question; it has proven to be a lousy place for a bookstore that handles serious

material. And nowadays if we have any customers from the college they’re kids who are

on break, and they want something idle to read; some novel or a piece of fiction to read,

perhaps well-known, but not any substance. So, it’s been principally a mail order

institution and our major customers have been institutions that are purchasing from us in

lot. So, a school would say is going to open up an area of study like psychology, or

Baptist history, or who knows what, they maybe get 6,000 or 8,000 books from us on a

given subject. And for years that was the big element that kept this business hopping,

that’s all past now, because institutions are getting rid of their libraries, not building

them. And, so who knows what the future will hold in that regard.
DRC: Do you have a favorite memory from being involved in the bookstore?

ROR: Well, you know, spread over, now, we started the store in nineteen-sixty so that

gives a good many years of practical experience. And so, all kinds of things have

happened, but some of them have been very instructive, and some of them have been, I

think, just great kindnesses from the Lord. Almost anyone who has any interest in books

is familiar with Spurgeon, and some at least have a familiarity with the Spurgeon library.

And it was an incredible delight for me to be contacted by the seminary in Kansas City,

and asked to prepare a bid for the Spurgeon library. And it was a really great treat for me
to be able to go to the William Jewel College and spend a few days just appraising the
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library, and then suggesting a bid to the seminary, which was just exactly the right

number wanted. The arrangements – I have forgotten some of the details – but it was

something like this, somebody bid within $20,000 of somebody else and they would turn

it into an oral auction, otherwise it would be a sealed bid auction. Well they offered at

my suggestion; $25,000 more than the next person, so they got just over this thing, and so

Kansas City ended up with the Spurgeon library. And that was just a wonderful treat to

sit for days and look over the books and read some of the inscriptions that Spurgeon

made, and so on. So, I’ve had some incredible blessings, really. And that was fairly

recent, within say three or four years. And my thinking has been, isn’t that kind of the

Lord to let me have as one of the great experiences of my time in the book world,

handling the Spurgeon library and being successful. But then there have also been some

very instructive experiences. I don’t know if you are aware of the Hartford Divinity

School, and I don’t mean to be quizzing you on your church history, but it’s a really

revealing area and especially in what lies in your interest in revival. Probably the most

useful of the American itinerates was Asahel Nettleton, and his controversy with Finney

was I think of primary importance to the whole of the church. But Nettleton was

involved with a group of men in Hartford in founding the Hartford Theological Seminary,

and they had a glorious library, and they were not so much up-to-date on the latest
publications, but they had a rich, rich heritage of things from the seventeen-hundreds and

eighteen-hundreds. In fact, there were several hundred volumes of incunabula – is that a

word you’re familiar with?

DRC: What was the word?

ROR: Incunabula. It’s kind of a book world term, not widely used outside of the book

world. But anything published prior to fifteen-hundred falls under this category of

incunabula. Well, Hartford Seminary had, I’ve forgotten the figure, but maybe six or

eight hundred volumes of incunabula. Well, I think I could say that this way; one of my
first tasks for the Graham Association was an appraisal of the Hartford Seminary Library
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and help in the preparation of a bid because Wheaton College hoped to buy that library.

So, I was there possibly we’ll say two or three days, and then I met the librarian from

Fuller Seminary. Now, we were not what you would call good friends, but you know,

sometimes there are people that you know by name, who know you by name that you

wouldn’t dare to describe as a friend. And so, there he was, and he said to me, ‘what are

you doing here?’ ‘Oh,’ I said, ‘preparing a bid for one of the institutions.’ ‘Who?’ I said,

‘I’m not free to say, my commissions to be quiet on details like that.’ ‘Well, I can assure

you, whoever you’re doing this for you’re going to lose, Fuller Seminary is going to buy

this library.’ ‘No,’ I said. His name was Calvin. I said, ‘Calvin, I’ll tell you what’s going

to buy this library, and that’s money. Whoever has the highest bid will buy this library.

And money, and bidding are connected with intelligence, so the guy who knows the most

about books is the guy who will prepare the highest bid. And that will be the institution

that gets it.’ ‘No, you’re wrong, Fuller’s going to buy this.’ Well I said nothing to argue

about. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘the president of Fuller is coming in today and he’s going to be

with me, tomorrow we’re going to look things over.’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘I don’t know him

personally.’ ‘Well look, you stay in your hotel room tonight and as soon as he gets in

we’ll contact you and we’ll work together.’ He said, ‘I believe you’re right that the

highest dollar is what will buy this, we can’t perhaps produce the highest dollar
ourselves. I don’t know who you’re working with, but between the two of us we ought to

be able to produce the highest bid.’ Well, I said, ‘I’m sure the library could easily be

divided and I’m willing to at least talk with the president about that.’ Well, I waited and

waited and waited, maybe about 11:30 that night, David Hubbard called – he’s the

president – ‘David Hubbard here, what did you want?’ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘I didn’t want

anything, but Calvin had proposed that we work together to get this library.’ ‘Well, don’t

waste your time, you’re not going to get it, we’re going to get it.’ And he hung up. Well,

that was a treat to me. I had the feeling that Fuller Seminary suffered from an awful ego
problem, and that confirmed it. And I’ve never changed my mind. I think of any school
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that has a big ego is headed for trouble. And I think an ego for an institution is every bit

as dangerous as an ego for an individual. Anyway, I went ahead, prepared my bid, and

proposed to the Graham Association, and they submitted the highest bid, which I was

sure they would because I knew who was working on it from other directions. And I

knew the fella who was representing West Coast institutions was a book dealer who

would call me to ask for advice about a given theological work, because he was not

widely acquainted in the field of theology. So, you know I think that one - I’m going to

break in here and tell you something just for your own sake – more than anything else.

Here’s a principle that I think every guy in Christian work needs to understand. Humility

is not denying facts. Humility is keeping the facts in appropriate relationship with the

greater facts. And I would like to suggest to you John the Baptist, remember his word in

Luke 3, as for me, I baptize in water, and the Matthew version, for the remission of sin,

but when He comes, He whose shoes I’m not fit to untie will baptize you in the Holy

Spirit and fire. Now, let me press two incredibly important issues: number one; in that

passage, we have a contrast drawn between the person of John and the person of Christ.

And number two; we have a contrast drawn between the baptism of John and the baptism

of Christ. Now, nobody in his right mind could think that John the Baptist was

inconsequential. I mean, everything we know biblically, his father, that extraordinary

visit from the angel, the words of his mother when Mary, do you remember these words?

Elizabeth cried out, how does it happen that the mother of my Lord visits me? And we’re

told that the babe leapt in her womb when she spoke those words and she, and the babe,

were filled with the Holy Spirit. So, nobody who understands the history could berate

John or make him inconsequential. Humility is not denying facts. Humility is keeping

those facts in right relationship to the greater facts. A man must be crazy to pretend he

knows nothing about the Scripture, when by the grace of God, he knows a great deal. A

man would be foolish to pretend his preaching has never amounted to anything when the
Holy Spirit has used him in a broad fashion. But humility says, I keep that fact in
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relationship to the greater fact; what am I in comparison with Christ? And then as I’ve

said on baptism, here’s where just seems to be some trouble – why should anyone make

more of water baptism than a baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. But almost every person

I know avoids any thought at all about what that even means, let alone any experiential

relationship with it. I mean, we’re so afraid that someone will identify us with

charismatics and some absurdity in the church that we act as if we don’t have any interest

in a baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire. Anyways, as I’ve been saying, just breaking in

and giving a practical word for you and for your ministry in years to come. But what

happened to me when I recognized that Fuller was so beset by pride that they could not

even act practically. It had been announced in advance that only six institutions could bid

on this library on a sealed bid arrangement, and they knew that, and they knew that they

were included, but they didn’t know who I represented, nor did they in any way even

consider does Mr. Roberts know anything at all about theological books? They just wiped

it out that doesn’t matter, we’re going to get it. Well in truth, when the bids were opened

the highest bid came from here, from Graham Association of Wheaton College, but it was

cast aside because they said, ‘we’re not willing to let some evangelical institution to get

the library.’ The library went to Emory University. Emory University had bid $600,000

less for the library than Wheaton bid. So, what I told Fuller wasn’t even correct, I said the
highest dollar would get it, well it didn’t. But then, by normal circumstances in an auction

that’s what does happen. But my point in mentioning that to you is the incredible array of

experiences that the Lord was kind to give me – and that was a fabulous library – and so

I’ve had the privilege of delving in that, delving in the Spurgeon library, buying countless

numbers of pastors’s libraries, buying up institutional libraries in great array. I mean, it’s

been an incredible experience, and at the same time all the while I’m only a part-time

bookman with a real interest in the kingdom of God, but knowing deeply that I can’t

proclaim to preach the truth if I have to ask for money.

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DRC: That’s great. I guess on the other side of your book business, you’ve also been

publishing and re-publishing some things. Specifically, I wanted to highlight in my

dissertation your connection with J. Edwin Orr, and the fact that you’ve published or re-

published four if his books.

ROR: Yes, that’s correct.

DRC: How do you go about selecting books you’re going to publish, or re-publish?

ROR: Well, perhaps a little background, just to help you to understand how all this came

about. As I told you a few moments ago, the great success of this business was not selling

a book here, and a book there, but putting together collections for institutions. And

institutions – generally speaking – are not very honest if they’re Christian, and one can

expect far less of a so-called Christian institution than a secular business and part of what

you experience is timeliness in payment is myth when so-called Christians get into the

picture. So, sometimes the payment for these major collections would come very, very

late, and sometimes at an awkward time. And I don’t wish to swell this out of proportion,

but I think you have adequate understanding to know that businesses are often run from

the perspective of taxes. You do things because of taxes that you might not do under

other circumstances. Well, in receiving an untimely payment for a library collection sold,

at an inappropriate time, when approaching the end of the tax year we would be liable for
a greater amount of money than made good sense. In facing that realty at one point, I

thought, now, it doesn’t make sense to cough out this amount of money on taxes that are

unnecessary, and that could be wisely avoided had they paid on time I wouldn’t have had

to face this, but due to the payment is late, I’m faced with this, now what can I do to

salvage this situation? Well then it occurred to me, we could publish, and what was

invested then in the publishing would not be taxed on a lump sum basis but as the

material sold. So that’s what launched us into the publishing field. I think, if I’m recalling

correctly, the first thing we published was the works of Thomas Boston as a twelve-
volume set. And so that used up all of the surplus – surplus only in the sense that I tried
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to explain to you. So then, I had to make some decision, will we try to become general

publishers or will we regulate our activity on some sound basis. Well, because I was of

the conviction that the puritan period came as close to New Testament Christianity as you

could find, that we would designate that our publishing activity would be solely in the

area of revival as it was blended in with strong periods of church history. And so, the

puritan period of course being part of that. So, it was really a statement; our focus is

revival and where the introduction of a great work can add considerably to the notion of

revival, and that will be the guideline. So that’s the guideline that we pursued. And then

in terms of the Edwin Orr material, I had been friends – I think I can safely say - with

Edwin Orr over a long period of time. In fact, he had taken an unusual interest in me, and

he was always apparently regretful that I didn’t have any earned degree. Now, he himself

thought more highly of degrees than I ever thought. And I think he had maybe three,

possibly four earned doctorates, and I’m not depreciating them at all. But in my early

contacts with him, it was his trying to get a degree from me. For instance, my book on

revival literature he thought that in itself was worthy of a doctor’s degree and so he tried

to get some institution, I think in South Africa, to grant a doctorate on it. But that never

really interested me. But anyway, we had this contact and we were associated for years in

these Oxford conferences. Well, at the time he passed away, his small ministry was
passed on to me, and I was asked to serve as the president of his ministry, which I did for

some time until we were able to – you know – I’m going to back up again just to make a

statement. It takes more grace to close something than it does to open something. And a

lot of institutions that have long been dead, should have been closed years ago are still

functioning because they don’t have the grace of closing. And so, I’m a strong believer in

eliminating something when its usefulness has passed. And so, the Orr Association had

served a glorious purpose and Edwin had a wonderful ministry, but there was nothing to

keep going after his passing because it was his ministry. And so, I then worked with his
family and the board in terminating that, and then the assets came to us, that is to
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International Awakening Ministries, not to me personally. And so, it was natural then to

pick up on the publishing of things that he had prepared that had not yet appeared in

print. And because they fit the guideline I already mentioned, then it was appropriate

action.

DRC: So, looking at the books you’ve been involved with publishing, or editing even,

which one do you personally think is the most significant? That if you could recommend

one of those books to someone.

ROR: Well that would be quite difficult because each one has its own purpose, and I

would have to respond to your question in that regard. I believe that there’s an incredible

injury done to the whole subject of revival by the nonsense associated with the term. I

didn’t intend that the book that came out under the title Revival should be my last word

on the subject, but my first word, and I think it has served well in that regard. I think I

have correctly stated the biblical foundational issues in true revival, and the dangers even

that revival ministries face and be drawn off track. So, I think in terms of its purpose, that

served appropriately. It was not an easy experience. I told you that early on, when I was

a youth I had thought to write a book on evangelism of Jesus, and realized the foolishness

of that and abandoned it fortunately. And I had toyed with the notion of writing over the

years, but never felt very clear about it, but then the president of Tyndale House
Publishers approached me, and I had been teaching a Sunday school class at the church

across the street for a season that this, the president, Taylor, Ken Taylor attended. And he

asked me to produce a book on the twenty-third Psalm because I had been giving a series

on Psalm 23. And I never got that finished, so nothing was ever done. But then, because

of that contact he had the editor at Tyndale contact me at a time when I had just

completed the book on revival, and he asked me for a manuscript and I said, ‘well, I’m

not really into that, but I do have this that I have been working on and you can see the

manuscript if you’d like.’ Well, he liked it and he said, ‘we’re going to make this the
book of the year.’ But then he turned it over to a sub-editor, and the sub-editor was a girl
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who was, I think not very smart, and so then in a little while it comes back to me, the

manuscript, with the corrections that they had made. Well, I’m not so silly as to think that

the way I say something is the only way to say it, or necessarily even the best way, but

just the best I can do under the circumstances. But anyway, I get back this manuscript

where quotations are edited, and there were not many quotations in the book, but that was

the first thing that caught my eye. So, I called the editor, I said, ‘since when do you edit

quotation?’ ‘Oh, we never do that.’ ‘Well, here it is right here.’ Anyway, we entered into

a period of several days of back and forth, and they finally said, ‘well, we don’t like your

book, it’s too direct, it’s too plain, and we don’t want to publish something like that.’

‘Well,’ I said, ‘look, it’s not going to bother me at all if you just say, contract cancelled,

we’re not going to publish the book. But it would bother me greatly if you publish a book

under my name and my friends read it and they said, that’s not Mr. Roberts, he wouldn’t

have said that.’ So, I said, ‘here it is, if you want to publish my book, you publish my

book, not your book. You publish it the way I’ve written, if I’ve created an unwieldy

sentence and you can straighten it, fine. But if you make any alterations whatsoever in the

content of the book then I refuse to let you go ahead with it.’ So, finally they ended up

saying, ‘well, we’ll publish it just like you’ve written it, which is what happened.’ But

then, instead of making it the book of the year, it disappeared somewhere in their catalog
and they were quite ashamed of it. But nonetheless, it sold something like 40,000 copies,

which for publishing is above average. And so, then, I want to be careful here – but that

encouraged me to think that maybe I could have some greater impact in writing, and so

then I proceeded to do the best I could with the things that I felt the Lord was convicting

me about. So, Revival from that singular perspective, and then, then I got quite burdened

about the focus on salvation and I’ll just give you a little more than you’ve asked for, if

you don’t mind. A dear friend, who, at one time ran a huge typesetting company in

Chicago – but they lived out here – he was an older man, and retired, and he called me
one day and he said, the pastor of Moody church is bringing his family and we’re going
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to have supper together, and I just thought it would be real fine if you and your family

could come, and we have dinner together. Well, Erwin Lutzer is a lovely man, a very

serious-minded, faithful Christian man. So, we went to this restaurant, and Erwin and the

man’s name was Harry, and I sat on one end, the children sat in the middle, and the wives

on the other end of the table. And Erwin said to me right off, ‘I understand that you tie

repentance and faith together.’ ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Don’t you understand that the word faith is

mentioned, and he gave a figure, jillions of times without any mention of repentance?’

And as we discussed that a little then I said to him, ‘now let me see if I understand what

you’re saying, that we decide biblical issues by a vote. And if there’s a greater frequency

of this than that, then this is the more consequential, and we elevate this above that?’

‘Well, no, I wouldn’t really say that…’ Well, we discussed it as two men on a very

friendly basis mind you, not any antagonism at all. So, in the course of things I said,

‘look, I don’t really know you, I only know you by reputation, I have had the impression

that you’re a well education man with at least one, and maybe multiple earned doctorates.

Am I mistaken in that?’ ‘No.’ ‘Well then, look, I’ve been following our conversation as

closely as I can, it seems to me that you’re using terms as synonyms that are not

synonyms at all.’ ‘Well, what do you mean,’ he said. ‘Well,’ I said, ‘you speak about

salvation, about regeneration, about repentance, about faith, about conversion as if

they’re synonyms. I don’t believe that’s accurate. In fact, I said, if I may put it bluntly, I

think that’s treating the Holy Spirit as if he were dumber than I am. I find that very

objectionable. I may not understand what the Holy Spirit says, but I do give him credit

for incredible intelligence – vastly greater than my own. But I hear you using synonyms

as if the Holy Spirit didn’t know what he was doing.’ So, then he said, well, he got out a

pad and a pen, he said, ‘alright, now you tell me what these terms mean and how they’re

used.’ So, I did the best I could in the conversation of, you know, I see salvation as sort

of the umbrella term and then underneath that, all these parts of salvation. And I said to
him, ‘surely you know the ordo salutis.’ Well that was a term totally unfamiliar to him,
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and I find to most of the church today. So anyway, that conversation, which led to a very

friendly relationship, I don’t mean in any way anything other than that – and then, not

long after, somebody said to me, ‘do you know Erwin Lutzer?’ ‘Oh,’ I said, ‘in a way,

but not really very well. But why do you ask?’ ‘Well, he was quoting you on the radio.’

‘Oh, well,’ I said, ‘we did have a serious conversation.’ But anyway, thinking about that

then led me to a book that I think is of, is of real consequence, Salvation in Full Color,

and I had intended to do two books and the initial title was The Gospel Umbrella because

as I said a moment ago, I see salvation as an umbrella term. But in talking with some

friends from Europe – especially the Banner of Truth fellas – they thought that that was a

poor title, that it would never sell in Britain, and so we changed then, the title to Salvation

in Full Color. But my intent as I said, was to do two books; one, a book of sermons from

great American revivalists, and then a book of my own on it, and I only got as far as the

first. But that has been I think, very helpful to some because there is this general tendency

to mix up what the Holy Spirit say. And to me, it’s a very clear picture biblically, and

those terms need to be carefully sorted. And so, that was issued by us with the knowledge

that it would never sell well because we don’t have any kind of a good distribution

system. And it has not sold but a few thousand copies. And then, the other one was, I

think Repentance has a place, and again, it was similar to the revival; someone came here
and asked if I could give a manuscript to a publisher. I had been working on Repentance

and I said, I doubt that it’s anything your publishing firm would be interested in, but this

is a book that I’m working on and I think it’s nearly ready. And so, then that was turned

over to Crossway. And the circulation of that has been terrible. And I think I can share

this with you wisely, because I think our intent is the same – even though our

backgrounds are quite different– I didn’t write that in a hope of gaining acclaim, or

recognition, but only because it seems to me the church has made a dreadful error in

relegating repentance to a position of inconsequence, and I don’t believe that’s the case at
all biblically, and I had no trouble with the publisher, now I told you the problem with
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Tyndale House and how they wanted to change everything, and pretty much negate what

I said. But on the other hand, Crossway was quite the opposite, they said this book is

ready for publication just as it stands, it doesn’t need any doctoring at all…

(Interruption to discussion)

ROR: I was going to add, the Repentance book has been, I don’t know quite how to say

this, it’s troubled me greatly because I think it is a theme of incredible importance, but

it’s been treated by the church as ridiculous, and it’s sold very few copies. And it’s had

some reviews that are just, well, not devastating, but, I mean, when somebody says it’s a

ridiculous book not worth being read, it hurts. When you’re deep down knowing this is

an immensely vital issue for the church. And I don’t think it’s sold more than 10,000 or

12,000 copies, which is a fraction of what it ought to experience. But I can say, and I can

say this to you with great candor, I have learned an awful lot since writing each of those

three books that I’ve made comment on, but I’ve not learned one thing that made me feel

I had made a mistake in what I wrote. Now, they’re inadequate – obviously – something

better could be done by somebody else, but I stand by what I have written. And I think

that the issue of repentance, is a far greater issue – the reason your first letter appealed to

me was it seemed to me there was a possibility of a young fella that saw the significance

of this. And I don’t think the bulk of the church does.

DRC: Like I said, I read your Revival book first, but when I was convinced that I wanted

to research your life further, was when I read Repentance. Because I agree – I mean, this

has nothing to do with it – but just too much of even my life I feel like I’ve been involved

in a church that plays church, but doesn’t get to the heart of the issue, and I think that

issue is because we neglect repentance, and we neglect what God’s called us to everyday,

because we need to everyday before him.

ROR: I don’t know where this will go in the long run, but I have been, I’ve been thinking

seriously and aiming toward writing a book on, I’ve varied in thinking in terms of title
that I don’t know how consequential that is in actual fact, but the basis would be what
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church is Christ building? That’s the intended theme and I’ve toyed with, Is Your Church,

Christ’s Church? which I think for the most part, people would have to honestly say, no.

But what has gripped me greatly, and you’ve heard now my message at the Heart Cry

apparently on this in part, but from the New Testament it is crystal clear what the real

purpose of bringing the Gentiles into the picture is. That is almost totally overlooked. I

mentioned to you, I think in almost a passing way, the statement about the church being

made up of living stones - Christ the chief cornerstone – almost every church I know has

more unconverted people in it than converted. There’s the passage in 2 Peter on being

born of the same imperishable seed. Anyway, I’ve outlined seven issues of that sort in the

New Testament that constitutes the church Christ is building. And honestly, the picture

says what’s going on today has nothing in common with what Christ is about. And I

thought well, I’ll do a little message on this at the Heart Cry as sort of an opening edge,

and last night I was reading the comments that Sammy Tippit made on the conference, I

guess he was boasting about what a great conference it was, and he managed not to say a

word at all about anything that I said. And I thought, well that’s about what you expect

these days. We play church, we pretend we’re doing what Christ is doing, but we’re long,

long ways from it.

DRC: I’m just down to my last several questions, and the more, just random assortment,
but you regularly talked about Word-centered and experience-centered revivals, and in

your opinion, can you have a Word-centered revival that does not have a strong element

of preaching? Or does a Word-centered revival necessitate that there is preaching?

ROR: I would say definitely that it necessitates strong biblical teaching, and what I’ve

been speaking about in the decline of the Heart Cry conferences is a decline in true

biblical preaching. I don’t know to what extent when I use that phraseology people are

thinking along the lines that I’m thinking. Surely, I’m not in any way discrediting

experience. I don’t know if you’ve seen the book Scotland Saw His Glory, I tried to
present this in the introductory portion, that where there is a focus on experience, then the
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fall away rate is much greater and using revivals in Scotland as illustrations, I tried to

demonstrate that, but where the danger of that was immediately seen, and experiences

were relegated to their appropriate place, and the Word was appropriated to, or raised to

its proper place, and the movements had a much greater level of endurance. And I think

that just in tracing the history of revivals, even though our knowledge of it is very limited

still, the little that we know, demonstrates the validity of this, that a movement that

focuses upon the Word will have a vastly greater impact, will last much longer, will have

a miniscule percentage of fall away rates in comparison. So, I don’t see that there’s any

argument, nobody’s ever tried to prove me wrong in that. Though I have the notion that

many don’t play the slightest attention to it.

DRC: I feel like I know how you would answer this, but what would you say is the most

neglected doctrine in the church today?

ROR: Well, without question the doctrine of God, and I have been feeling very wounded

by the approach that the bulk of the church takes. In almost pretending that the God of the

Bible is out of date, and that Christ is the focus and love is the grand issue. And you

know, historically trying to trace this, though I don’t think we ever do an adequate job,

but at least we do the best job we know how under the circumstances. But it seems to me

that Moody introduced this thinking about the love of God, and tried to make it clear that
in his estimation focusing on the love of God is vastly more consequential than anything

else. Well I think that’s a grievous mistake, and being nothing but a very limited human

being, and not having preached all that much when everything is said and done, I

certainly wouldn’t want to pose as an expert, but in the churches, I’ve been in, it just

seems to me, that the focus is completely distorted. And that nobody can give any real

significance to Christ who has not first felt very profoundly the conviction of their own

sin. And the possibility of somebody feeling the conviction of sin and leaving God out of

the picture all together just seems like an absurdity. You know, we talk with some who
have at least a measure of understanding, and they have an interest with say, missions, so
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alright, now you get sent out as a missionary. ‘Do you intend to start with Christ, and

with grace, oh no? What would you start with?’ ‘Well, I’ll start with Genesis, and the fact

that God created everything out of nothing, that God is Lord, that God has the right to

speak, that He’s in control.’ So, when you back somebody down, they come out it seems,

with the right answer, but is that what their church is doing? It’s a generally admitted fact

that we’re living in one of the most pagan nations on earth, but the church always seems

to start with grace, and never with God. And therefore, there’s no concept of evil,

therefore no need of repentance, because I haven’t done anything worthy of repentance,

and all that seems like such a fallacy. That’s why I asked you at one point have you seen

the videos on Behold Your God and I’ll go beyond now what I did, I’ll make a strong

recommend to you that you find those. And it’s a case – and I’ll just give you just a tiny

history – the American Family Association, are you at all familiar with them?

DRC: No.

ROR: It’s a movement that has not gotten much in its favor. It began really with an anti-

pornography emphasis, and for several years they were travelling the country urging

people to take a stance against pornography. So, the movement itself has been

principally an anti-this, anti-that, they’re anti-abortion now to a great extent. But that

doesn’t, you don’t build anything strong by being against something. Strength comes
from being for, obviously, what matters. So anyway, this little church in New Albany,

Mississippi where I have known the pastor for a long time, and he’s been sort of under

my counsel if I can use wording like that. And he has an earned doctorate from the

University of London, but I had urged him to go to Wales and study revival history there

and he followed my advice. Anyway, he’s at Albany Christ Church, his name is John

Snyder. Because he and I have been good friends for a long time, I have gone to that

church normally at least once a year, occasionally twice to preach a series. And because a

fair number of people from the Family Association have actually attended the church in
New Albany there’s been a bit of a tie to there. Well, three or four years ago, John
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approached me and said the Family Association was wanting to produce a series on the

doctrine of God, and would I be willing to do that. Well he and I mapped out a series of a

dozen messages on the doctrine of God, and then as I prayed about it I thought, now this

doesn’t make good sense, I’m an old man and if God should use this it would be so much

better if a younger man were at the forefront so there could be some follow through and

some real application. And so, I contacted John, and I said, ‘I don’t really think the Lord

wants me to do this, I think you should do this and I’ll help you in any way I can, but I

think this is a position you need to take.’ Well the Family Association went all out with

that, and they invested considerable amount of money for them – something like

$120,000 to produce this series and they travelled in a great many places, took original

pictures, the best they could do with Mueller and so on, different ministries…Amy

Carmichael, people like that. So, the way it’s set up is essentially a brief historical review

of some person who God used greatly and their focus upon the doctrine of God, and a

development of the theme of the week - so to speak – that aspect of the doctrine of God,

and then a very practical application. Then at the tail end of each video, a series of a half

a dozen fellas including myself and Anthony Mathenia, and Paul Washer, Jordan

Thomas, fellas who had been sort of under John’s influence, therefore in a sense under

my influence, would then respond to questions. And so, they sent photographers, a whole
team of guys up here to film my responses to these several questions, and it’s turned out

to be quite an effective tool, and it’s been very widely circulated. But the problem with it

has been right from the start, it’s not Family Association, Family Association is anti, not

pro. And so, the fear all along was that they’d cancel out, but then eventually the thinking

of the guys that were doing the work was, well they’ve invested so money in it now, they

won’t back out until they get their money back. Which is exactly what happened, when

they had recovered their investment, then they sold the whole thing to John Snyder’s little

group of fellas. And so, they’re circulating now through a new group called Media
Gratiae. But anyway, so it’s a wonderfully productive thing, and it seems to be arresting
217
people in a great many places, so we get very frequent calls, and emails, from people

saying they have seen this video and been greatly impacted and in consequence have then

resorted the Internet – which you were mentioning earlier – and have discovered

resources they didn’t know existed. And so, it’s very useful and a second series is in the

works right now, more on the attributes of God. But that’s a very long answer to a very

brief question, but at the heart of things, I don’t think we’re going to get the doctrine of

grace right until we have the doctrine of God right.

DRC: As I’ve been writing, I have quoted in several ways you’ve restated that, that if we

get the doctrine of God wrong, we’ll have the doctrine of man and sin and salvation

wrong…

ROR: Yeah, because everything follows as a sequence it is inevitable.

(Interruption to discussion)

DRC: Well knowing that lunch is coming, I think I can boil my last section of questions

into just one question. And just kind of thinking about legacy, and how…if you could

determine how the church moving forward would look back on your ministry and what

God has done through you, what would you want them to see?

ROR: Well I don’t really think I’ve ever given any consideration in that direction. When

one deals with books like I have, one gains the sense that authors are only useful in their
day, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. And the impact of their writings is minimal –

almost non-existent until maybe the space of a goodly length of time, and then they may

come back into some measure of usefulness for the more serious. I’m thinking of

someone say, like Andrew Murray who had relatively little impact in his day, and now is

having some. More close to home, Tozer. Tozer was pastor of an incidental little church

of the same group where my parents were converted, holiness group. He had some

impact, but The Alliance Witness, I mean how many people read The Alliance Witness on

a regular basis? But now today he’s having probably more impact than he did in his
lifetime. And being rather close, we’ve had a little more personal contact with people
218
who’ve sat under his ministry and were blessed to – I mentioned the older man who ran

the typesetting firm, he was a member of Tozer’s church for years. And at one time I

taught a fairly sizable group at the Wheaton Bible Church that were former church

members of Tozer’s. But honestly, it’s not an area that I’ve given any consideration, and

so when Paul Washer’s group approached me about the website, I wasn’t against it, but I

never really have given much thought to that. Or when Life Action decided to put these

College Revival disks together, I can see that they have some usefulness right now, and

so I’m grateful. But I don’t really have any thoughts, and I don’t know to what extent you

have thought along these lines, but I have observed over the years what a dreadful

mistake some fathers make with their sons – you perhaps are aware that Spurgeon had a

son, Thomas, whom he hoped would carry on the ministry, and it didn’t work out. But

every case that I know of where a father has gotten his son in to carry on, has been a

grievous failure. And so, although I have a son whom I deeply love and respect, I think

he’s made a very wise choice in saying I’m not my father and I’m not called to be what

he’s called to be. And my prayer for my son has been for years and years that God would

make him immensely holy and fruitful, more so than his father. But I don’t think I have

any business trying to designate a successor of any kind. And I think these matters are in

the Lord’s hands; if something useful occurs in a man’s lifetime, he writes something that
is of help to some and later on is rediscovered, helps some people – well, praise the Lord.

But I don’t think we can determine that in advance. I would like to know that I hadn’t

wasted people’s time when they’ve come to hear. I would like to know that something of

true biblical significance was drawn to their attention, and honestly, from my exposure to

the past, and obviously in the book business, you do get fair exposure. I don’t have any

confidence at all in the novelty doctrines that are being introduced regularly. For

instance, I think the whole idea of the dispensationalist is so utterly stupid. I can’t

imagine why anybody could be drawn into that nonsense. But the fact that you can pick

219
up a book that’s four-hundred years old, or six-hundred years old and it’s got exactly the

same truth the Lord has shown you that morning, I think that’s very meaningful.

DRC: Well, thank you, again. This has been helpful for my project and just helpful for

me personally in my spiritual walk, and I do – I feel like sitting here with you is the same

man I’ve seen preaching up front…

ROR: Well I would certainly hope so.

DRC: You’ve been consistent in that.

ROR: The catch is, I’ve told you about how being in the easy chair there at the Cove, and

the fellow quoting from Jude, and how the Lord just really socked me with that incredible

truth, and I’ve preached through Jude, I think one time I gave a series of sixteen sermons

on Jude, and so it’s not as if it’s something I’m unacquainted with, but what strikes me is

how incredibly the whole Scripture weaves together and you don’t find this part

contradicting that part. Although we’ve got some pundits who insist that the Bible is full

of errors – they’re jerks really – they don’t know what they’re talking about, they’re men

who have never read it. But to be able to say at eighty-five years of age, it’s amazing to

me how it fits together, how it is so clearly the Word of the Lord and how vital these

issues are. Even though they’re lost sight of by the present age, that, I find immensely

important.

THE END

220
221
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 ABSTRACT

AN EXAMINATION OF RICHARD OWEN ROBERTS’S

THEOLOGY OF REVIVAL

David Rocky Coleman, Ph.D.

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2017
Chair: Adam W. Greenway

This dissertation examines Richard Owen Roberts’s (1931-) life and ministry

to present his theology of revival. Chapter 1 examines the need for clarity in the topic of

revival for the church today. It discusses my background in the topic area, and the

process which guided the study. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the research

questions explored during the research and writing process of this dissertation.

Chapter 2 contains a biography of the significant points of Roberts’s life and

ministry. It presents some background of the time period in which he grew up, his early

childhood, conversion, call to ministry, family life, preaching and bookstore ministries,

and his legacy. A personal interview provides the content and support for the chapter.

Chapter 3 surveys Roberts’s published works and sermons to develop a

complete theology of revival. In particular it examines his teachings on the following

topics as the topic relates to revival: definitions, God, man, conversion, the church, the

community, results, hindrances, and true revival. Through the study of these areas the

reader is presented with a thorough examination of Roberts’s theology of revival.

Chapter 4 focuses on two significant connection points that Roberts has made

in his ministry in revival—repentance and history. The chapter explores how and why

Roberts has made these two connections. It examines his publications and teachings on
the topics to demonstrate that from Roberts’s perspective one cannot have revival without
repentance. Additionally, his ministry demonstrates that the church is best equipped for

revival by examining the ways in which God has moved among his people in the past.

Chapter 5 demonstrates the need for Roberts’s theology of revival in the

church today. It examines the shift that the church underwent in its understanding and

practices of revival over the last century and a half, and it discusses how Roberts’s

understanding of revival can bring helpful changes in this area. The chapter concludes

with some critique of Roberts’s theology and practice of ministry.

Chapter 6 concludes the dissertation with final thoughts on Roberts’s theology

of revival and its impact on the church. It also includes with several areas in which

further study of Roberts and revival could be undertaken by other researchers.

 VITA

David Rocky Coleman

EDUCATIONAL
B.S.W., Saginaw Valley State University, 2006
M.A.R., Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, 2008
M.Div., Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, 2009
Th.M., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2013

ORGANIZATIONAL
Evangelical Missiological Society
Evangelical Theological Society

ACADEMIC EMPLOYMENT
Research Assistant for Missions Degrees, The Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary, 2014-16
Garrett Fellow, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2014-
Online Teaching Assistant, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2015-
Adjunct Instructor, Boyce College, 2016-

MINISTERIAL
Campus Minister Intern, His House Christian Fellowship, Saginaw, Michigan,
2006-2007
Youth Pastor, Saginaw Valley Baptist Church, Saginaw, Michigan, 2007-08
Pastoral Intern, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Rochester, Minnesota, 2008-09
Interim Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Rochester, Minnesota, 2011
Senior Pastor, Saginaw Valley Baptist Church, Saginaw, Michigan, 2012-13
State Church Planting Team Member, Baptist Convention of Michigan, 2012-14
Church Planting Team Member, The Shore Church, St. Joseph, Michigan, 2013-14
Reaching and Teaching International Ministries: Director of Short-term Ministries,
2016-