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.

From the pen of John Bartleman, an early leader of the Pentecostal movement, we have an eyewitness account of the "latter rain" when Pentecost moved from California to Maine and back.

A definitive history of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement and an intriguing reference for persons outside the movement, The Century of the Holy Spirit details the miraculous story of Pentecostal/Charismatic growth--in the U.S. and around the world. This book features five chapters by the premier Pentecostal historian, Vinson Synan, with additional contributions by leading Pentecostal/Charismatic authorities--David Barrett, David Daniels, David Edwin Harrell Jr., Peter Hocken, Sue Hyatt, Gary McGee, and Ted Olsen. Features include: Explains and analyzes the role of all major streams, including women, African-Americans, and Hispanics Thoroughly illustrated with photographs, charts, figures, maps, and vignettes 4-color fold-out timeline/genealogy tree 16 full-color pages, plus black-and-white photos throughout Includes bibliographies and indexes

Serving as the “catalyst” of the Pentecostal movement in the twentieth century, William J. Seymour turned a tiny former horse stable in Los Angeles into an international center of revival. Baptism of the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, was a major part of the meetings held there, and Seymour led the first organized movement that promoted this experience. At Azusa, blacks, whites, Hispanics, and Europeans all met and worshiped together, crossing formerly impossible cultural lines. “There is no Jew or Gentile, bond or free, in the Azusa Mission,” Seymour said. “No instrument that God can use is rejected on account of color or dress or lack of education. This is why God has built up the work.” Compiled by Roberts Liardon, author of the bestselling God’s Generals series, The Great Azusa Street Revival features historic accounts, eyewitness testimonies to the power of God, and photos capturing the multicultural, worldwide appeal of Seymour and his ministry. Included are many of Seymour’s stirring sermons and writings, which are still relevant to believers today. Although the revival was short-lived, it produced and exploded the Pentecostal movement around the world. Today, many denominations attribute their founding to the participants of the Azusa Street church, and countless others are linked to this revival.

With Signs Following is undoubtedly the most accurate, comprehensive and reliable history of the early Pentecostal movement that has ever been written. It has long been recognized as the standard work in Pentecostal history.

A man that would not let any denomination decide for him what to believe; Charles Fox Parham was drawn by God at a young age. He began to read God's Word with no preconceived knowledge of doctrines or creeds. He maintained that childlike faith into his adult years. In 1900, he helped open a Bible school with the only textbook being the Bible. There was also no tuition charged, and the only requirement was the desire to be obedient to Jesus Christ. On a January night in 1901, the school was gathered in an upper room. They were praying and seeking God with one accord, when suddenly, God poured out the Holy Spirit. They began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave the ability. Read the story of how God transcended denominational lines giving birth to the modern Pentecostal movement. As well as many other teachings and beliefs of Charles Parham- A voice crying in the wilderness. Reprinted and Edited.

This book is about the boisterous beginnings of the American Pentecostal movement and the ideas that defined that movement during those formative years. It follows a group of men who rethought the Christian faith in light of their new experience of God. Thinking in the Spirit aims to provide scholars and general readers who know little or nothing about Pentecostalism with an introduction to the ideas of the movement's most articulate early spokespersons, and to provide Pentecostals with a non-judgmental historical source to help them in their theological reflections. Douglas Jacobsen focuses on the individuals who formed the original brain trust of this now gigantic religious movement. In a 25-year burst of creative energy at the beginning of the 20th century, these leaders articulated almost all the basic theological ideas that continue to define the Pentecostal message in the United States and around the world.

Pentecost in Tulsa tells the story of how the city became an important epicenter of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in the United States. In its earliest days, revivals led by such luminaires as Charles Parham, Aimee Semple McPherson, and Raymond T. Richey helped establish important Pentecostal churches. Later, well-known evangelists in the movement, such as Oral Roberts and Kenneth Hagin, launched worldwide ministries from Tulsa that impacted millions around the globe. This book also reveals the untold story of a resilient Black Pentecostal community that endured the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and revived the famous Greenwood District. Through these triumphs and tragedies, Tulsa has emerged as a significant location with continuing impact on the story of Pentecostalism.