William J. Seymour and the Origins of Global Pentecostalism: A Biography and Documentary History

In 1906, William J. Seymour (1870–1922) preached Pentecostal revival at the Azusa Street mission in Los Angeles. From these and other humble origins the movement has blossomed to 631 million people around the world. Gastón Espinosa provides new insight into the life and ministry of Seymour, the Azusa Street revival, and Seymour's influence on global Pentecostal origins. After defining key terms and concepts, he surveys the changing interpretations of Seymour over the past 100 years, critically engages them in a biography, and then provides an unparalleled collection of primary sources, all in a single volume. He pays particular attention to race relations, Seymour's paradigmatic global influence from 1906 to 1912, and the break between Seymour and Charles Parham, another founder of Pentecostalism. Espinosa's fragmentation thesis argues that the Pentecostal propensity to invoke direct unmediated experiences with the Holy Spirit empowers ordinary people to break the bottle of denominationalism and to rapidly indigenize and spread their message. The 104 primary sources include all of Seymour's extant writings in full and without alteration and some of Parham's theological, social, and racial writings, which help explain why the two parted company. To capture the revival's diversity and global influence, this book includes Black, Latino, Swedish, and Irish testimonies, along with those of missionaries and leaders who spread Seymour's vision of Pentecostalism globally. Contents......Page 8 Foreword......Page 14 Preface......Page 20 Acknowledgments......Page 22 Seymour Timeline......Page 24 Introduction: Definitions and One Hundred Years of Historiography on Seymour......Page 26 Part I: Biography......Page 64 Chapter 1. American Pentecostal Origins: Parham and Seymour......Page 66 Chapter 2. Holy Awe and Indescribable Wonder: The Azusa Street Revival......Page 78 Chapter 3. Moses and Mecca: Seymour, Azusa, and Global Origins......Page 94 Chapter 4. God Makes No Difference in Color: Azusa’s Transgressive Social Space......Page 121 Chapter 5. Wrecking the Spirit of Azusa: Grumbling and the Road to Decline......Page 134 Chapter 6. Race War in the Churches: Promoting Peace by Taking the Initiative......Page 151 Chapter 7. We Don’t Believe in Relics: Seymour in Ignominy......Page 168 Conclusion: Holy Restlessness and Cracking Bottles......Page 174 Part II: Documentary History of William J. Seymour, the Azusa Street Revival, and Global Pentecostal Origins......Page 184 A. Seymour’s Spiritual Writings from the Apostolic Faith, 1906–08......Page 186 B. Seymour’s Doctrines and Discipline Minister’s Manual (1915)......Page 241 C. Azusa Street Revival Accounts in the Apostolic Faith (1906–08)......Page 326 D. Historical Overviews and Testimonies of Seymour and the Azusa Revival......Page 334 E. Critics of Seymour and the Revival......Page 397 F. Writings of Charles Fox Parham......Page 405 Notes......Page 414 Bibliography......Page 436 Index......Page 454