The Legacy of Charles Parham: A Founding Father of Pentecostalism

Have you ever wondered how the Pentecostal movement began? Charles Parham was a key figure in the early history of Pentecostalism, introducing the concept of speaking in tongues and helping to spread the message to the world.

Charles Parham was a key figure in the early history of Pentecostalism, a Christian movement that emphasizes the power of the Holy Spirit. Born in Muscatine, Iowa, in 1873, Parham moved to Houston, Texas, in 1895, where he became a pastor.

In 1900, Parham studied the Bible and became convinced that the gift of speaking in tongues, which he believed was described in the New Testament, had been largely forgotten by the modern church. In 1901, Parham opened Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas, where he taught that speaking in tongues was evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Parham’s emphasis on speaking in tongues was controversial at the time, and many of his students were expelled from their churches for practicing it. Despite the controversy, Parham’s teachings attracted a growing number of followers, and in 1905, he moved to Houston, Texas, to open another school.

In 1906, Parham invited William J. Seymour, an African-American preacher, to Houston to help spread the message of Pentecostalism. Seymour accepted Parham’s invitation and traveled to Los Angeles, where he founded the Azusa Street Revival. This revival was attended by thousands of people and is considered the birth of the modern Pentecostal movement. Parham’s influence continued to spread throughout the early 1900s. He opened more Bible colleges and churches, wrote books, and held meetings and revivals around the country.

In 1913, Parham joined the Assemblies of God, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world, and he served as one of its first general superintendents. Parham’s legacy is still felt today in the Pentecostal movement. His emphasis on the importance of speaking in tongues is still a core belief of Pentecostalism, and his teachings have helped spread the message of Pentecostalism to the world.

Parham’s influence has been credited with helping Pentecostalism become one of the largest Christian denominations in the world.

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(c) Apostle Jonas Clark
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