Ken Berding (KB): Thanks for being willing to be interviewed about your recent book, Global Revival: How a City’s Mission Catalysed a Worldwide Awakening. In a few sentences, what is your book about?

Rob Nyhuis (RN): Global Revival describes the largely untold story of a four-week mission conducted in 1902 in Melbourne, Australia, by three American evangelists. More than 8,000 recorded conversions were seen in just four weeks. The Melbourne revival also sparked other famous revivals in Wales and Azusa Street, Los Angeles — so the book provides important lessons for revival today.

KB: What prompted you to write a book about the Melbourne revival and its aftermath?

RN: I had heard stories of extensive preparation and impact, with several people suggesting its success had outstripped any similar events run by the great D.L. Moody. When I found very little written about this, and given that I live in Melbourne, I decided that this situation needed to be rectified. Melbourne was one of the most locked-down cities in the world during the recent COVID pandemic, and my material was gathered in one brief window of opportunity before many months of confinement. It was during that period that most of the initial research was completed. I really felt that there was a story to be told.

KB: In your book, you refer to the role of three American evangelists. Who were they and what was significant about them?

RN: The main speaker was R.A. Torrey, or Rueben Torrey. He had already risen to prominence in overseeing both Moody’s church and his Bible Institute in Chicago following Moody’s death in 1899. Torrey came to Melbourne with Charles Alexander who was an integral key to the success of the event in leading massive choirs of more than twelve hundred people. Alexander was later famous for the publication of his hymn books which were used across the world. These originated in Melbourne. W. E. Geil, or Edgar Geil, was a little-known evangelist who, like Torrey, was on a world missionary tour. Geil was an energetic and engaging speaker who quickly endeared himself to the crowds when he shared the prominent public sessions with Torrey across the full four-week program. The synergy of the impact of these three visitors was undoubtedly critically important to the success of the overall mission.

KB: Was there anything unique about the way that this revival unfolded?

RN: Yes, there had been a pattern established by Moody in which various sites around a city or nation would host revival events simultaneously. These were often held in tents or public venues with visiting evangelists. It was after the building of momentum with these local events that combined events were held in larger venues, typically with a more prominent speaker. Melbourne used two weeks for each section of the mission. The use of after meetings was important in all locations, where time was given to consolidating decisions to follow Christ. It was in these meetings that many of the conversions were consolidated. It is clear that this was a significant factor contributing to the large numbers recorded in Melbourne at the time.

KB: Suggesting that the Melbourne revival is linked to later revivals such as those in Wales and at Azusa Street is a significant claim. What do you base this on?

RN: Not only did the Melbourne event precede those others, but Torrey saw it as a precursor to international revival, based on several years of prayer in Chicago and more than a decade of prayer in Melbourne. Torrey’s ministry in Wales helped people to embrace aspects of the Melbourne story and this was later connected from Wales back to Los Angeles, as well as to other nations.

KB: Since I teach at Biola University where R.A. Torrey was our second dean (1912-1924), I’m always interested in learning more about the person of Torrey. In your book, you describe how the Lord used Torrey (along with evangelist W. E. Geil and choirmaster Charles Alexander) as the key human catalyst for what occurred in Melbourne just after the turn of the 20th century. What did you learn about Torrey that might be helpful for us at Biola who still feel his influence a hundred years later?

RN: At first glance, sermon transcripts and photographs seem to convey a certain austerity, directness, and intensity. Torrey’s ability to transfix his hearers, though, was undergirded by his commitment to prayer and by his considerable capacity as both an educator and an evangelist. Behind the scenes, I was struck by the humanness of his daily interactions and the sacrifices made for ministry. His wife’s diary reveals the difficulty of extended separation from the couple’s children. Correspondence at the time of his daughter’s serious illness, too, shows a father’s anguish at the prospect of losing a second daughter to diphtheria.

KB: For those of us who long and pray for revival today, what can we learn from what happened in Australia (and beyond) in 1902?

RN: The Australian chapter of Torrey’s ministry highlights the importance of four key aspects of any revival. Preparation requires ecumenical unity and extended prayer, which had actually been occurring in Melbourne for many years. A transformational message needs to be delivered within an atmosphere of expectation, which is helped by the availability of a prominent and gifted evangelist. Intentionality in pursuing conversions is required for the fruitfulness of what is often only later called a revival. Finally, there is the resulting benefit of a broader impact seen in social change and in church attendance, even if this is mainly observed in the short term.

KB: Thanks for the interview, Rob, and all the best with the book.

RN: Thanks for the opportunity to share about this important moment in the history of revival.

Rob Nyhuis is the State Executive Officer and National Chair of the Churches of Christ in Australia. He and his wife, Anna, live in Melbourne, Australia. You can buy his new book HERE.

This post and other resources are available at Kindle Afresh: The Blog and Website of Kenneth Berding.