William Joseph Seymour:
The father of Pentecostalism
Introduction:
Holy-rollers. Tongue-talkers. Chandelier-swingers.
Pew-runners. Spirit-Dancers. Holiness.
Spirit-filled. Members of the church of Acts.
Charismatic. Fanatics. Apostolic. Radicals. Emotionalists. Members of
the true New Testament Church.
Pentecostals. All of these are terms used in referring to members of the
Pentecostal movement that began at the turn of the twentieth century and is
currently the second largest denomination in Christendom.[1]
The names for and the practices of the denomination are often characterized as
unusual and unlikely in comparison to their counterparts in modern
religion. However, it is only fitting
that these names and practices that are extraordinarily unusual refer to a
denomination that was started by an odd assortment of men and women. One of the
most influential, as well as the most unlikely and unexpected of these was
William Joseph Seymour, an African-American preacher and pastor, who became the
leader of the revival on Azusa Street, the site that arguably started the
global Pentecostal movement that we know today.
Seymour led the
Azusa Street Revival of 1906-09. This
revival, under his leadership, was attended by literally thousands from all
over the world. William Seymour, not
only helped to found Pentecostalism, a movement that undeniably changed the
face of American and global religion, but was a proponent of a truly integrated
church in which anyone no matter race, age, or gender could participate.
William Seymour held to this vision during a period that fostered hostility
toward racial and gender equality. His
message is still felt almost one hundred years later in a church world that
still discriminates based upon race and gender. William Joseph Seymour’s vision
of human harmony and his belief in the spiritual gifts pioneered not only a new
denomination that changed the face of American Protestantism but also
challenged the social ideas of the time and for a short period created a color
and gender blind religious atmosphere throughout the United States, a goal that
is still striven for today.
Ü William Joseph
Seymour Homepage The Early 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
[1] Synan,Vinson “The Origins of the Pentecostal Movement” available from http://members.tripod.com/~ChristTemple/origins.html; Internet p1