Historical Background
Part 1
Let's Look Back
Do you recall your days of high school history?
For some of us, such memories remind us of a fascination with a storied past, while for others, they remind us of dusty textbooks and seemingly irrelevant specifics about times and places removed from our daily lives.
Nevertheless, if we are to properly understand a theological tradition like Pentecostalism, it is important that we understand the historical context which gave rise to it in the first place. In a sense, this is like preparing the ground before planting a seed.
In today’s video, we will be talking about some figures and movements which preceded Pentecostalism. In particular, we will be introduced to John Wesley, a man often labelled a spiritual forerunner of the Pentecostal movement, and the Methodist-Holiness tradition that followed after him. As you watch, be on the lookout for “seeds” – underdeveloped ideas and concepts that Pentecostals would later adopt and redefine as their own in the early 1900’s.
Complex but connected
Tracing the origins of a movement as diverse and global as Pentecostalism through a single historical lineage certainly risks oversimplification. Nevertheless, even scholars who emphasize the Pentecostal movement’s complex and varied roots recognize that Pentecostalism, as we know it today, would not have been possible without the influence of Wesley and Wesleyanism.
Answer these questions in your own words:
- Although John Wesley rejected the idea that Spirit baptism is a subsequent event to salvation, do you believe he should be credited with fundamentally laying the foundation for the development of the Pentecostal view of Spirit baptism? Why or why not?
- Do your own views on Spirit baptism and sanctification more closely resemble Wesley himself, his intended successor John Fletcher, or the subsequent Holiness movement of the 19th century?
Test Yourself
Answer
FURTHER RESOURCES
- William and Menzies, "Spirit and Power: Foundations of Pentecostal Experience" (pages 9-36)
- Ryan Danker, “What is Christian Perfection, and Does This Mean Christians Will No Longer Sin?”
- Gerald H. Anderson, “Parham, Charles Fox (1873-1929): American Pentecostal Pioneer and Founder of the Apostolic Faith Movement”