New York’s Business Man’s Revival for Today

What’s your outlook on life? To be sure, if you are reading this article, I’m sure I know the answer. The answer is probably the one we should all go to. Our hope is in Christ. No matter what life brings, no matter the trial, Christ is returning and of that we are sure. 

Now that’s great. Hoping in Christ and His coming is a wonderful way to live our life. But I’m curious, can we take that a layer deeper? What do you think about culture? How do you feel about domestic affairs? When you look at the nation, what is your mind led to? What about in your own city? When you walk out on the streets, is your mind led to despair? Is that hope in Christ that we seek to live with drowned out by hopelessness in a culture that is not our home?

To be sure, it’s a trying time. We turn on the news and see conflicts. War is so complex and we see its effect on rising gas prices, political speeches and diplomatic wrangling. All it does is fill us with “what if’s?”. On the other hand, we see the harshness of Partisan politics. One side demands one thing while the other side attacks another. Its effects are seen everywhere. It’s seen in the riots on the streets, it’s seen in the harsh choices of governments , and it’s seen on social media, where vitriol is the name. Then we see it in our churches, where desire to love neighbors is found only in political philosophy on both sides. The whole nation seems ready to split. 

Nowhere is the tension felt more than in a city. And I’m sure it’s felt heavily in the metropolis of New York City. The news of Mayor Mamdani's term fills the airwaves, along with musings about high tax rates and cost of living. Let’s not fail to mention the housing crisis. All of these personal matters are affected by varying philosophies of life. All in your city. Now some might look at this and cry foul to New York City, equating it with bitter words. I see something different.

I look at New York City, that great city of the world, with the hope of a small town man humming Sinatra's anthem “New York, New York”.

The only difference is, I don’t sing “it’s up to you New York, New York”. My hope is founded on the Sovereign grace and power of our God.

You see, New York might be a place that is morally liberal. It might be expensive, and it might be a great deal different than where I live in a town of 650. But, it’s not attached to the sum of all its derogatory remarks (that aren’t fair). God has done amazing things in New York City. And for all its trials that might be dealt with right now, none of it was felt more than in 1857.

It was a trying era for the city. The country, only a decade removed from a conflict in Mexico now found itself as a bastion for a nation about to shipwreck. America had never been fully united in the way we might fantasize about. After the War of Independence, it found itself as a collection of former colonies fighting for its interests at the end of the day. And the biggest issue of interest was slavery. The agrarian south refused to let go of that wicked institution because of the profit it could bring, and an Industrial north, turning into the tides of the Industrial Revolution couldn’t support that. Sure there were reasons not so noble, but at its core it was fueled by a nation changed by the Second Great Awakening. For all the flaws of that movement, they  found themselves wanting to be salt and light in their nation and Slavery was the biggest sin.

That plunged the nation close to war. And while it plunged, men and women still went to the big city, hoping to make it big. Immigrants from places like Ireland and Germany  poured in to seek something better than plagues and conflict. New York was an area wrapped in commerce even then and in the hustle and bustle of immigration, abolitionism, political strife, and business ventures…it found itself in Panic. Literally, the Great Panic of 1857 In September of that year, a recession hit that sent many to anxiety in a climate that was already rife with despair and desperate attempts to save itself.

But in September of that year, The Lord was also doing something else.

There was a middle aged man that walked the streets. He wasn’t very impressive. Not a large or  physically appealing man, he worked as a merchant in Manhattan. In his work to live the life so many dreamed of, he found himself converted by the grace of God. He had once attended church just to sing, but found himself eventually a genuine convert with evangelistic fervor. He would eventually join a church of the Reformed leader, James Wadel Alexander. After that church moved to a better location, he remained in South Manhattan. By this time it had started to show signs of poverty and lostness. 

It was at this time that Lanphier would be asked to be a missionary in the area. He closed his business down and gave himself to the work. He wouldn’t see much success, but found peace and prayer and decided to open up a place for prayer where businessmen could come to pray at 12:00 PM. 

This would boom.

Through this effort, what has been described as an awakening happened. Many would swell the meeting house to pray, and many would be converted. And this even spilled all the way through the nation! Many, like Iain Murray quotes in his book “Revivals and Revivalism” mention that it had to be one of the more pure revivals. It wasn’t marked by eccentric behavior or by dominant circuit preachers like Charles Finney’s Burnt Over District, but was founded solely on prayer and a simple teaching of The Gospel.

Fast forward to now and that’s the hope for New York City. The times might be trying, like a ship in a North Atlantic hurricane. But it was back then. People might be divided with no other reason than to seemingly be angry, but so was the climate then. Wicked people might take office and oppression might happen to our neighbors. And the solution is the same. Trust in our Lord, who is sovereign. Love your neighbor, giving a sweet aroma of The Gospel. Preach and love those who have no hope. Depend on the sovereign mercy and goodness of our God and be his salt and light. Mass conversions might not happen, but Christ will be glorified and that’s for sure.

No matter what your trial is in the city, Kuypers quote remains the same: “There is not one domain in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry, “Mine!”

And I believe, from the bottom of my heart, that this is the cry for New York City, because The Lord proved that in 1857.

Bibliography
Ian Murray, Revival and Revivalism, (Edinburg: Banner of Truth, 1994).

Abraham Kuyper, Inaugural Lecture, Free University, Amsterdam, 1880.