Classical Pentecostalism emerged from the revivals of the late 1800s. Many were hungry for an experiential faith, and began seeking the deeper life during this time. The Holiness Movement saw this fulfilled in a sanctifying experience called Entire Sanctification. There were Wesleyan and Keswick branches of this movement, both believing that through the baptism and fullness of the Holy Spirit, lives could be made free from sin and obedient to God. Wesleyans embraced the eradication of the sinful nature, while Keswick teaching embraced an empowerment to overcome sin, and live in spiritual victory.
The message of Keswick teaching on the fullness of the Spirit came over to America from England through Dwight L. Moody, and as a result, many fundamentalist and evangelical heroes had an experience following conversion that brought new levels of power into their Christian lives, empowering them for service. Men of God like Cotton Mather, Jonathan Edwards, D. L. Moody, and R. A. Torrey all testify of experiencing a second blessing of spiritual power through the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Even in some fundamentalist circles today, one can hear calls for being filled with, and even baptized, in the Holy Spirit.
Many in those early years of revival wanted to know how to be sure they had been Baptized with the Holy Spirit. Charles Parham, a hungry Methodist, had students at his Bethel Bible School in Topeka, Kansas search the scripture for the Bible evidence of the Spirit’s fullness. They concluded that the initial, physical sign was speaking with other tongues. As Parham took this message across the world, William Seymour carried this to Los Angeles where he led the Azusa Street Mission. Thousands came to Azusa to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, and were sent forth empowered for life and service. Out of the Azusa Street Revival, Pentecostalism emerged as fellowships and denominations either formed or embraced the Pentecostal message: Assemblies of God, International Pentecostal Holiness Church, Church of God (Cleveland, TN), and others. The doctrine of evidential tongues, not necessarily the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, began to separate Classical Pentecostals from their holiness and fundamentalist brothers and sisters.
In the 1940s, many Pentecostals joined the National Association of Evangelicals. In this process, I believe some of the distinctives of Classical Pentecostalism have been lost. I believe there's something special to the heritage of Classical Pentecostalism and our roots. Through this ministry, I want to see our heritage authentic, transformational Classical Pentecostalism understood and expressed in today's world.
