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Azusa Street Revival

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It was led by William J. Seymour, an African American preacher. It began with a meeting on April 09, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915. The revival was characterized by ecstatic spiritual experiences accompanied by miracles, dramatic worship services, speaking in tongues, and inter-racial mingling. The participants were criticized by the secular media and Christian theologians for behaviors considered to be outrageous and unorthodox, especially at the time. Today, the revival is considered by historians to be the primary catalyst for the spread of Pentecostalism in the 20th century.


North Bonnie Brae Street

Seymour and his wife, Jennie.

Seymour and his small group of new followers soon relocated to the home of Richard and Ruth Asberry at 214 North Bonnie Brae Street.[1] White families from local holiness churches began to attend as well. The group would get together regularly and pray to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. On April 9, 1906, after five weeks of Seymour's preaching and prayer, and three days into an intended 10-day fast,[2] Edward S. Lee spoke in tongues for the first time.[3][4] At the next meeting, Seymour shared Lee's testimony and preached a sermon on Acts 2:4 and soon six others began to speak in tongues as well,[5][3] including Jennie Moore, who would later become Seymour's wife. A few days later, on April 12, Seymour spoke in tongues for the first time after praying all night long.[6][7]


The Los Angeles Times was not so kind in its description:

Meetings are held in a tumble-down shack on Azusa Street, and the devotees of the weird doctrine practice the most fanatical rites, preach the wildest theories and work themselves into a state of mad excitement in their peculiar zeal. Colored people and a sprinkling of whites compose the congregation, and night is made hideous in the neighborhood by the howlings of the worshippers, who spend hours swaying forth and back in a nerve racking attitude of prayer and supplication. They claim to have the "gift of tongues" and be able to understand the babel.[8]

Charles Parham was also sharp in his criticism:

Men and women, white and blacks, knelt together or fell across one another; a white woman, perhaps of wealth and culture, could be seen thrown back in the arms of a big 'buck nigger,' and held tightly thus as she shivered and shook in freak imitation of Pentecost. Horrible, awful shame![8]

The first edition of the Apostolic Faith publication claimed a common reaction to the revival from visitors:

Proud, well-dressed preachers came to 'investigate'. Soon their high looks were replaced with wonder, then conviction comes, and very often you will find them in a short time wallowing on the dirty floor, asking God to forgive them and make them as little children.[2]

Among first-hand accounts were reports of the blind having their sight restored, diseases cured instantly, and immigrants speaking in German, Yiddish, and Spanish all being spoken to in their native language by uneducated black members, who translated the languages into English by "supernatural ability".[9]

Singing was sporadic and in a cappella or occasionally in tongues. There were periods of extended silence. Attenders were occasionally slain in the Spirit. Visitors gave their testimony, and members read aloud testimonies that were sent to the mission by mail. There was prayer for the gift of tongues. There was prayer in tongues for the sick, for missionaries, and whatever requests were given by attenders or mailed in. There was spontaneous preaching and altar calls for salvation, sanctification and baptism of the Holy Spirit. Lawrence Catley, whose family attended the revival, said that in most services preaching consisted of Seymour opening a Bible and worshippers coming forward to preach or testify as they were led by the Holy Spirit.[10] Many people would continually shout throughout the meetings. The members of the mission never took an offering, but there was a receptacle near the door for anyone that wanted to support the revival. The core membership of the Azusa Street Mission was never much more than 50–60 individuals with hundreds and thousands of people visiting or staying temporarily over the years.[8]


Charles Parham

Main article: Charles Parham

By October 1906, Charles Parham was invited to speak for a series of meetings at Azusa Street, but was quickly un-invited. Several reasons can be given for Azusa Street's disassociation from him. Firstly, Parham had personality conflicts with Seymour and wanted to be the chief authority figure of the movement that was taking place, but the presiding leaders of the Apostolic Faith Mission were slow to make any changes to their methods or leadership. Secondly, rumors were surfacing that Parham had been committing sodomy ("an unnatural offense") with young males.[11]


The attenders of the meetings were often described as "Holy Rollers", "Holy Jumpers", "Tangled Tonguers" and "Holy Ghosters." Reports were published throughout the U.S. and the world of the strange happenings in Los Angeles.[6]

LA Times article criticizing the behavior of the revivalists at Azusa Street.

Christians from many traditions were critical, saying the movement was hyper-emotional, misused Scripture and lost focus on Christ by overemphasizing the Holy Spirit.[3] Within a short time ministers were warning their congregations to stay away from the Azusa Street Mission. Some called the police and tried to get the building shut down.[4]

Apostolic Faith publication

Headline of the first ever publication of the Apostolic Faith, from September, 1906.

Also starting in September 1906 was the publication of the revival's own newsletter, the Apostolic Faith.[12] Issues were published occasionally up until May 1908, mostly through the work of Seymour and a white woman named Clara Lum,[7] a member of the Apostolic Faith Mission. The Apostolic Faith was distributed without charge, and thousands of laypersons and ministers received copies worldwide. Five thousand copies of the first edition were printed, and by 1907 the press run reached over 40,000.[5][13][14]



Missionary Bernt Bernsten traveled all the way from North China to investigate the happenings after hearing that the biblical prophecy of Acts 2:4 was being fulfilled. Other visitors left the revival to become missionaries in remote areas all over the world.[13][7] So many missionaries went out from Azusa (some thirty-eight left in October 1906) that within two years the movement had spread to over fifty nations, including Britain, Scandinavia, Germany, Holland, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, South Africa, Hong Kong, China, Ceylon and India. Christian leaders visited from all over the world.[2]

Birth of Pentecostal movement

The leaders of the Apostolic Faith Mission. Seymour is front row, second from the right; Jenny is back row, third from left.

By the end of 1906, most leaders from Azusa Street had spun off to form other congregations, such as the 51st Street Apostolic Faith Mission, the Spanish AFM, and the Italian Pentecostal Mission. These missions were largely composed of immigrant or ethnic groups. The Southeast United States was a particularly prolific area of growth for the movement, since Seymour's approach gave a useful explanation for a charismatic spiritual climate that had already been taking root in those areas. Other new missions were based on preachers who had charisma and energy. Nearly all of these new churches were founded among immigrants and the poor.[citation needed]

Many existing Wesleyan-holiness denominations adopted the Pentecostal message, such as the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), the Church of God in Christ, and the Pentecostal Holiness Church. The formation of new denominations also occurred, motivated by doctrinal differences between Wesleyan Pentecostals and their Finished Work counterparts, such as the Assemblies of God formed in 1914 and the Pentecostal Church of God formed in 1919. An early doctrinal controversy led to a split between Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostals, the latter founded the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World in 1916.[15]

Today, there are more than 500 million Pentecostal and charismatic believers across the globe[16] and is the fastest-growing form of Christianity today.[9] The Azusa Street Revival is commonly regarded as the beginning of the modern-day Pentecostal Movement.[17][18][19]

References

  1. ^ "IPHC Azusa Street Links – 1901 to Present". International Pentecostal Holiness Church. Archived from the original on 5 June 2007. Retrieved 2012-09-27. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c MacRobert, Iain (1988). The Black Roots and White Racism of Early Pentecostalism in the USA. London: MacMillian Press. ISBN 0-333-43997-X.
  3. ^ a b c Allen, Marshall (April 15, 2006). "Pentecostal Movement Celebrates Humble Roots". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
  4. ^ a b Synan, Vinson (2001). The Century of the Holy Spirit: 100 years of Pentecostal and Charismatic Renewal, 1901–2001. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. pp. 42–45. ISBN 0-7852-4550-2.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Enrichment Journal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b "Billy Wilson: The Miracle on Azusa Street". The 700 Club. Archived from the original on 9 May 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-17. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b c Blumhofer, Edith (2006-03-07). "Azusa Street Revival". religion-online.org. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
  8. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference charismaticcentury was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b Newmann, Richard; Tinney, James S. (1978). Black Apostles: Afro-American Clergy Confront the Twentieth Century. G. K. Hall & Co. ISBN 0-8161-8137-3.
  10. ^ Dove, Stephen (2009). "Hymnody and Liturgy in the Azusa Street Revival, 1906-1908". Pneuma. 31 (2): 242–63. doi:10.1163/027209609X12470371387840.
  11. ^ Burgess, Stanley M.; McGee, Gary B. (1988). Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. 1415 Lake Drive, SE Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506: Zondervan Publishing House. pp. 31–36. ISBN 0-310-44100-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  12. ^ "Azusa Street Mission". The Latter Rain Page. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
  13. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Azusa History was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ "William Joseph Seymour: The father of Pentecostalism | Azusa Street: The Impact". 2001-04-17. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
  15. ^ Vinson Synan, The Holiness–Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997), pages 71, 125, 153-164; ISBN 978-0-8028-4103-2.
  16. ^ Spirit and Power: A 10 Country Survey of Pentecostals, Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 6 October 2006.
  17. ^ "Azusa St. and modern Pentecostalism – The 100 year celebration of what?". Let us Reason Ministries. Archived from the original on 3 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-17. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "Azusa Street revival (Pentecostal movement)". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
  19. ^ Poloma, Margaret M. (1982). The Charismatic Movement: Is there a new Pentecost?. G. K. Hall & Co. ISBN 0-8057-9701-7.
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