CONTEMPORARY THEOLOGY

PENTECOSTALISM
 A. INTRODUCTION

David L. Smith: “The Pentecostal movement may be

seen as an attempt to return to literal biblical
Christianity as it was practiced in the New Testament
church. Pentecostals believe that the hallmark of
normative Christianity must be a modern experience of
Pentecost, which they refer to as ‘baptism in the Holy
Spirit.’ Proof of this baptism is demonstrated by
speaking in a tongue (language) unknown to the
speaker.”
 B. A BRIEF HISTORY OF PENTECOSTALISM

*Pentecostals maintain that it is a movement that

began at Pentecost and moved down through history in
varying groups which, while unconnected organically,
held the same experiences and beliefs.
*It is generally agreed that Pentecostalism has its roots
in an alliance of Black Christianity with the Holiness
movement at the turn of the twentieth century. John
Wesley had emphasized a distinction between ordinary
believers and those who had been sanctified by a
second, crisis experience (after conversion).
 C. THE BEGINNING OF THE “LATTER RAIN”

*In 1900: Charles Parham the Bethel Bible School in Topeka,

Kansas to prepare missionaries for Spirit-filled Christian
service.

*In 1901: Agnes Ozman, one of Parham’s students…

*In 1903: Parham conducted healing and revival services in

Galena, Kansas for three months…

*By 1905: It was estimated that there were 25,000

Pentecostal believers and about sixty preachers— all the
direct result of Parham’s efforts.
*In 1905, William J. Seymour, one of Parham’s students and
a Black holiness revivalist, claimed that anyone who did
not speak in tongues (though at this time he did not speak
in tongues yet) was not Sprit-baptized. Outraged members
of the church (for Holiness people denied the necessity of
tongues for the “second blessing”) expelled him. He then
began to hold meetings in homes.

*On April 9, 1906, “the fire came down” and many, including
Seymour, received the Pentecostal blessing. For three days and
nights they shouted and praised God. The numbers in
attendance grew so great that Seymour rented an old
warehouse at 312 Azusa Street (regarded by most
Pentecostals as the site of the birth of their movement) in the
Los Angeles industrial sector.
*Seymour incorporated the work as the Pacific
Apostolic Faith Movement.
*In 1908, one of Seymour’s helpers, Florence
Crawford, left the group with a number of others.
*In 1910, William Durham, arrived in Los Angeles,
teaching a somewhat different doctrine of grace
which siphoned off much of the remainder of
Seymour’s following. Although he continued at the
Azusa Street Mission, the church gradually declined
and, at Seymour’s death in 1922, was a small band of
blacks only.
 D. THE SPREAD OF PENTECOSTALISM

* In spite of the ultimate decline of Seymour’s work, the Azusa

Street Mission served as the center for an evangelistic thrust
which swept across North America and the world. By the end of
1906 there were nine Pentecostal churches in Los Angeles
(although not all on amicable terms with one another). The
movement spread quickly beyond California. People from other
areas who had received “the baptism” at the Azusa Street
services took their experience back to their homes across the
United States and Canada.
 E. A DOCTRINAL SUMMARY OF PENTECOSTALISM

*The Pentecostal movement must not be seen as a uniform

group or denomination, but rather as a family of
denominations.
1. On Authority
*Pentecostals unanimously declare themselves to be
devout biblicists, with no creed but the Bible. This has led
to the idea that even the study of the original languages of
the Bible is seen as detrimental to a reverence for the
Scriptures. This has mellowed among the major Pentecostal
traditions have biblical scholars.
*Many Pentecostals have a very subjective and experiential
concept of authority. It is common for them to say, “The Lord
told me.”

2. On the Doctrine of God

*Most Pentecostals hold to the traditional orthodox doctrine of the
Trinity.

*When the teaching (by Frank Ewart & G.A. Cook) that legitimate
baptism was to be in the name of Jesus only, and that the
Trinitarian baptism was invalid began to circulate, a number of
pastors decided to be rebaptized. It spread quickly throughout
North America.
*Three Prominent Pentecostal groups that adhere to “in
the name of Jesus only” baptism:

(a) The United Pentecostal Church

(b) The (Black) Pentecostal Assemblies of the World
(c) The Apostolic Church of Pentecost

*These churches reject the doctrine of the Trinity,

insisting that God is not three, but one—that One is
Jesus Christ. They believe that those who worship the
Trinity are really tri-theists.
3. On Salvation and the Christian Life
*Pentecostals believe in the necessity of regeneration
as the result of a conversion experience received
through the gift of God’s grace in Christ. But
regeneration is only a first step. Sanctification is vital as
well.

*For those with a Baptist or Reformed orientation,

sanctification occurs simultaneously with regeneration.

*For those with a Holiness background, sanctification

must be sought as a second crisis experience with
tears and ardent prayer.
validation of practical truth of the Christian message,
and gives one absolute assurance of salvation.

*Being Arminian in much of their theology because of

their Holiness roots, Pentecostals believe that any
person in a condition of unconfessed sin is lost, and in
a state of perdition until the sin is confessed. Following
confession and forgiveness, a sinning Christian is once
again in a state of grace. Such repositioning can
happen any number of times.
4. On Humankind and Sin
*Man was created in God’s image, to walk in holiness and purity
before Him, and that because of the Fall all humanity is in
bondage to Satan.

*The doctrine of the freedom of the will predominates

Pentecostal thinking. Human beings sin through choice, not
necessity, for the Fall never deprived them of the freedom to
choose between good and evil. For Pentecostals, it is not the
sinful state, but the sinful act which implies guilt and justice. To
them (from John Wesley), there is a difference between
involuntary transgression and sin. The former being
unconscious, the latter being willful. It is the latter which
brings humans under condemnation.
5. On Spiritual Gifts
*They believe that the gifts of 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 are in
operation today.

*Speaking with tongues occupies the premier position, for it is

the necessary evidential sign of Spirit baptism.

*Initially, no differentiation was made between tongues as a

sign and tongues as a spiritual gift. The belief of the early
revivalists was that Spirit baptism (demonstrated by tongues)
brought a gift of power. But within a few years they were
insisting that one must distinguish between tongues as the
initial evidence of baptism and something given to all who ask
for it in faith (Acts 2:4), and the spiritual gift of tongues (1 Cor.
12:30), given only to those the Spirit may designate.
6. On Eschatology
*No other churches preach more on “Jesus is coming
soon!” than Pentecostals. They are mostly premillennial,
looking for a pre-tribulational rapture of the church
out of this world.

*Reconstructionist or dominion theology has attracted

some Pentecostal interest. It aims at establishing the
kingdom of God on earth through human effort. When
the kingdom has been instituted, Christ will return.
 F. AN EVALUATION & SUMMARY
OF PENTECOSTALISM

1. Many Christian theologians tend to see

Pentecostalism as second century Montanism reborn.

2. When “word of faith” or “word from the Lord” are

equated with the divine revelation of Scripture, then
it must be considered heresy.
3. The Pentecostal insistence on speaking in tongues as
the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit
cannot be defended biblically.

*F.F. Bosworth (founder of the Assemblies of God)

taught that the gift of tongues was only one of the
many evidences of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately, his view was not heeded and he was
expelled from his denomination.
4. The Pentecostal movement has brought to the
Christian community worldwide a renewed emphasis on,
and respect for, the Person and work of the Holy
Spirit.

5. For Pentecostals, experience has taken precedence

over doctrinal foundation.

6. The Pentecostal movement has greatly been used

in world evangelization.