Spirit and Power Foundations of Pentecostal Experience

Chapter OneHistory: Understanding the New Contexthen sufficient time has elapsed for the twentieth century to be reviewed in perspective, the astounding growth of the modern Pentecostal movement worldwide will certainly be listed among the significant religious phenomena of the century. In 1900, the Pentecostal movement did not exist. At the end of the century, if one includes Charismatics along with Pentecostals, the collective movement embraces a larger number of people than all the Reformation bodies together and is surpassed only by the Roman Catholic Church in sheer magnitude among the church families of Christendom.1 In some parts of the world, Pentecostal missions and ministry account for a significant proportion of all the new converts to Christianity. While many of the classical Christian denominations have diminished in strength, Pentecostal bodies have grown rapidly. Although the influence of Pentecostalism has not matched its numerical growth, nonetheless, the contours of Christianity have been shaped increasingly by Pentecostal values. It should be noted at the outset, however, that the dramatic rise of Pentecostalism is not without dangers and challenges; but it also carries great opportunities. At this moment of reflection, it is appropriate to consider the stewardship of opportunity required. Pentecostals should avoid falling prey to the risk of triumphalism.In this chapter we will endeavor to outline briefly the origins and development of the modern Pentecostal movement. In addition, we will examine the emergence of the sister revival movement, the Charismatic Renewal. We will identify some of the challenges and opportunities currently facing Pentecostals today, occasioned in part by the rapid growth of interest around the world in the work of the Holy Spirit. This background chapter is provided as a historical context for the chapters that follow. The intention is to provide a perspective for viewing the development of Pentecostal theology and for charting the challenges Pentecostals face.1. The Emergence of the Modern Pentecostal RevivalOn January 1, 1901, in Topeka, Kansas, Agnes Ozman experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit, accompanied by speaking in tongues. She was not the first to speak in tongues. Episodes of isolated outpourings of the Spirit have been chronicled as early as the 1850s, not only in the United States but also in various parts of the world. What was unique about the experience of Miss Ozman, a student at Charles F. Parham''s Bethel Bible College, is that her experience occurred within a conscious theological understanding that baptism in the Spirit, an empowering of the Spirit for ministry, an experience subsequent to new birth, is marked by the accompanying sign of speaking in other tongues. Parham''s Bible school furnished the environment in which a theological self-understanding was developed for appreciating the significance of this spiritual experience. This is the beginning of a connected history of the modern Pentecostal movement.Students at Parham''s short-term Bible school had been studying the Bible with a view to learning what it teaches about the evidence that one has indeed been baptized in the Holy Spirit. These students concluded that the book of Acts teaches that the baptism in the Spirit is accompanied by speaking in tongues. They understood that this experience was intended to empower recipients to be effective witnesses for Christ. It is significant that this revival began in the context of Bible study and that its theological identity was given form here. People had been known to speak in tongues in a variety of places in the late nineteenth century, and many Evangelicals employed the terminology of baptism in the Spirit prior to 1901, to be sure. But it was in Topeka, under the direction of Charles F. Parham, that the connection between baptism in the Spirit as an enduement of power and the accompanying sign of tongues was established.Following a succession of localMenzies, William W. is the author of 'Spirit and Power Foundations of Pentecostal Experience' with ISBN 9780310235071 and ISBN 0310235073.