Description
Book SynopsisIn 1906, William J Seymour (1870-1922) preached Pentecostal revival at the Azusa Street mission in Los Angeles. This book provides an insight into the life and ministry of Seymour, the Azusa Street revival, and Seymour's influence on global Pentecostal origins.
Trade Review“The author convincingly portrays Seymour, an African American with little formal education, at the vital center of Pentecostalism, influencing scores of ministers and missionaries who passed through his mission or read his Apostolic Faith newspaper. . . . Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty.” -- W. B. Bedford * Choice *
“Readers deeply steeped in the historiographical fights over the relative influence of Seymour versus other figures will find here about as close to a definitive account as one is going to get. But even those who just want to learn about Pentecostalism’s early days generally, and perhaps don’t have a dog in the historiographical and in-church fight, will benefit greatly from the author’s strongly argued, impeccably researched, and cogently written account. This is church history at its best.” -- Paul Harvey * Canadian Journal of History *
"Espinosa’s detailed and careful analysis of Seymour’s role in the internal and external dynamics of the early Pentecostal movement explains much about its crucial decisions, and the contemporary strengths and weaknesses of this branch of Christianity." -- Hans Krabbendam * History *
“Espinosa provides an appropriate challenge to evaluate the radical countercultural, socially transgressive nature of Azusa and the opportunity that such transgressive space gave to an emerging Pentecostalism.” -- Zachary Michael Tackett * Pneuma *
Table of ContentsForeword xiii
Preface xix
Acknowledgments xxi
Timeline xxiii
Introduction. Definitions and 100 Years of Historiography on Seymour 1
Part I. Biography
1. American Pentecostal Origins: Parham and Seymour 41
3. Moses and Mecca: Seymour, Azusa, and Global Origins 69
4. God Makes No Difference in Color: Azusa's Transgressive Social Space 96
5. Wrecking the Spirit of Azusa: Grumbling and the Road to Decline 109
6. Race War in the Churches: Promoting Peace by Taking the Initiative 126
7. We Don't Believe in Relics: Seymour in Ignominy 143
Conclusion. Holy Restlessness and Cracking Bottles 149
Part II. Documentary History of William J. Seymour, The Azusa Street Revival, and Global Pentecostal Origins
A. Seymour's Spiritual Writings from the
Apostolic Faith, 1906-08 161
B. Seymour's
Doctrines and Discipline Minister's Manual (1915) 216
C. Azusa Street Revival Accounts in the
Apostolic Faith, 1906-08 301
D. Historical Overviews and Testimonies of Seymour and the Azusa Revival 309
E. Critics of Seymour and the Revival 372
F. Writings of Charles Fox Parham 380
Notes 389
Bibliography 411
Index 429
