Oh yes, the Asbury Revival of 2023—remember that? Just a few months ago, it was the talk of the town—at least, it was the talk of “Christian Twitter.” If you scrolled through social media, you’d think the next Great Awakening was happening at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. But ask yourself, where is it now? Off the radar, that’s where. So we should be asking this: was this really a true outpouring of the Holy Spirit, or was it just a flash in the pan of spiritual sentimentality?

Back in February, the buzz was palpable. Hughes Auditorium was the epicenter, the ground zero if you will, of a supposed “spiritual renewal.” Hundreds of students felt so “moved” that they couldn’t bear to leave. They lingered in the auditorium, praying, worshiping, convinced that this was it—a bonafide revival. Voices like Southern Baptist revivalist Malachi O’Brien were all too happy to tell us it was a genuine act of the Holy Spirit, bound to change lives forever. Oh, there were testimonies aplenty, kids claiming they’d touched the face of God or something.

But let’s be clear. Those with even a sliver of biblical literacy could see the writing on the wall. Open homosexuals claim that they were affirmed and even led worship. Blasphemers who deny the Trinity were welcomed with open arms. And the stage practically became a free-for-all, with participants espousing dubious—even downright heretical—theology. This wasn’t a revival—it was a highly emotional spectacle, meticulously choreographed for maximum tear-jerking effect. Sure, it made for great Instagram stories, but lasting spiritual transformation? Not so much.

Fast forward to today, and what do we see? Not a whole lot, save a few die-hard fans of charismatic spirituality. Critics, who were initially dismissed as cynics or party poopers, seem more like prophets now, despite the fact that the majority of us are cessationists. We warned that this was a spiritual flash mob, not a movement grounded in the eternal truths of the Bible. It didn’t ignite any meaningful change in the church, let alone in the broader culture. It was heavy on sentiment and woefully light on Scripture.

The result was predictably chaotic. So, what have we learned? Apparently nothing—nothing at all. Because mega-false-prosperity-charlatan-on-steroids, Jentezen Franklin, is having a similar “spontaneous” “revival” at the “church” that he “pastors.” (Sorry for all the scare quotes, but I can’t actually write that out with a straight face.)

Franklin’s church, Free Chapel in Gainesville, GA, held an event with another popular false teacher, Perry Stone, on Sunday night. The event, called Signs of the Times, started out as a series on October 1 and featured several prominent false teachers including Jimmy Evans, John Hagee, Perry Stone, and of course, Franklin himself. This past Sunday night was supposed to be the conclusion to the series with Perry Stone. And, well, after Perry Stone, who was caught on audio threatening to kill himself after allegations of sexual misconduct, the church apparently experienced a “genuine move of the Holy Spirit” and broke out in Asbury-style revival, which has been going on for three days now.

And who else, but the exact same people who talked the Asbury Revival up, are talking this one up?

So who is Jentezen Franklin anyway? If spiritual charlatanism had a hall of fame, he’d have a prime spot on the wall. Known for his “unique ability to connect with people”—as praised by New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) superstar, Phil Pringle—Franklin is a fixture at dubious platforms like Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, Jesus Culture, and Bethel Music Conferences.

At the heart of his teaching? A skewed, self-centered version of the Gospel. Forget about Christ being the focal point—in Franklin’s world, it’s all about you—you’ll be victorious, you’ll be influential, you’ll have health, wealth, and…perfect kids. It’s a spiritual pipe dream that plays well on social media but holds no water biblically. And he’s almost always given a pulpit at major charismatic charlatanry, prosperity gospel, Word of faith events, showing just how far these modern “church” movements are willing to stray from Christ-centered teaching in the name of “revival.”