This paper examines the origins, theological foundations, and historical development of Pentecostalism as a major force in global Christianity. Beginning with precursor movements in nineteenth-century Holiness revivalism, the paper traces key events including Charles Parham's Topeka Bible school and the 1906 Azusa Street Revival led by William J. Seymour. It also addresses the historiography of Pentecostalism, noting the shift from insider providential accounts to rigorous academic scholarship after the 1970s. The paper concludes by highlighting the doctrine of speaking in tongues as a defining theological marker and briefly notes Pentecostalism's twentieth-century turn toward global evangelization.
The paper models effective use of secondary sources to build a chronological argument. By citing Stephens's historiographical framework, the author shows how the study of a religious movement can itself be analyzed — a technique known as historiographical critique. This approach demonstrates awareness that historical accounts are shaped by the perspectives and interests of those who write them.
The paper opens with a broad definition and scope of Pentecostalism, then moves into its nineteenth-century Holiness precursors. It narrows to specific founding events (Topeka, 1901; Azusa Street, 1906) before widening again to address how scholars have studied the movement over time. The paper then returns to theological specifics (glossolalia) before briefly noting twentieth-century global outreach — a funnel-then-widen structure that keeps the reader oriented.
Pentecostalism, together with Neo-Pentecostalism and the charismatic movement, are labels for a large section of the conservative Christian world that believes in the experienced presence of the third person of the Trinity — the Holy Spirit. This branch of Christianity subscribes to the active involvement of the Holy Spirit in everyday life, which includes prophecy, speaking in tongues, divine healing, and other manifestations of the Spirit's presence. Membership in Pentecostal denominations is growing at a rapid pace throughout the world. In fact, Pentecostalism is arguably the most important mass religious movement of the twentieth century, and is the second largest sub-group of global Christianity, with more than 30 million American members and more than 430 million worldwide.
Most Pentecostals believe that their tradition began with Charles Parham in Topeka, Kansas, and/or at the Azusa revival led by William J. Seymour. However, these two episodes have become glamorized through the years, and most scholars agree that as early as 1831, Edward Irving, pastor of the Church of Scotland at Regent Square in London, England, led his parishioners in prayer that ultimately resulted in them receiving the gift of tongues and prophecy.
Pentecostalism grew out of the Holiness revival during the second half of the nineteenth century as an expression of social and theological discontent among lower- and middle-class groups. Holiness advocates not only disapproved of the impiety in mainline denominations, but felt alienated by the growing wealth of many churches. As a result, they began to form new religious communities based on the theological doctrine of perfectionism. Randall J. Stephens writes in Assessing the Roots of Pentecostalism that these former "Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists believed they were experiencing a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit much like the early church experienced in the book of Acts." From this revival grew a zeal for "Spirit Baptism, considered a divine empowerment of believers, and for other gifts of the New Testament church such as healing and prophecy."
Leaders such as Charles Cullis, John Alexander Dowie, and Albert B. Simpson founded healing missions all across the United States, and like other Holiness advocates, believed a "new, miraculous era of the Spirit was occurring which would end in the second coming of Christ."
In January 1901, Charles Fox Parham asked the students at his Topeka Bible school to study scriptures and find evidence that might be given in reference to Spirit baptism. By referring to the Pentecost account in Acts, Chapter 2, the students concluded that speaking in tongues was confirmation of Holy Spirit baptism. This wave of Pentecostalism spread throughout the region, moving into Kansas, Missouri, Texas, and Arkansas.
The Azusa Street Revival in 1906 in Los Angeles marked the second phase of Pentecostalism. William Seymour, who had studied under Parham in Houston, Texas, began a revival in one of the poorer sections of the city. This street revival gathered the "ethnic minority groups of Los Angeles" who discovered a "sense of dignity and community denied them in the larger urban culture." From there, the revival spread throughout the United States as leaders from various states who were present carried the message back to their own churches. Stephens notes that "diversity characterized their beliefs and theology; Pentecostals ranged from Wesleyan-Holiness, to Reformed, and Unitarian."
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.