William Joseph Seymour:
The Father of Pentecostalism
Early Life
William Joseph Seymour was born May 2,
1870 in Centerville, Louisiana, the son of former slaves, Simon and Phyllis
Seymour. As the child of former slaves in the post-Civil War south Seymour grew
up with the knowledge of what racial inequality truly was. As a youth he attended a segregated Baptist
church. At this time he began to experience visions and dreams. These visions
and dreams were, according to Seymour, from God. Seymour did not always
understand these visions, however, he did believe they were showing him
something that was to come.[2]
These visions lasted beyond childhood. When William was in his mid-twenties and
living in Indianapolis he contracted small pox and blindness struck his
left-eye. During his bout with small pox he had a vision in which he was told
if he would answer the call on his life to preach the small pox would be taken
from him. Seymour accepted the charge
to preach and he recovered from the small pox. His blindness, nonetheless, was
not temporary; he suffered with it until his death, a reminder of his
disobedience to God.
In 1900, Seymour left Indianapolis for Cincinnati. It was in
Cincinnati that he was introduced to the Holiness movement. He joined a Church
of God church that believed in total sanctification, divine healing,
premillenialism, and a last days outpouring of the Holy Ghost.[3]
In this church, Seymour, no doubt became acquainted with doctrine that he would
later incorporate into his own brand of Pentecostalism. Seymour remained in
Cincinnati for three more years. Little is known about his activities during
those years but one can assume he spent them growing in his faith and preparing
to preach the word of God.
Ü Introduction The Texas Years Þ
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
2 Synan, Vinson, “William Seymour” Christian History [Database on-line] (2000 Vol. 19 accessed 29 March 2001) available from EBSCO at the Kentucky Virtual Library (access requires connection to Georgetown College campus network or password), Internet p 1