Revival - Definition and Overview

This article should be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page.

Revival is a restoration of a living creature from a dead state to being alive. As an example, Lazarus, in the Christian Bible, was revived.

Figuratively, revival refers to anything that was (figuratively) dead and becomes (figuratively) alive:

• Revival of a fad. This fad may then be called retro.
• Revival of a former hit play in a new production. Because so many of the shows playing on Broadway at any one time are revivals, and the material has often proven to be winning material, the Tony Awards consider revivals separately from original productions.
• Revival of religious fervor or fervent traditions. The term may be used to refer to a "revival meeting". History of revivalism: From 1700 to 1850, many non-conformist churches produced lively popular hymns that were eventually suppressed by the mainstream churches in the middle of the nineteenth century. At that time, new hymns were written in a movement called "revivalist" (1850 - 1920). Songs such as "Washed in the blood of the Lamb" came from Moody and Sankey's Hymn Book. "The Land where you Never Grow Old" dates from 1914 and has been recorded by the Carter Family, Johnny Cash and Blue Murder. The churches which promoted these songs were generally followers of literal interpretations of the bible, temperance-inclined and often Baptist. In the UK, "Onward Christian Soldiers" is perhaps the best known revivalist hymn. For a fuller discussion of Christian revival, see our entry History of Christianity, under The 20th Century and Beyond.