Allan Anderson, a reader at the Graduate Institute for Theology and Religion, states that Pentecostalism received global recognition during the events at Azusa Street in spite of having various origins in the beginning of the twentieth century (Anderson 180). “The intense apocalyptic eschatology of the Pentecostals thus created a self-appraisal that their movement was something profoundly original and which had few precedents in Christian history,” suggests Steven Hunt, author of A History of the Charismatic Movement in Britain and the United States of America (117). Joe Creech, a doctoral candidate in history at the University of Notre Dame, suggests that Pentecostals believed Azusa was the place where God would reestablish the church. He …show more content…
The Azusa Street Revival birthed what has been described as both a Pentecostal and Charismatic movement throughout the United States and around the world. “This period represented the birth of the Pentecostal movement and was decisive for its early identity,” comments Terje Hegertun, author of Thomas Ball Barratt and ‘The Spirit of Unity’ (Hegertun 37). Hunt illustrates that the city of Los Angeles needed a remedy of hope for the disheartened commonwealth, and the uprising of a renewal would be the solution (Hunt 115-116). Jacob Dodson, a scholar of world Christianity, reports that the pioneer of the Azusa Street Revival, William Seymour, emphasized a need for total uniformity. Dodson explains that the separation of racial, ethnic, and social class ceased to exist upon the infilling of the Holy Spirit among the congregation (52). According to William C. Turner Jr., Associate Professor of the Practice of Homiletics at Duke University Divinity School, Seymour exhausted every aspect of the Black Church circuit and boldly crossed over to the Holiness …show more content…
Gorman reports that manifestation of the Holy Spirit took precedence over the rules of dogma. He explains that the unorthodox church practices, which allowed any person to speak behind a pulpit, created discord among the congregation (Gorman 520). Ben Pugh, a Lecturer in Theology at Cliff College, UK, describes how William Seymour implemented a third aspect of the evidence of speaking in tongues to the Wesleyan belief system (Pugh 17). Hegertun explains that rather than “attacking the dogmatic positions of others” the evidence of the Holy Spirit and charismatic gifting served as justification of their theology (37-38). Pugh states that the trifold aspect of theology is implemented to date by the Holiness-Pentecostals with the majority being African American (17). He also reveals that by 1910, the end result would be a metamorphosis of American Pentecostals to the trifold model of sanctification (Pugh 17). Hunt explains that receiving the gift of utterance, according to Synan, is the driving force behind Pentecostalism (117). Dodson proposes that the evidence of the gifts of the Holy Spirit happening at the revival demonstrated God’s authority and existence (52). Hunt reports there were numerous personal accounts of healings, deliverance, and miracles (116). He reveals that by 1914, all churches implemented the
Kelly Wnuk: David W. Dorries Spirit Filled Christology: Merging Theology and Power Chapters 25 and 26
While on sabbatical, as the Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professor of Chemistry at MIT, Lynda Marie accepted the call of ministry on her life, and received ministerial training at Harvard Divinity School (HDS). While at HDS, she earned the Certificate in the Study of Science and Religion from the Boston Theological Institute. She also conducted ethnographic research, and her findings were published in an article entitled, Domestic Violence in the African American Community: The Role of the Black Church. Her Master of Divinity Senior Paper, Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Accessing the Power of the Holy Spirit for Healing, explores a theological perspective for addressing the wounds which stem from health inequities in our
While his work did not engage directly with the topic, a tinge of anti-intellectualism was fostered within the movement this book examined. In Spiritual Mobilization’s magazine, Faith and Freedom, the editor devoted an entire issue to confronting clergymen who supported the Social Gospel, a movement which he claimed was led by, “a small, unusually articulate minority who feel political power is the way to save the world. . .” If the articles of the 1930’s demonstrated a distrust of the “unusually articulate,” the embracing of religious identity and language publicly by the Eisenhower administration had created an atmosphere in the 1950's whereby the Gideons International, Inc. was actively trying to influence curriculum in U.S. schools. Traveling preachers successfully utilized marketing techniques to blend entertainment, education, and religion into a single message. Sadly, that single message forbade the kind of discourse or dissent which fosters intellectual growth. Rather, the libertarian ideologies, which had inspired the original rebellion against the Social Gospel, had come to full fruition in snuffing out dissenters and making commonplace the existence of state-sanctioned
They two played key roles in the seminary’s deteriorating theology of the LCMS, but the amount of time that Burkee spends speaking about these two key figures is astronomical. While it is important that Burkee notes these two key figures, he should have spent more time elaborating on what the congregations also felt about what was occurring at the seminary and what had been occurring not only in St. Louis, but also at the sister seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. This would have showed the effect the seminex had on the entirety of the synod rather than specifically focusing on the seminary. It would also have enhanced the support of his book’s title further, since Burkee states that it “changed American Christianity” directly on the
I sat down at my kitchen table with Michael Bruxvoort, a friend and fellow Tar Heel at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on October 25th, 2015. We laughed and talked about his journey through life and all the memories, obstacles and pleasures along the way. Among the many topics we spoke about, the ones that seemed most relevant to him and myself were: the family dynamics of religion within his household, his process of religion through secular spaces and lastly, his transition to Chapel Hill, NC and making it his home. Our conversation through Michael 's life shows how his faith has shaped him to be the man he is today. Through this paper, I will explain and analyze these topics in hopes of better understanding geographies of religion.
Often times we are at a loss for words when it comes to talking about the person of the Holy Spirit. Beth Felker Jones in her work entitled “God the Spirit” serves as an introduction to the study of the Holy Spirit in a distinctly Wesleyan and Ecumenical Perspective. Jones is working against the notion that the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is often the most neglected of all Christian teachings (1). She recognizes her experience within the Wesleyan tradition as one that shapes her pneumatology and this book. She asserts that one of Wesleyan Christianity’s special gifts is it’s “leaning against any tendency to neglect the Spirit” (4). Even with this framework she aims to place the Wesleyan perspective in a larger ecumenical milieu that shows the continuity of a Wesleyan pneumatology with the Tradition of the Church. Overall, her approach is very accessible, as she assumes very little and writes in such a way that allows her to cover large dogmatic topics clearly and concisely. By merit of simply being an introduction only style book, there is the risk of glossing over topics and not providing enough in depth discussion to fully understand and comprehend the doctrine discussed. A reader should feel confident that Jones has indeed provided us with a solid introduction to Wesleyan pneumatology that has the ability to bear fruit and initiate growth in the life of the believer.
The Making of the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message. A. J. Smith Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2008.
These three perceptions are distinctly different, but ultimately speak to the contextual nature of Black theology—rooting worship, adoration, and discipleship within the notion a (conscious) living G-d. The first perception explored is the image G-d adored through the lens of Sister Sweet and Mother Darling. At first glance, these women appear different in life style and theology—different churches, different abilities, and different approaches to discipleship. But upon further examination, one discovers the same paradigm at work. Both have lost children to AIDS. Both have committed themselves to a praxis centered theology to process their loss. Mother Darling is street missionary and Sister Sweet is a disabled woman confined to a wheel that feeds the birds and attends to the needs of the Little piece of Heaven Church. Both have found peace in their personalized work for the Lord. Their G-d is a “shelter in a time of storm.” The second perception is the image of G-d as seen through Deacon Zee. This G-d is one of salvation and complacence for Deacon Zee. The “White Jesus” he prayed to for his assistance in finding his copy of the Wall Street Journal—a nuanced symbol for prosperity. This G-d speaks to the corporate nature and element of
Dr. John Sanders earned a Th.D., from the university of South Africa and serves as the professor of religious studies at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. Previously, Sanders served in the same position at Huntington College in Huntington, Indiana. Sanders also held the position of Extraordinary Fellow at the Notre Dame University Center for Philosophy of Religion. He was also the head of the religious studies program at Oak Hills Christian College in Minnesota.
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
In Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God, Gordon Fee outlines a theology of the Spirit in the Divine Trinity, the basis within Scripture for the experience of the Spirit, and the interaction of the two. Fee, a Pentecostal scholar, “redefines the terms of discussion about the Holy Spirit in a way that transcends today’s
To Stoddard, the idea of “fostering conversions was more important than discovering a perfect church order, and in that attitude he blazed the way for the most influential practice in American religious history: he was the first American to make periodic revivals a centerpiece of his ministry” . Every decade his congregation would experience an “awakening” in which many people were moved spiritually and often lead to conversion. Some of these revivals even made it past Northampton and into the neighboring communities, directly impacting young Edwards and his family, for Edwards’s father rejected the half-way covenant but endorsed revival. These disagreements divided his family and remained unresolved for decades .
Acts of the Apostles chronicles the rapid advancement of the Gospel by way of the gift of the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles: The Charismatic Community in Mission” takes into account the narratives succeeding Pentecost including Spirit Baptisms from Samaria to Ephesus (Acts
It was out of this study that led Parham to the conclusion this was the biblical way a person received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Parham moved to Houston Texas and started a church and bible school. It was at this school where a student name William Joseph Seymour, a black man attended the training sessions that Parham taught. Because of the laws of segregation at the time Seymour was forced to sit in the hallway and listen to the teachings of Parham. Seymour desired
Black religion was no longer regarded as exemplary or special. During a time of growing segregation and violence, some black leaders attempted to counter this perspective seen by whites by embracing the romantic racialist notions that “blacks possessed peculiar gifts.” These gifts being directly connected to the importance of black churches in a time of direct exclusion of blacks from other pieces of society.