Last Updated on May 8, 2006 by Paulette Brown-Hinds
By Daniel Walker, Ph.D.
Last week over one hundred thousand people from all over the world came to Los Angeles, CA to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revivalthe event that birthed modern-day Pentecostalism.
Begun on April 14, 1906 and led by William J. Seymour (1870-1922), a spiritual pioneer and the son of freed slaves, the revival was a multiracial religious event where the color line was washed away in the blood of Jesus. Although Azusa Street is often cited as a model of interracial harmony, its beginning and end were both affected by racism and segregation.
Biblical justification for speaking in tongues and descriptions of the day of Pentecost (the singular spiritual experience that defines Azusa Street and Pentecostalism) are contained in Acts 2:1-18. Early in 1901 a white minister from Topeka, Kansas by the name of Charles F. Parham began preaching that the Holy Spirit would soon begin a similar work in America. When Parham visited Houston to expand his message, Seymour came to hear. Forced to sit in the segregated section of the meeting hall, Seymour was convicted by the message but troubled by the Parhams openly bigoted methods.
Soon after this experience, Seymour accepted an invitation to come to Los Angeles to lead a church. Not long after his arrival he was removed from the pulpit for preaching what many considered to be a contradictory doctrine. After achieving the gift of speaking in tongues during a series of in-home Bible studies, Seymour and his small band of believers made the decision to spread their message through a revival. Initially planned to run for a few days, the Azusa Street Revival ended up lasting three years while drawing in every race, gender, and nationality.
As the notoriety of the revival began to grow, Seymour invited Parham to come Los Angeles to preach. Instead of offering words of encouragement, Parham lashed out at Seymour and the congregants by referring to the revival as a darky camp meeting and a front for interracial sexual relations. (Parham believed that the Great Flood spoken of in the Bible was actually Gods punishment for race-mixing). In the ultimate act of betrayal he even set up his own revival across the street so that whites could worship separately. Despite Parhams actions most worshipers ignored his alternative revival and it shut down in a matter of days.
When many of the worshippers left the revival they were ordained by the predominately Black Church of God in Christ. Although this was the case, most white ministers soon buckled under the pressure from racists within their community and eventually went on to create separate all-white denominations. While there are over 600 million Pentecostals today, many still have yet to seriously address how these early actions sidetracked Gods spiritual cure for Americas racial sickness.
To learn more about the struggles and triumphs of Black Christians in America join the Black Voice Foundation, Inc. on the Psalms of Freedom Tour (June 20-27, 2006). Starting in Tennessee and traveling through Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia the tour will examine the history, music, and mission of the Black Church. For more information, go to www.perfectworks.org or to register contact Kenley Konnection Travel at (866) 456-7425 or www.kenleykonnection.com