Why Pentecostalism was successful

Only three years after the revival of tongues-speaking that began in 1906 at Azusa Street, Pentecostalism had become a world-wide movement. Why did Pentecostalism grow so rapidly?

The origin of Pentecostalism must be understood against the backdrop of a revival of tongues-speaking that occured in 1901 in Topeka, after which Charles Parham formulated a new doctrine of Spirit-baptism. He taught that baptism in the Spirit is a third work of grace, separate to conversion and sanctification, with the initial evidence of tongues-speaking.

The Topeka Revival sowed the seed of Pentecostalism. [1] Charles Parham had grown up in Methodist and Holiness circles. Following the lead of many others in this movement he strongly emphasised the gifts of the Spirit, including healing.

Parham had been influenced significantly by Benjamin Irwin and Frank Sandford. Following Stanford, Parham understood tongues to have a preaching function. Consequently he and his followers were among those hoping to receive the power of the Spirit to rapidly evangelise the world at the turn of the nineteenth century by speaking in other languages.

Like Irwin he understood baptism in the Spirit to be a third work of grace empowering the believer and gifting them for evangelism. He taught that those who had been converted and had gone forward to entire sanctification (Wesley's Christian perfection) should expect a baptism of “the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Parham was part of a Bible study group which was made up of some of his students and several Baptist ministers. After studying of the Book of Acts, Parham came to his conclusion that tongues was the “initial evidence” of Spirit baptism based on the narrative literature of Acts and the longer ending of Mark. Tongues in Acts seem to have the function of providing evidence of Spirit baptism. Following the pattern of other “restorationists,” he elevated this factor in the history of the Church to doctrinal standing.

Convinced by their study, and after much prayer, Parham and his students and fellow ministers reported their own practice of tongues-speaking, although only sporadic instances had occurred. After their experience with tongues, Parham formulated the doctrine of “initial evidence” (that tongues-speaking is the initial evidence of Spirit baptism). He is the one who pioneered this doctrine of tongues as a special sign of Spirit baptism. Because he was the first to insist on tongues as the necessary evidence of this subsequent work of Spirit baptism he is the origin of this basic distinctive in Pentecostalism today.

Following Benjamin Irwin however, Parham still taught that Spirit baptism was a third work of grace (conversion and sanctification being the first and second respectively).

Although under Charles Parham only sporadic instances of tongues-speaking occurred, what had begun in Topeka was the seed that directly resulted in the amazing growth of Pentecostalism out of the Azusa Street meetings under William Seymour. [2]

The Azusa Street Revival of 1906-1909 was the beginning of Pentecostalism. Before William Seymour went to Los Angeles he had been influenced by Parham in Topeka. He was a former student of Parham at his Bible school and as a result Seymour inherited Parham's unique doctrine of Spirit baptism with tongues speaking at the “initial evidence,” and used the platform at Azusa Street to teach this. Seymour also borrowed heavily from John Wesley’s Doctrines and Discipline. [5]

Parham's legacy and the events surrounding him in Topeka also contributed to the Azusa Street revival by fueling the escatological expectancy of a “latter rain” outpouring of the Spirit. The widespread burden for evangelism, coupled with this theological backbone, inspired a global outreach that has accompanied the Pentecostal movement since its beginning.

When tongues-speaking re-occurred at the Azusa Street meetings Seymour announced in excitement in his newspaper (the Apostolic Faith) that the “latter rain” of Joel 2:23 had come. News quickly spread overseas through the newspaper and by secular media like the Los Angeles Times and then even more so by visitors from around America and overseas who travelled back from the Azusa Street meetings.

While the majority of Holiness leaders rejected this revival and the doctrine of Parham and Seymour, the young leaders from more radical Holiness groups came to investigate the phenomenon on display there. [3] The Azusa Street meetings were characterised by spontaneous prayer and preaching and the active participation of women. In addition, an unparalleled inter-racial makeup of the services also highlighted the revival, accompanied by a message of reconciliation. In particular, however, visitors witnessed what they saw to be evidence of a special post-conversion baptismal experience of the Holy Spirit. Those that were convinced carried home with them this new teaching, and Pentecostalism began as a wold-wide movement.

“Pentecostalism made its greatest inroads where Holiness movements were already prospering, and it attracted far more non-Methodists than had the earlier forms of perfectionism. Besides the emphasis on the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Pentecostalism recognized divine healing and demanded highly puritanical standards of personal conduct. Like the Holiness groups the Pentecostals were theological conservatives, and they comprised an important addition to the Arminian wing of Protestant conservatism in the period when the fundamentalist movement was gathering steam.” [4]

To summarise, the rapid beginning of Pentecostalism can be understood against the backdrop of a revival of tongues-speaking in Topeka, 1901, after which Charles Parham formulated the doctrine of “initial evidence:” that tongues-speaking is the initial evidence of Spirit baptism, which he understood to be a separate work of the Spirit to conversion and sanctification. Then when the re-occurrence of tongues speaking at the Azusa Street meetings from 1906-1909 gained a worldwide audience, William Seymour, a former student of Parham, used the revival as a platform to teach this new doctrine of Spirit baptism. Visitors witnessed this first-hand and then carried the new teaching abroad.

But what of the early decades of the twentieth-century after the birth of Pentecostalism? What controvercies arose in the infancy of this movement? And what place did they have in defining the Pentecostalism of today? In the next article we'll be talking about how Pentecostalism was shaped in its early years.

More on this topic

How Pentecostalism developed over time

Why Pentecostalism was successful

Where Australian Pentecostalism came from

- -

[1] Vinson Synan (Ph. D., University of Georgia), “Pentecostalism,” Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Ed., Paternoster Press, 2001, p. 900.

[2] Grant. R. Osborne (Ph.D., University of Aberdeen), “Tongues, Speaking in,” Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Ed., Paternoster Press, 2001, p. 1208.

[3] Mark A. Noll (Ph.D., Vanderbilt University), “Azusa Street Revival,” Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Ed., Paternoster Press, 2001, p. 125.

[4] Richard. V. Pierard (Ph.D., University of Iowa), “Holiness Movement, American”, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Ed., Paternoster Press, 2001, p. 565. [5] The Oxford companion to Christian thought / edited by Adrian Hastings ... [et al.], Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2000, Pentecostalism.

talkingpentecostalism.blogspot.com | joe towns: christian discussion on pentecost, charisma, pentecostal and charismatic beliefs, the Bible and Jesus; including the origin and history of pentecostalism, baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, gifts and miracles, divine healing and word of faith, prosperity and wealth, praise and worship, guidance and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.

How early Pentecostals saw themselves

The key to understanding the teachings of the modern Pentecostal movement is understanding their origin. The first Pentecostals, who embraced this movement at that time in history when it began, had a determining influence on the Pentecostalism of today. We need to understand how early Pentecostals themselves interpreted the historical events surrounding their origin. How did they view Pentecostalism?

"When tongues-speaking occurred in Topeka in 1901, the only significant addition to the foregoing was to insist that tongues-speaking was the biblical evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit baptism. All the other teachings and practices of Pentecostalism were adapted from the Holiness milieu in which it was born, including its style of worship, its hymnody, and its basic theology." (McGee, 1995) [1]

talkingpentecostalism.blogspot.com | joe towns: christian discussion on pentecost, charisma, pentecostal and charismatic beliefs, the Bible and Jesus; including the origin and history of pentecostalism, baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, gifts and miracles, divine healing and word of faith, prosperity and wealth, praise and worship, guidance and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit. Firstly, the original Pentecostals knew that their doctrine of tongues-speaking was unique.

Pentecostalism began with the belief that the gift of tongues was the evidence of baptism in the Spirit. Although Pentecostalism came from within the Holiness movement it emerged as a new and distinct movement because of this unique role given to the practice of tongues. Although the Holiness movement did teach that Spirit-baptism was a second experience to empower Christians, it did not stress charismatic phenomena such as speaking in tongues. [2] The priority of the gift of tongues was inherited by early Pentecostals from Charles Parham who was the first to insisted that speaking in tongues was the evidence of Spirit baptism (that he believed to be the third work of grace.) [3]

Secondly, early Petecostals believed that the Spirit's work in those who had spoken in tongues was unique.

This is the reason why the practice of tongues-speaking was elevated in importance. It was Charles Parham again who was the first to articulate this so specifically. Charles Parham's saw an elite band of Spirit-baptised evangelists as fulfilling the Great Commission before the End. Gary B. McGee (as Professor of Church History, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary) describes Parham's view of the recipients of baptism in the Spirit:

"Sanctified and prepared now as an elite band of end-time missionaries, they alone [will] be taken by Christ at the (pre-Tribulation) rapture of the Church after they had completed their role in fulfilling the Great Commission. Other Christians [will] face the ordeal of survival during the seven years of tribulation to follow." [4]

McGee comments, "Despite the eventual relegation of this teaching to the fringes of the Pentecostal movement, it did raise an issue that still lingers: the uniqueness of the Spirit's work in those who have spoken in tongues as compared with those who have not." [4] It is a consequence of the Pentecostal belief (that Spirit-baptism is a unique work of the Spirit in some Christians) that the practice of tongues-speaking is a doctrinal priority in this movement. Tongues-speaking distinguishes between those who have had Spirit-baptism and those who have not. In other words, speaking in tongues funtions to divide the Church into two groups: those who are Christians only and those who are Spirit-empowered Christians.

Thirdly, early Pentecostals believed that with the beginning of their movement came the restoration of the Apostolic faith.

In 1922 Daniel W. Kerr (who has been called “the most influential theological voice in the early years of the Assemblies of God” [5]) wrote an article entitled “The Basis for Our Distinctive Testimony,” in which he remarked:

"During the past few years God has enabled us to discover and recover this wonderful truth concerning Baptism in the Spirit as it was given at the beginning. Thus we have all that the others got [i.e., Luther, Wesley, Blumhardt, Trudel, and A. B. Simpson], and we got this too. We see all that they see, but they don't see what we see." [5]

McGee himself believes in regard to the 1901 revival at Topeka, that "the 'apostolic faith' of the New Testament Church had at last been fully restored." [6] This point is further proven by the fact that Bennett Freeman Lawrence -- who wrote the first history of the Pentecostal movement -- named his book, "The Apostolic Faith Restored" (1916). [7]

Conclusion

The first Pentecostal thinkers themselves understood their doctrine of tongues-speaking to be unique in church history, and interpreted the events surrounding the beginning of the twentieth-century as the end-time restoration of the “Apostolic faith” in preparation for Christ's return. The practice of tongues speaking was specifically given doctrinal priority because it distinguishes between those who have received the unique work of Spirit-baptism from those Christians who have not.

But how did Pentecostalism grow so rapidly? How is it that by 1909, after only three years, Pentecostalism had become a world-wide movement? In the next article we'll be talking about why Pentecostalism was so successful.

More on this topic

Why Pentecostalism was successful

Why Pentecostalism began

How Pentecostalism developed over time

- -

[1] Gary B. McGee (Ph.D., Professor of Church History, Chair, Bible and Theology Department at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary), Systematic Theology, Chapter 1 “Historical Background”, Logion Press, 1995, p. 15-16.

[2] Vinson Synan (Ph. D., University of Georgia), “Pentecostalism”, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Ed., Paternoster Press, 2001, p. 900.

[3] Ibid., p. 15-16 (emphasis his).

[4] Gary B. McGee (Ph.D., Professor of Church History, Chair, Bible and Theology Department at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary), Systematic Theology, Chapter 1 “Historical Background”, Logion Press, 1995, p. 17.

[5] Ibid., p. 16.

[6] Ibid., p. 16 (emphasis his).

[7] Ibid., p. 16 (emphasis his).

Why Pentecostalism began

Pentecostalism began as a worldwide movement when a revival of tongues speaking at the beginning of the 20th century attracted international attention. Speaking about the origin of Pentecostalism, Vinson Synan (Ph. D., University of Georgia) says, “The Topeka and Los Angeles events took place in a turn-of-the century religious environment that encouraged the appearance of such a Pentecostal movement.” [1] The question is, what was the religious environment that encouraged the appearance of Pentecostalism? What prepared the world for Pentecostalism, historically? In other words, why did Pentecostalism begin?

Firstly, people were seeking the "gift of languages". [2] Among those committed to world evangelisation serious concerns arose over how the unreached millions were going to hear the gospel before the end. Several factors generated these concerns: The missions movement had spent considerable time and energy but the numbers of conversions of native peoples was alarmingly small; the premillennialists' gloomy assessment of the immediate future caused Christians in this movement to expect the condition of humankind to get worse before the imminent return of the Lord; and then when the arms race of the 1890s occurred and the end of the century was approaching, the Christian expectation of the end of the world was considerably heightened.

Widespread interest in the gifts of the Spirit convinced some that God was going to restore the gift of tongues (identifiable human languages) to the Church to equip them to preach the gospel in other countries, in preparation for the end. In 1895 the widely read Holiness author W. B. Godbey predicted: “[The “Gift of Language” is] destined to play a conspicuous part in the evangelization of the heathen world, amid the glorious prophetical fulfilment of the latter days. All missionaries in heathen lands should seek and expect this Gift to enable them to preach fluently in the vernacular tongue, at the same time not depreciating their own efforts.” [3]

Frank W. Sandford was another teacher who advocated the missionary use of tongues-speaking. He spread this teaching in his publication “Tongues of Fire” through which he endevoured to rapidly evangelise the world. He and others were praying and expected to receive the gift of “power and eloquence” for evangelism. This desire for the gift of languages set the stage for the revival of tongues speaking that occurred in the early 1900s.

Secondly, people were seeking a restoration of the "full" gospel. The Holiness movement sought to restore what it understood to be New Testament Christianity to the Church in the last days in preparation for Christ's return. This led to the movement reforming existing theology to develop what it saw to be the “full" gospel. Reflecting this desire, A. B. Simpson blended together four themes of Christ as Savior, Baptizer, Healer, and Coming King. In time this was described as the “full gospel” or “fourfold gospel.” [4] This change of theology set the stage for Pentecostalism.

"By the turn of the century, the Holiness movement had become preoccupied with the “Pentecostal reformation of Weslyan doctrine” and the four themes of the full gospel. In fact, when the Pentecostal movement began a few years later, only the priority given to the gift of tongues distinguished it theologically from Holiness beliefs." [5]

Thirdly, people were seeing spiritual experiences as “crisis” events. The Holiness movement taught that Christian spirituality involved seeking distinct experiences that occured as instant events. This in turn set the stage for the Pentecostal doctrine of Spirit baptism as a separate experience to conversion.

"Not only did such Holiness teachers emphasize conscious religious experiences, they tended to encourage persons to seek for them as “crisis” experiences that could be received in an instant of time through prayer and faith. By 1890 the Holiness movement began to think of religious experiences more in terms of crisis than in gradual categories. Thus the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church taught instant conversion through the new birth, instant sanctification as a second blessing, instant baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire, instant divine healing through prayer, and the instant premillennial second coming of Christ." [6]

Fourthly, there was a need for "evidence" of the second work. Benjamin Hardin Irwin was a radical Weslyan Holiness preacher who taught a third work of grace for power in Christian service. In 1895 he began teaching that the second work of grace initiated sanctification and the third brought baptism in the Spirit. This “third blessing” was called “the fire.” Irwin named his group the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church, beginning another movement that started new groups across America and Canada. This created the problem of needing evidence to distinguishing between those who had received the third blessing from those who had the second only. This problem was part of the reason why the mainstream Holiness Movement rejected his as the “third blessing heresy.”

This controversy laid an important foundation for Pentecostalism because it crystallised the movement's commitment to a two-stage work of the Spirit (which would be simpler to identify). It also highlighted the need to clarify what is the nature of the second work of grace (which would be empowerment, not sanctification). In addition, the Irwin heresy (as it was called) revealed the need for an evidence for the second work of grace. This again set the stage for Pentecostalism which provided that evidence. Irwin later joined the Pentecostal Movement.

To summarise, the historical situation at the turn of the nineteenth-century that encouraged the appearance of Pentecostalism was a widespread desire for the gift of languages for world evangelisation, the desire for a restoration of the “full gospel” involving Spirit-baptism as a post-conversion experience and the miraculous gifts such as healing, the emphasis on spiritual experiences as “crisis” events, and the theological necessity of an evidence to distinguish those having received subsequent works of the Spirit from those who had not.

But in order to understand the origin of Pentecostalism completely we also need to understand how early Pentecostal thinkers themselves interpreted the historical events surrounding their beginnings. Did they themselves understand their doctrine of tongues-speaking to be unique in church history? Did they interpret the events surrounding the beginning of the twentieth-century as the end-time restoration of the “Apostolic faith” in preparation for Christ's return? In the next article, we'll talk about how early Pentecostals viewed Pentecostalism.

More on this topic

How early Pentecostals saw themselves

(PART 3) Where Pentecostalism came from - The Holiness movement

Why Pentecostalism was successful

- -

[1] Vinson Synan (Ph. D., University of Georgia), “Pentecostalism”, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Ed., Paternoster Press, 2001, p. 899.

[2] Gary B. McGee (Ph.D., Professor of Church History, Chair, Bible and Theology Department at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary), Systematic Theology, Chapter 1 “Historical Background”, Logion Press, 1995, p. 14-15.

[3] Ibid., p. 15.

[4] Ibid., p. 14-15.

[5] Ibid., p. 15-16.

[6] Vinson Synan (Ph. D., University of Georgia), “Pentecostalism,” Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Ed., Paternoster Press, 2001, p. 900.

talkingpentecostalism.blogspot.com | joe towns: christian discussion on pentecost, charisma, pentecostal and charismatic beliefs, the Bible and Jesus; including the origin and history of pentecostalism, baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, gifts and miracles, divine healing and word of faith, prosperity and wealth, praise and worship, guidance and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Why the origin of Pentecostalism is important

How can we truly understand something as complex as modern Pentecostalism? A complete understanding of Pentecostalism must involve an understanding of its history. And the crucial element within the history of Pentecostalism is its origin. The key to understanding Pentecostalism is understanding the origin of Pentecostalism.

Looking at the origin of Pentecostalism shows us, as well as where it came from, how it originated and why. How did Pentecostalism begin? What is the history of tongues? Where did Pentecostalism come from? Why did Pentecostalism begin?

Answering these questions will enable us to to begin to truly understand both the general characteristics of Pentecostalism and its specific distinctives. Talking Pentecostalism begins by answering not only these questions, but also the questions that spring from them, such as what did early Pentecostals think about themselves and their movement, why was Pentecostalism successful, and how was Pentecostalism shaped.

Here is a brief overview of the topics covered in my articles on the origin of Pentecostalism:

• Pentecostalism began as a worldwide movement when a revival of tongues speaking at the beginning of the twentieth-century attracted international attention. Visitors to the revival carried Pentecostalism’s distinctive theology around the world within just a few years.

• Tongues speaking, whether unknown utterances or miraculous gifts of languages, have been reported throughout history. However, what makes Pentecostalism unique is that never before has tongues speaking been given the doctrinal importance that modern Pentecostals have given to it.

• Pentecostalism has its roots in the eighteenth-century Wesleyan doctrine of 'entire sanctification', which taught that sanctification involves a 'second blessing' as an experience of the Spirit distinct from conversion. Then, in the nineteenth-century, the Irvingites spread a charismatic eschatology which taught that the period prior to the second coming of Christ would see an end-time outpouring of the Spirit, accompanied by a restoration to the Church of the 'sign gifts' such as tongues and healing. Also at this time, Wesleyan doctrine spread to America where it inspired the Holiness movement, which reformed Wesleyan theology on the 'second blessing' by teaching that Spirit-baptism was the second experience to empower Christians for miraculous evangelisation.

• The historical situation at the turn of the nineteenth-century that encouraged the appearance of Pentecostalism was a widespread desire for the gift of tongues for world evangelisation, the desire for a restoration of the 'full gospel', involving Spirit-baptism as a post-conversion experience and the miraculous gifts such as healing, the emphasis on spiritual experiences which involved 'crisis' events, and the theological necessity of an evidence to distinguish those who had received subsequent works of the Spirit from those who had not.

• The origin of Pentecostalism can be understood against the backdrop of a revival of tongues-speaking in Topeka, 1901, after which Charles Parham formulated the doctrine of 'initial evidence': that tongues-speaking is the initial evidence of Spirit baptism, which he understood to be a separate work of the Spirit to conversion and sanctification. Then, when the re-occurrence of tongues speaking at the Azusa Street meetings from 1906-1909 gained a worldwide audience, William Seymour, a former student of Parham, used the revival as a platform to teach this new doctrine of Spirit-baptism. Visitors witnessed first-hand 'evidence' and carried abroad this new teaching.

• Pentecostal thinkers themselves understand their doctrine of tongues-speaking to be unique in church history, and interpret the events surrounding the beginning of the twentieth-century as the end-time restoration of the 'Apostolic faith' in preparation for Christ's return. The practice of tongues-speaking is given doctrinal priority because it distinguishes between those who have received the unique work of Spirit-baptism from those Christians who have not.

• The early decades of the twentieth-century were defining years for Pentecostalism. Dividing controversies arose over the nature of tongues, the nature and number of subsequent works of the Spirit, and the practice of water-baptism. The resolution of these issues accelerated the formation of different Pentecostal denominations, each of which took different doctrinal stances.

The Bible's context and ours

Only an understanding of the message of the Bible itself will enable Christians to evaluate Pentecostalism for themselves. However, just as any one-directional focus leaves us unaware of our blind-spots, so too a unifocus on the Bible, even in its context, without proper consideration to one's own context and the way that inevitably influences our perceptions of the Bible's message, runs the same risk as a swimmer who fails to notice the influence of the current upon his direction: he is bound to end up along way off course.

Nobody can remove the impact our own environment and historical context has upon the way we each interpret the Bible. We comprehend the meaning of any story according to a variety of factors, including the words and phrases used, but also according to our presuppositions, such as where we think the story is heading, for example.

The point is, Christians are readers. We are readers of God's Word, but we must also be readers of ourselves. The most any diligent reader can do is be aware of our influences, and seek to critically assess their effect upon our reading, and by subjecting our ideas and presuppositions to the Scriptures themselves as we read them, undergo a process of continual review and modification of our beliefs, according to how we perceive them to bear up under the evidence regarding the meaning of Scripture, and so increasingly align ourselves with the Scriptures themselves.

For Pentecostals and those influenced by the Charismatic movement, undertanding the origin of Pentecostalism is a part of this process. It will enable you to begin to see the extent to which your reading of the Bible, and of Church history, and of your own life, has been informed by the beliefs of your own Christian culture. Understanding the origin of Pentecostalism will better enable you to distinguish within your own Christianity the way in which your understanding of the Scriptures has been determined by Pentecostalism itself rather than by their Author.

- -

More on this topic

Defining Pentecostalism

Why talk about Pentecostalism

How Pentecostalism began

talkingpentecostalism.blogspot.com | joe towns: christian discussion on pentecost, charisma, pentecostal and charismatic beliefs, the Bible and Jesus; including the origin and history of pentecostalism, baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, gifts and miracles, divine healing and word of faith, prosperity and wealth, praise and worship, guidance and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Defining Pentecostalism: What is a Pentecostal?

A Pentecostal is somebody who is a part of Pentecostalism. So what is 'Pentecostalism'?

A Definition of 'Pentecostalism'

A movement

Pentecostalism is a movement; it is a trend within Christianity of a growing group that share characteristic beliefs and goals. The Charismatic movement is the influence of Pentecostalism among mainline church denominations. Though there are thousands of Pentecostal denominations worldwide, such as the Assemblies of God, the Apostolic Church and the Full Gospel Church, the Charismatic movement has shown that Pentecostalism transcends denominations.

A modern movement

Pentecostalism is also a modern movement because it emerged only recently in modern history. Its definite origin and unique theology distinguishes it from other movements in history, such as Montanism (a prophetic movement of the second century), that although similar, did not possess the doctrinal distinctives of Pentecostalism. Pentecostalism has a characteristic doctrinal teaching concerning “baptism with the Spirit”1 (or “Spirit baptism” for short) which is unique from any other past movement in history.

A reformation movement

Pentecostalism is also a reformation movement because it seeks to reform certain doctrines and practices of the past by its influence in the present. Pentecostalism not only began by reforming various doctrines of the past, but still today one of the goals of this movement is the continuing reformation of the church in these areas.

“It bears strong commonalities with evangelical doctrines while testifying to long-neglected truths about the work of the Holy Spirit...”2

A restoration movement

Pentecostalism is a restoration movement. It began with a belief that in its origin God was restoring New Testament Christianity to the church today by bringing a discovery and recovery of certain truths and experiences of the Spirit. And now by virtue of its rapid growth and huge worldwide influence, Pentecostalism today is increasingly bringing such a 'restoration' to the church because of the way it is “reshaping Christianity in the twenty-first century.”3

"Thus far the twentieth-century Pentecostal movement has succeeded in restoring the experiential dimension of the Spirit's dynamic presence to a significant segment of the church. Pentecostals believe that recovery of the doctrine and experience of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is comparable to the Reformation's recovery of the doctrine of justification by faith."4

A charismatic movement

Pentecostalism is also a charismatic movement because it characteristically emphasises the working and gifts of the Spirit,5 with a special focus on baptism with the Spirit, the gift of tongues and the other spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians 12:8-10.

A unique charismatic movement

Pentecostalism is a movement with a distinctive doctrine of Pentecost that makes it unique among other charismatic movements in history. What makes Pentecostalism unique from other charismatic movements is its distinctive doctrine of Spirit baptism, and the priority this gives to the gifts of the Spirit, particularly the gift of tongues. This comes from a particular reading of the Pentecost events: Acts 2 when baptism with the Spirit was first given to Jews, and Acts 8, 10 and 19 when it was repeated among Samaritans, Gentiles and some of John's disciples. Pentecostalism teaches that baptism with the Spirit is a post-conversion experience of empowerment for supernatural Christian living, with “speaking in tongues”6 as the initial physical evidence.

Putting it all together

Pentecostalism may be defined as a modern charismatic reformation movement with a distinctive theology of Spirit baptism that gives doctrinal priority to the gift of tongues.

However this definition does not include the fact that Pentecostalism also refers at times to a separate theological system with its own distinctive method, doctrines and practices.7

More on this topic

Why talk about Pentecostalism

The famous five

Why the origin of Pentecostalism is important

Baptism in the Spirit: What Pentecostals believe

- -

1 Baptism “in” or “with” the Spirit are synonymous terms. However baptism “by” or “of” the Spirit are misleading translations, because the Scriptures repeatedly indicate that this baptism was given by Jesus, not by the Spirit; that is, it is the baptism of Jesus, as opposed to the baptism of John – it was a baptism with the Spirit, or in the Spirit, as opposed to John's baptism that was with water, or in water. However, since Acts 2 and the OT Scriptures refer to this baptism as being a “pouring out” of the Spirit by Jesus, as opposed to an “immersion in” the Spirit, the translation “baptism with the Spirit” is the most appropriate.
2 Gary B. McGee (Ph.D., Professor of Church History, Chair, Bible and Theology Department at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary), Systematic Theology, Chapter 1 “Historical Background”, Logion Press, 1995, p. 9.
3 Harvey Cox, Harvard University.
4 John W. Wyckoff (Ph.D., Professor of Bible and Theology, Chair, Church Ministries Division at Southwestern Assemblies of God College), Systematic Theology, Chapter 13 “The Baptism in the Holy Spirit”, Logion Press, 1995, p. 454.
5 “Charismatic” comes from the Greek word, charismata, meaning “gifts.”
6 While the Greek word for “tongues” (glossolalia) is literally “languages”, Pentecostals base their practice of tongues-speaking on ideas in 1 Corinthians 14, where the practice may not be associated with known languages. The use of this word in Pentecostalism is almost synonymous for “unknown utterances.”
7 Examples of different theological systems are Calvinism and Arminianism, or Protestantism and Catholicism.

talkingpentecostalism.blogspot.com | joe towns: christian discussion on pentecost, charisma, pentecostal and charismatic beliefs, the Bible and Jesus; including the origin and history of pentecostalism, baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, gifts and miracles, divine healing and word of faith, prosperity and wealth, praise and worship, guidance and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.