Revival Stories

The 1742 Cambuslang Revival in Scotland



In the 1700’s Christianity faced vast challenges from the rampant deism that flowed from the Enlightenment movement in Europe. People were taught to hold onto an impersonal detachedview of God and to focus on mere rules of morality. At the same time, there were bursts of harsh persecution against believers in Scotland and elsewhere for “non-conformity” if they were caught reading the Word or praying spontaneously. In those days, the idea of being “born again” was shunned in the public square and also from the pulpit. The vitality of Christianity had dimmed to an all-time low.

William M’Culloch was a Church of Scotland pastor, recognized for his academic diligence but fairly unimpressive as a preacher. Nevertheless, his hunger and passion for God continued to intensify in 1741 as he preached in February to his parish in Cambuslang, Scotland, about the significance of being born again. M’Culloch would often hear news about revival in America from his friend Jonathan Edwards. He would read out loud the stories to his church, and you could sense the spiritual hunger stirring embers in their hearts. In August of that year, the preacher George Whitefield spoke at the nearby town of Glasgow. Some residents of Cambuslang heard his message that day, witnessed the power of the Gospel to draw people to God, and went home with increased fire burning in their souls for revival.

In February of 1742, M’Culloch started holding daily prayer meetings in his home, and many would seek to know more of what salvation was really about. The pastor began giving sermons daily as spiritual hunger continued to build among the parishioners. Then in July of that year, God used George Whitefield and M’Culloch as they preached at Cambuslang. People eagerly listened to God’s Word late into the night, worshiping and praying also. At one gathering, over 20,000 folks attended, and over 500 clearly trusted in Jesus to be born again. Thousands of people would be overcome with conviction, many in tears or visibly agitated. This would be followed by similar events with an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 listening to the preached Word. And similarly, the Holy Spirit would bring about conviction and repentance and a yearning to know Christ.

During these meetings, there was no shortage of opposition. Some hecklers would march through the crowds beating a drum or sounding a trumpet, while others would mock and jeer near the stage. Some troublemakers threw pieces of dead cats at the preacher, while one person even indecently exposed himself during a message. But in spite of all these disruptions, the Spirit would deeply touch those in attendance. The revival spread quickly to all other towns within a 12 mile radius of Cambuslang, and then it jumped to various cities in Europe, even to some locations far far away. In the next 10 years that followed, more than a third of the inhabitants in the region would be awakened spiritually and begin living out their faith with great passion and faithfulness. God had reversed a region that was near death spiritually and set afire new life with Holy Spirit revival!


QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS:

  1. What were key factors in your opinion that caused true Christianity to be ridiculed and persecuted in Scotland in the early 1700’s?
  2. What were elements that God used to re-start the fires in people’s heart and finally ignite revival in Cambuslang?
  3. Opposition almost always arises when genuine revival catches fire in an area. How might you have responded to the various examples of opposition mentioned? What role does prayer play as opposition increases against an outpouring of God’s very presence among the people?
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