William Joseph Seymour:
The father of Pentecostalism
Conclusions
After Seymour’s
death he and his message were all but forgotten. A man that was instrumental in changing the face of the way
religion was practiced not only in the realm of Holiness churches but in all
churches as well as the new denomination, Pentecostalism, was rarely
acknowledged for his contribution to the movement and his acknowledgement. It
is ironic that a man that strived so hard for equality and the knowledge of the
baptism of the Spirit, that was a household name during his own time was absent
from the pages of history, for whatever reason, be it his race or unlikely, unusual
and somewhat unpopular denomination. However, the end of William Seymour’s
story is not as disappointing as it may at first seem to be. In the past few
decades William Seymour and his message have once again become the focus of
many church historians and for many leaders in the church. This is partly due
to the research of Yale University historian Sidney Ahlstrom and the civil
rights movement of the 1960s.[18] It seems that even though Seymour’s legacy
has suffered throughout the latter half of the twentieth-century it has not
been completely forgotten. As the twenty-first century dawns Seymour is
beginning to receive the credit he is due as one of the founders of
Pentecostalism but more importantly his message of racial and gender equality
in the Christian world is being embraced once again almost one hundred years
after he began preaching it in a humble stable in Los Angeles. Born as the son
of slaves, a seer of visions, an original holy roller, and a pursuer of
equality and harmony in the church, William Joseph Seymour deserves a place
with the giants of American religion and his vision deserves a place in the
churches of America today just as it did one hundred years ago.
William Joseph Seymour Homepage HIS 338 Student Websites Page
This page was created by Ashley Sample. E-mail: smaple333@hotmail.com
This page was last updated April 17, 2001