Global revivals: A comparison of Jonathan Edwards theology of revivals and that of Ogbu Kalu and their contribution to revivals in the contemporary African Church

Abstract

The study sought to compare Jonathan Edward’s theology of revivals and that of Ogbu Kalu and their contribution to revivals in the contemporary African Church. The undeniable fact is that there is probably not a single approach to the study of World Christianity that can be singled out as the sole universal one for all times. We live in a dynamic society, and many factors influence Christianity as a discipline. This study was a desktop research. The paper discusses the work of two Christian scholars and theologians, namely Jonathan Edwards and Ogbu Kalu. While it is necessary to appreciate the various models of studying world Christianity that has been in place in the past, it is equally important to note the irresistible need to employ new and relevant approaches to this study. The study concludes that the Church of Christ will need to learn from Edwards and Kalu’s theology of Revival on what a healthy and transformational revival entails. This will save the Church from embracing the sheer shallow usage of the term. The Church of Christ will be saved from the gross abuse of the term as a mere program or activity of the Church that makes people feel good.