James Lutzweiler

Crusade

History & Biography

“Robert Allen’s new book about the 1949 revival of Billy Graham in Los Angeles is challenging. The author calls it a novel, but in some places I can’t tell where the fiction ends and the non-fiction begins. Allen’s invocation of details about the 1949 context of the revival, including titles of songs, books, movies, Hollywood stars, Communists at large, etc., makes you wonder how long it took him to cook up the delightful concoction of revival and romance.”

Megachurch

Fiction

“Allen has written an incredibly timely book. . . . Pastoral succession, especially in megachurches, can be one thorny problem. . . . In this book Allen has taken a novel approach to the problem by incorporating a bit of riveting romance in the recipe for Rev. Replacement. Readers are in for a wild ride through Allen’s imagination and the fascinating biblical theme park with which the Disneyesque author opens his book. He has put some fun in fundamentalism with this adventurous book.”

Revival in the Rockies

Fiction

“The New York Times and H. L. Mencken free-associate the word revival more with Mississippi than Montana. Yet Montana is where Robert Allen leads his cast of characters. Other unlikely guest appearances are made by figures who have never yet come to mind in a Rorschach test concerning revival. Read. Be surprised. Enjoy.”

The Seven Revivals of the Apocalypse

Fiction

“Though John’s letters are difficult to understand in places, Robert Allen has made easily readable the epistles to the seven churches. There is a good chance the effort Allen has put into this work will revive your own soul again and the souls of others to whom you might recommend the book. I felt my own heart strangely warmed after reading it. You will, too. A blessing is inescapable.”