Pentecostal churches, << `pehn` tuh KAWS tuhl, >> are a group of Protestant churches that trace their origins to a religious revival that began in Topeka, Kansas, in 1901. The movement spread rapidly in the United States. Similar revivals took place in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Today, some of the world’s largest and fastest-growing Protestant denominations are Pentecostal.
Beliefs and practices.
Pentecostals claim that all individual Christians should experience “baptism in the Holy Spirit.” Proof of “Spirit baptism” generally comes when the person speaks in tongues—that is, speaks in an unknown language. Pentecostals take their name from the New Testament reference to the disciples speaking in tongues on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Pentecostals also believe that they can receive other gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts include the power of physical healing and the abilities to prophesy and to interpret what is said when someone speaks in an unknown tongue. Such gifts are described in I Corinthians 12 and 14.
Pentecostals believe that history will end with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. They believe their movement fulfills Biblical prophecies of a religious revival before the end of the world. They view evangelism (the spreading of their religious message) as a solemn obligation to prepare the world for Jesus’s return.
Pentecostal worship services tend to be highly emotional and filled with a sense of the wonder and miracle of the Holy Spirit’s presence. The celebration and use of spiritual gifts, as well as prayers for the healing of the sick, are typical practices in many congregations.
Pentecostal churches differ from one another in size and in their interpretations of faith and practice. For example, some Pentecostal denominations are controlled by individual congregations. Others are led by bishops.
Major Pentecostal churches.
There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Pentecostal denominations in the world. Many other small, regional churches identify with the Pentecostal movement but do not call themselves Pentecostal churches. In addition, a related movement of charismatic renewal began during the 1960’s. It involved many Protestants and Roman Catholics who claimed to have experienced Spirit baptism.
The earliest Pentecostal churches grew out of the Holiness movement of the late 1800’s. Members of Holiness churches acknowledged two acts of grace: (1) conversion, or being “born again”; and (2) sanctification, or a “second blessing,” meaning a cleansing from sin.
Charles Fox Parham, an independent Holiness preacher, is believed to have originated the Pentecostal revival. In 1901, people began speaking in tongues at his Bethel Bible College in Topeka. Parham claimed that such speech indicated “true baptism in the Spirit.” He added Spirit baptism to the two acts of grace accepted by Holiness churches. William Joseph Seymour, a black Holiness preacher, brought the movement to the Azusa Street Apostolic Faith Mission in Los Angeles in 1906.
The first Pentecostal church was the Church of God, in Cleveland, Tennessee. This former Holiness church accepted Pentecostal teaching about Spirit baptism in 1907. Other Pentecostal churches with Holiness roots include the Church of God in Christ and the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. See Church of God in Christ, The .
Other Pentecostal churches reject the idea of a “second blessing.” They teach only conversion and Spirit baptism. One such church is the Assemblies of God. See Assemblies of God .
A group of Pentecostal churches known as Oneness churches formed out of the Assemblies of God after 1916. These churches reject the traditional Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Instead, they hold that the Bible calls for baptism only “in the name of Jesus.” Such churches include the United Pentecostal Church International and the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc.
