Distortionists in the real world corrupt the beautiful, good, and true.[1. Photo by Bree Anne on Unsplash .] Some individuals who fall into such a dark side might make themselves beyond repentance—that is, reprobate. We might call them “ghouls.” … And such were some of you. We wanted to talk about monsters today, and we’ll start next week. First, let’s turn from the darkness and into the light, keeping our eyes open for hazards as we head into an exciting, messy, promising season of … spiritual revival and renewal for the souls of men and women? Episode sponsors Enclave Publishing: Singularity by Shannon McDermott Cultural Engagement Giveaway: The Pop Culture Parent , On Magic and Miracles , and Above the Circle of Earth The Tixie Chronicles by Jack Borden Mission update New at Lorehaven: This Present Darkness book quest Subscribe free to get updates and join the Lorehaven Guild Backstory: Bethel McGrew Bethel McGrew has a doctorate in math and is a widely published freelance writer. Her work has appeared in First Things , National Review , The Spectator , and many other national and international outlets. Her Substack, Further Up , is one of the top paid newsletters in “Faith & Spirituality” on the platform. She has also contributed to two essay anthologies on Jordan Peterson. When not writing social criticism, she enjoys writing about literature, film, music, and history. FurtherUp.net Bethel McGrew on X: @BMcGrewvy Life on the Silent Planet: Essays on Christian Living from C.S. Lewis’s Ransom Trilogy WORLD Magazine (Oct. 2025): “ A tragic vision of the world: Three books that shaped my thinking “ WORLD Opinions: “ Shocked by evil: the surprising seekers going to church in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder “ Quotes and notes “The salvation of a single soul is more important than the production or preservation of all the epics and tragedies in the world.” —C. S. Lewis, “Christianity and Literature,” in Christian Reflections, page 10 1. Real revivals are genuinely exciting. Don’t be cynics based on people trying to make Revival just happen. What they do for man-centered pseudo-events, God does for real. And the fact is: this revival (with renewal) has been developing a while. Zack and I explored this in our episode about the cultural “vibe shift.” Pastor Costi Hinn on a recent podcast discerned between revival for non-Christians and renewal for discouraged or low-energy Christians. On a personal note, Stephen feels that sense of renewal this month. This despite the real grief over great evil (and ghouls celebrating this). Unlike previous efforts that brought mainly renewal, this one is revival. However small or large, people are getting “Christ-curious” and more. They’re reading Bible, going to church, posting tips and testimonies. Moreover, wiser Christians are giving all the gospel, repentance too. Stephen sees the fusion of cultural conservatism, early fundamentalistic revival fervor, and the best and simplest version of doctrinal precision. When even the Secretary of State gets New Earth right, praise the Lord! Listen to our episode 136 about keeping politics in their rightful place. 2. But even true revivals can get messy. Previous revivals (or so-called revivals) often brought mixed results. The Great Awakening was fused with colonial spirit and patriotism. But the results were largely positive across generations in the U.S. The “second great awakening” was dubious, with a lot of emotivism. Billy Sunday blended evangelistic fervor with cultural legalism. And yes, even the martyred Jim Elliot had some real pietism issues. The Jesus Movement had odd personalities, cults, and dysfunction. Stephen witnessed “Young, Restless, Reformed” who emphasized the centrality of the gospel yet largely divided on applications in culture. And yet across all these messes, the Holy Spirit regenerated hearts. This new movement will have a lot more flags than church influencers guessed. Naturally that’ll bring some hazards of Kingdom confusion. But we remain bullish. Let’s not silence these risks, but talk them out. It’s so healthy to air out our differences as Christians or “Christ-curious.” 3. How we respond to real revival or renewal As we mentioned, avoid cynicism but also emotivism or legalism. Look for faithfulness in preaching and Jesus Christ specifically exalted. Beware generic God-talk, focus on morals, mantle-grabbers, and fiends. But don’t confuse secondary disagreements for substantive critique. Know that every time a new person confesses Christ, that’s a miracle! Let the energy and messiness affect you personally in every calling. If you’ve a day job, do it faithfully, even if you can’t do the “big stuff.” Pray for renewal (as we should we doing) and extra energy for holiness. Read your Bible (a good one). Go to church (a good one). And pray. See every good thing as a means to Jesus Christ, not vice-versa. Look for great art, music, and fantastical stories by Christian creat
