Azusa Street Revival Book Report

After World War II ended, Branham held his first healing revival meeting in 1946. They were sensational and well documented. They initiated the modern healing revival. His meetings were conducted mostly in Oneness Pentecostal groups who did not believe in the Trinity. In 1947 he met Gordon Lindsay and Branham’s ministry became known among the Pentecostals. According to Gordon Lindsay, "Branham filled the largest stadiums and meeting halls in the world."

We now come to the section devoted to the major pioneers in the beginning of Pentecostalism in America. The first person we want to discuss is Charles Fox Parham. “He is the man generally recognized as the formulation of Pentecostal doctrine and the theological founder of the movement.” Parham held to the theological argument that tongues are always the initial evidence of a person receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He also taught the necessity of being baptized with the Holy Spirit as the only way to escape the great tribulation.

In this paper, I will review Charles Ryrie’s book The Holy Spirit. I will detail what I feel the book is about. I will emphasize various points given by the author that stood out to me. Finally, I will give my personal evaluation of the book.

Throughout time, Christianity has changed constantly. In order to survive, Christianity has had to evolve and split. It has split into many denominations, some of which have become extinct over the centuries. The religion has changed and divided due to influential people and events in time.

Christianity is a faith based religious tradition, of which the follower is considered to be a Christian adherent. Thus, being a living tradition, Christianity is continually subject to change in accordance to the needs of the adherent and reaffirming the Christian tradition within a contemporary context. The aspects, which attribute the present existence of Christianity and its dynamism therein, include sacred texts and writings, ritual and ceremonies, beliefs and believers, and ethics. Ultimately, the aforementioned characteristics strive to form and continually validate answers to the enduring questions of life through a process of change, which simultaneously highlights Christianity as a living tradition.

As a religious/philosophical system, Christianity is one of the most prominent on Earth today. From 30A.D. to 1000A.D., Christianity had undergone some of its most vigorous changes while maintaining its core qualities through the Apostolic/Ante-Nicene Period, the First Seven Ecumenical Councils, and the Middle Ages.

In the novel title “The Lost History of Christianity”, author Philip Jenkins attempts to convey the message that there are many aspects of Christianity that are unknown to Christian followers today. Jenkins start by implying that Christianity essentially starts in Northern Mesopotamia. Jenkins then traces the history of Christianity from Africa to the Arab world to the heart of Asia, in what he consider to be the “golden age” of Christianity. He informs the readers of the stories of churches and movements that thrived over a millennium and then largely died out, though there are remnants of these churches here and there, spread across different parts of the world. Jenkins is a firm believer that Westerners are blinded by the impression the Christianity began in Europe and Northern America, and believe that in some ways they are superior among other religions. Jenkins suggest, “When they think about Christian history, most modern Westerners follow the book of Acts in concentrating on the church 's expansion west, through Greece and the Mediterranean world, and on to Rome. But while some early Christians were indeed moving west, many other believers-probably in greater numbers-journeyed east along the land routes, through what we today call Iraq and Iran, where they built great and enduring churches. Because of its location-close to Roman frontier, but just far enough beyond it to avoid heavy-handed interference-Mesopotamia or Iraq retained a powerful terms of the number and

In 1993 Pastor John Kilpatrick initiated prayer for revival for the Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola, Florida. Since its establishment in 1939, the church has had a reputation for integrity, a church where holiness has been preached, prayer has been central, and it has a heart for the nations. The prayer initiative with Pastor Kilpatrick leading resulted in the beginning of the Pensacola Outpouring or the Brownsville Revival on Father’s Day 1995. Steve Hill, a missionary-evangelist, preached about revival and gave an invitation for prayer. To everyone’s amazement the Holy Spirit gave a powerful deposit of God’s presence. As the news about the revival spread, people flocked from around the world. The church leadership was surprised but

Christianity experienced many pitfalls along the path to fulfillment. As in history, today we find ourselves learning Christ’s lessons

Christianity over the course of history has a vast influence on individuals, society and the way believers conduct themselves. It provides morals, practices and ethics that every Christian attempts to live by. Throughout the many denominations in the Christian church, Paul of Tarsus had a significant influence on the faith. His contribution to the development and expression of Christianity is immense and can be seen to stem from his writing and missionary journeys which have implemented his ideas and interpretations onto the development of Christianity. After Jesus, Paul was arguably the most significant figure in Christianity as his teachings form a significant part of the New Testament. Like may other Pharisees of that time in history, Paul sought to suppress the early Christian movement. He accused early Christians of blaspheming against God and breaking Mosaic Law. However, Paul had a life-changing experience when he had a vision of Jesus, and he spent the remainder of his life as a missionary for the early church. Centuries after his ministry, his teachings still influence Christian theology.

Has my view of Christianity changed at all over the course of this quarter? That seems to be quite a loaded question. My understanding of Christianity has changed drastically. I have learned where Christianity actually came from, where our roots are. I was really intrigued when we learned about why the Romans let the Jews continue to practice Judaism. The Romans were more interested with how old things were than the actual content of the thing. If Jewish religion wasn’t older than Roman religion our history may have gone much differently. Because the Romans liked old things, they let the Jews have a pass (Lecture 3/2).

Christianity obtained much growth from the great moral force of its central beliefs and values. Their message was one of salvation through the crucified and risen Lord.

There is a lot of ministry that involves healing people from diseases, being blind as well as fixing their limbs with just their hands. Cultures started to change. Churches continue to multiply as well as increases in revenue and assets.

As Christians we are trying to re-invent our beliefs, faith and righteous living to fit in the modern world. We are trying to move with the tide, follow trends and changes. We are incorporating what is in the world into Christianity. Christians are trying to hold on to what God expects us to do and living righteously but it is getting harder as the world is changing.

The Azusa Street revival of 1906 to 1909 was an event that popularised the practice of charismatic worship first in the United States and eventually throughout the Christian world. However, representations of the revival in the early years of the 20th century were biased, and distorted the events that occurred. Early believers portrayed the revival as an eschatological narrative in which the power of God came down to earth and revolutionised the church, especially with the gift of tongues. Pentecostal historians later mythologised Azusa Street representing the revival as the birthplace of Pentecostalism. On the other hand, conservatives portrayed the events of the revival as unbiblical and sinful, while secular critics depicted the revival