INTERVIEW: Kirk Cameron's 'Revive Us' to remind Christians 'our hope is in Christ' – not elections
LOS ANGELES (Christian Examiner) – Kirk's Cameron's friends are no different than the rest of America during this presidential election – that is, far from unified.
"The people that I know who love Jesus and love this country and love their kids find it very difficult in this election season," Cameron told the Christian Examiner. "There's so much division. It's hard to know who to believe."
On Tuesday night at theaters across America, Cameron is holding what he is calling a "national family meeting" in what has been dubbed Revive Us, a two-hour live event in which Cameron and other leaders – including pastors Francis Chan and James MacDonald -- will speak. There also will be a time of singing and prayer, and even an appearance by Miss Clara (Karen Abercrombie) from the movie War Room. An encore will be held in theaters Oct. 24.
Already, theaters are being sold out, and as of Tuesday morning, Revive Us was the No. 1-selling event in theaters on MovieTickets.com, pulling in 31 percent of all tickets sold, compared to No. 2 The Accountant (15 percent)
Ben Carson, Eric Metaxas and Jennifer Rothschild also will speak. Passion, the Vertical Church Band and Isabella Cameron will sing, and there will be a Q&A session, too.
Revive Us is not a political event but is being held as Christians grow concerned about the future, Cameron said.
"The best thing I have to offer is not a political analysis of what is going on or to tell people how to vote," he said. "What I'm offering is hope and perspective and vision, and I get to do that in a unique way by gathering some of the brightest and most faithful people I have met and offering, collectively, their thoughts and ideas to create a sense of unity and optimism."
The Christian Examiner interviewed Cameron about Revive Us. Following is a transcript, edited for clarity:
Christian Examiner: What is Revive Us? What will people see and experience?
Kirk Cameron: This came out of my experience travelling across the country, visiting churches all over the nation. I teach marriage conferences. What I hear is consistent everywhere: People are deeply concerned with what's going on with America – how did we get here? Are these the last days of our great nation? My message to people is loud and clear. I'm saying there's never been a better time, a more exciting time, to be a Christian in America. This could be our finest hour. Things have never been teed up so perfectly for people of faith to be salt applied to the corruption and light applied to the darkness. This is the point in the story, when you're reading the book, that all hope seems lost – and all of a sudden, God parts the waters. I'm believing this could be a Red Sea moment for you and me and for us in our America story. And Revive Us is a condensing of all of that. It's hope and all of that optimism and all of that turning to God in a moment of despair and confusion, to see God do something miraculous. I'm calling it a national family meeting. It's a live two-hour interactive gathering of the people of faith in a thousand movie theaters across the nation. We will simultaneously be worshiping together, praying together via satellite and hearing from some of the brightest, most faithful people in my life.
CE: This is taking place several weeks before the election. What is the significance of that? What now and not in a month?
Cameron: People are experiencing election anxiety, particularly after each debate. It seems that people are more concerned than ever before.
Revive Us will take place the night before the final presidential debate. We're right there at the edge of the political cage match. And before the blood hits the floor, we have a chance to gather in a thousand theaters and remember where our real hope comes from – it comes from the power of God working in the hearts of people.
It's very helpful and important to remember that during this time of election anxiety, we in America are not electing a king. George Washington turned that offer down twice when our nation was first formed. We don't want a king. We already have a king. His name is Jesus.
What we want and what we need is for us as a people to remember who we are and whose we are, and be the salt and light that transforms the nation from the bottom up to the top, and the inside all the way to the edges.
On Nov. 9, our hope is still the same. Our hope is in Christ. It may be a very different challenge and a different battle, depending on who is elected, but the real long-term solution is the power of God working in the hearts of people at your dinner table, in your school classroom, at your work.
CE: Will politics be discussed during Revive Us?
Cameron: This is a faith event. This is not a political event. But we will also be discussing the fact that it is the duty of every Christian to not divorce their faith from any aspect of life, including the leaders that will be shaping the future for our children.
So we will be discussing this election season. We will be discussing our responsibility and our opportunity to shape the future by being engaged in the voting process.
But it's not a political event per se, because this is about reviving the country, and the way that you do that is by nourishing the root of faith in the heart of the country, which is the church.
For more information, visit ReviveUs2016.com.