One of the things I keep hearing about the Asbury so-called “revival” is that it was a spontaneous unplanned event that just happened, a move of the Holy Spirit, that sparked a movement among college students during a chapel service that has brought thousands upon thousands of kids to their knees in repentance and faith. And though it’s possible that many of these kids have repented and come to Christ, as the Holy Spirit can use any means He pleases to carry out His purposes, the question we should be asking is if this was truly as spontaneous as they claim it was.

In the video below, you can see Francis Chan speaking about coming to Asbury University on February 23 for the Collegiate Day of Prayer.

In this video, Chan speaks about the revival event that happened 50 years ago at Asbury and then talks about how such a moment of revival happened to him in the past and how he wants to see the same thing happen to so many people in this generation. In the video, he talks about how all the various denominations set their differences aside and come together for a day of prayer and revival and talks about how he will be simulcasting live from the Asbury campus on Feb 23.

But here’s the kicker—this video was posted over a week before the so-called revival at Asbury started. This video was posted on February 1, 2023. The Asbury “revival” started on February 8.

So, here’s the question: is this just a coincidence? Or did Francis Chan know about this planned event ahead of time? After all, Francis Chan is well-known at Asbury and appears to be friendly with the leadership and well-promoted at the school, according to a Google search. Did Francis Chan ask the leadership at Asbury to emotionally manipulate the students into a so-called “revival” so that he could have a nice backdrop from which to launch his “day of prayer” simulcast from on February 23? It makes perfect sense—to sensationalize the day of prayer with what appears to have been a move of the Holy Spirit going on for two weeks prior.

But there’s more. There was another video posted over two months ago by Francis Chan saying essentially the same thing. This one was posted on November 28 of 2022 and called for a “day of prayer and spiritual awakening” on February 23, 2023.

Call me cynical, but this just seems too well-planned to have been spontaneous. I mean, it’s possible it’s a coincidence, but Francis Chan is a false teacher who has abandoned the gospel for ecumenical alliances with false teachers, false churches, and false doctrines all throughout Christendom. I have my doubts that the Holy Spirit is working through a false teacher to bring revival…but again, I suppose God can do whatever he pleases.

Further, both Asbury University and Asbury Seminary are given to aberrant social justice movements, hold to seriously compromised theology, and are aligned with sub-biblical denominational entities and movements. So far, there has been no repentance from any of that.