The story of Pentecostalism has three major roots. It’s founder, 1) Charles Parham, Parham’s disciple, 2) William Seymour and the famed Los Angeles, 3) Azusa Street Revival. In fact, if you visit Los Angeles today, in person or on Google maps, you will find the historical marker locating the Azusa Street Revival. The events that took place on Azusa Street led to the greater movement known as Pentecostalism, one of the largest, fasting growing denominations in the world.

This relatively new denomination has an interesting history. What follow are some of the preludes of Pentecostalism.

1. Pentecostalism Started by a Methodist Minister

The genesis of Pentecostalism started in 1893 with Charles Parham, a twenty-year old Methodist minister in Eudora, Kansas. Parham was a hard working minister within the Methodist denomination. However, the leadership in the Methodist movement did not see fit to ordain Parham. It had come to the attention to the leadership, who knew his doctrine, that Parham was meddling with beliefs that were not in alignment with Methodist doctrine.

Parham had become infatuated with a sect within Methodism known as the Wesleyan-holiness movement. Those who identified with the movement held extreme views on sanctification and daily living. For example, the followers of the holiness movement believed in an ascetic lifestyle that avoided everything from neckties to sexual activity in marriage.

The most significant characteristic of the holiness movement was the idea that one could achieve “entire-sanctification” from a “second blessing.” The “entire sanctification” of the “second blessing” doctrine taught that one could achieve a sinless life, even a life without temptation, due to a second work of grace.

Not able to find ordination and approval in the Methodist denomination, Parham set out to carve his own ecclesiastical path in the protestant landscape of the mid-west. He began to host meetings and church gatherings, leveraging his gift for divine healing to attract attendants. In time, Parham became a well established charismatic preacher in Kansas. So well known, when he was only 27 years old he started the Bethel Bible College.

2. Speaking in Xenoglossa

It was at Bethel Bible College, Parham experienced what he believed was a movement of the Holy Spirit and is considered one of the foundational moments in Pentecostal history. It was a snowy night in December, after finishing a long lecture series on Acts before a planned extended vacation, the student body of 75 attendees experienced a “pentecost” of their own.

After the lecture a debate arose within the student body about how Christians are to live out chapter 2 of Acts. That night, Parham told the students to study and pray about questions concerning the passage. Parham later recounted the high-water moment in his ministry writing,

“…there were different things which occurred when the Pentecostal blessing fell, that the indisputable proof on each occasion was, that they spake in different tongues.”

His account of that night continues with more extraordinary events, for example, Agnes Ozman asked for Parham to lay hands on her so she could receive the Holy Spirit. Hesitantly, Parham laid hands on the female church leader, he wrote about the experience later saying, “I lain my hands upon her head and prayed. I had scarcely repeated three dozen sentences when a glory fell upon her, a halo seemed to surround her head and face, and she began speaking in the Chinese language, and was unable to speak English for three days.”

In this pivotal moment for Pentecostalism, the gift of the Spirit at this time was associated with an earthly language. From this event and for the next several years, speaking in tongues among Parham’s followers would mean speaking in an earthly foreign language. Additionally, after this event, Parham and the student body began to believe that proof of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling in a believer was observed by the gift of xenoglossa (earthly tongues).

3. Galveston, Texas

Kansas was dying and Texas was growing. So it was time for a move. Parham started a new school in the booming town of Galveston, Texas. In 1905 oil was discovered in south Texas and it was experiencing a rush of new residents. Parham believed this growing area was the best spot for his new school and future mission work. One of his first students was William Seymour. William Seymour, was already a well known preacher and evangelist in the area. This may be why, Parham, who believed in segregated seating in schools, overlooked is own prejudice and agreed to let William Seymour, a black man, into his classes.

Seymour’s exposure to Parham only bolstered his notoriety as a communicator. Consequently, in 1906 William Seymour was asked to come preach at a small gathering in Los Angeles California. Seymour’s small opportunity had a rocky start. Seymour already held beliefs about the baptism of the Spirit and speaking in tongues that proved to be too radical for his initial hearers. However, this did not dissuade Seymour and he continued to teach his doctrine to anyone who would listen.

4. Azusa Street Revival

In March of 1906, Seymour led a small house church gathering that quickly outgrew its original home and was moved to a larger home down the street. One day, Edward Lee, a church member, was praying during his lunch break. While praying the congregant said, he had a vision of Peter and John standing in front of him, he reported, “they lifted their hands to heaven and they began to shake under the power of God and began to speak in other tongues.”

Later that evening Lee asked Seymour to pray for him so he could be “baptized in the Spirit.” Seymour agreed and Lee immediately responded by falling on the floor “as though he were dead.” Following this event, it was reported that every time the small church gathered, someone would spontaneously speak in tongues. However, not xenoglossia like Charles Parham described, Seymour’s congregation participated in glossolalia, which is speaking in an unintelligible or “heavenly” language. Interestingly, it would be several days before William Seymour would experience being “baptized in the Spirit.”

To host the new charismatic prayer gatherings, William Seymour and the church rented another church’s building on the now famous, 312 Azusa Street, for eight dollars a month. That same year, Los Angeles was struck with a terrible earth quake, causing many residents to wonder if God was going to further discipline the city for its sins. This event led many people to return to church or go to church for the first time. It was during this rapid influx of church attendance that the Azusa Street Church began to hold its revival services. By summer of 1906 (4 months since its inception), the little church began hosting up to 1500 worshipers a week.

At the time, the Azusa meetings were the most racially and culturally diverse gatherings in the United States. In addition, they were a national spectacle that garnered the attention of the Los Angeles Times, which regularly reported on their “strangeness.” For example one reporter noted that, “confessors…talked at top speed until they became exhausted and fell prone on the floor.” Another reporter described a woman singing, saying, “As the weird shrieking increased in volume the cataleptic woman was seized by concussive shudders.”

As with any event, it had to come to an end at some point, and by 1909 the Azusa Street Revival cooled to a simmer. There were probably many reasons for the sharp decline in revival participation, for one, the Los Angeles Times stopped covering the activities. Secondly, some Californians grew increasingly frustrated with the religious fanaticism in their city, and thirdly worshipers likely grew bored with the experience. By the summer of 1909, with William Seymour still functioning as the pastor, the congregation had dwindled to a handful of regular worshipers.

5. Strange Doctrine

Charles Parham, the father of Pentecostalism and mentor of William Seymour, held many strange doctrines. For example, based on his understanding of Genesis he believed the Hebrew tribes began in Europe, and the pacific islands. And the Gentiles were Russian and Turkish descent, and “black people, Malay, Mongolian and Indian” were still heathens in the 1900’s.

He also believed that the Garden of Eden was the lost city of Atlantis in the Caribbean. He believed that at the moment of creation there were two races on the earth. One race was the race of Adam and Eve that was started by God. However, another race was evolved outside the Garden of Eden. After Cain murdered his brother he went to live with the evolved race and produced the first inter-racial marriage and God ultimately sent the flood to punish humanity for continuing to participate in interracial marriage.

As one can see, the thrust of Parham’s theology was more cultural than Biblical. It is clear he allowed for early 20th century imperialistic social Darwinian cultural views to dictate his theology.

Conclusion

Parham and Seymour were inspiring communicators. They were hard working church men. There is no evidence in any of their writings that Parham and Seymour were charlatans. They had good intentions however, those intentions needed to mature in God’s Word. These early days of the Pentecostal movement are a good reminder of why good theology is so important. Respectfully, without a strong framework for the ontology and economy of God, a communicator’s (or listener’s) imagination can get lost in the wilderness of His mysteries. Thus, if you are a student of God’s Word never neglect the work of a theologian.

References:

• Brown, Michael L. Playing with Fire: A Wake Up Call to the Pentecostal-Charismatic Chruch. Lake Mary: Charisma House. (2018).
• Barrett, Matthew. Simply Trinity; the Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit. Grand Rapids: Baker. (2021).
• Carter, Craig A. Contemplating God with the Great Tradition: Recovering Trinitarian Classical Theism. Grand Rapids: Baker. (2021).
• Garrett, Duane A. The New American Commentary: Hosea, Joel. Broadman & Holman Publishers. (1997).
• Goff, Jr. James R. Fields White Unto Harvest: Charles F. Parham and the Missionary Origins of Pentecostalism. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press. (1988).
• Liardon, Roberts. The Great Azusa Street Revival: The Life and Sermons of William Seymour. New Kensington: Whitaker House. (2020).
• McGrath, Alister. Historical Theology; An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought, Second Edition. West Sussex: Blackwell Publishers, (1998).
• Robeck, Jr. Cecil M. The Azusa Street Mission and Revival: The Birth of the Global and Pentecostal Movement. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, (2006).
• Synan, Vinson. The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition; Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, (1997).
• Yarnell III, Malcolm B. God the Trinity: Biblical Portraits. Nashville: B&H Academic. (2016).