Marks of Academic Revival by Keith Martel is one of my favorite articles of all time. Keith, the Director of Campus Ministries at Geneva College, challenges readers to consider what it would look like if a “revival” swept through college campuses today. Too often we limit our vision of revivals to people having intense, one-time “religious” experiences. Keith doesn’t seek to undermine or criticize such events. We all long to see the power of the Holy Spirit unleashed on campus. But Keith does wonder whether our scope is too narrow. He writes:

If… revival is “obedience unto God,” then campus revival would be composed of the renewed pursuit of traditional disciplines. But the primary thrust should be distinctly marked by a passionate pursuit of living fully in the roles and vocations to which we are called as students, as professors, and as staff workers. To truly “wake up and live” on the college campus would see Christian students, faculty and staff chasing after university life, together. It would consist of students taking their studies seriously in a transformational way, and faculty members seeing their teaching as a holy calling from the Lord of education Himself. These things would be pursued as spiritual disciplines. Instead of skipping classes to take part in prayer meetings, students might even skip their fellowship groups to create and craft serious scholarly work that exemplified and added to the Kingdom of God.

Keith then provides 9 marks, or suggestions, of what academic revival might look like. The list is inspiring, the tone is appropriate, and if a group of students would take this list seriously, well, LOOK OUT! Read it, discuss it, pass it around, pray over it… I dare you. The entire article can be found at AcademicFaithfulness.com