Although Life Magazine and USA Today list the Azusa Street Revival as one of the top one hundred nation-impacting events of the Twentieth Century, there still remains a degree of vagueness about its black leader, William Joseph Seymour. After one hundred years, the Pentecostal Charismatic movement has grown to almost 600 million adherents globally. Particularly within the North American context, where many of these believers trace their roots either directly or indirectly to Azusa Street, it is becoming more important to investigate the significance of Seymour. Though, in recent decades, some Pentecostal historians have tried to make people more aware of his significance, few have specifically concentrated on the contribution that Seymour's theology has made to the movement. One of the reasons for this oversight is that most historians have viewed Seymour as a pastor, rather than a theologian. Further, nonintellectual factors were paramount to Seymour's doctrine, for the Azusa leader's theology was shaped, primarily, by his personal and religious experiences and pragmatic concerns that developed within the early movement. However, although Seymour was a self-educated black man, and not a scholar by contemporary standards, these historians overlooked his theological aptitude due to a perceived lack of intellectual foundation, and have failed to recognize Seymour's competency in theological matters. Because of such attitudes, his writings and sermons reflect a hermeneutical soundness and theological depth that is often missed. This dissertation examines Seymour's theology, as well as the experiences that aided in his theological formation in the context of the early Pentecostal movement. Accordingly, the first objective is to examine the antecedents that shaped Seymour's theology. The second goal is to elucidate his theology as it played out at the Azusa Street Mission and Revival and the ensuing pivotal early controversies that surrounded them. Finally, it will consider the implications of Seymour's theology for the Twenty-first Century Pentecostal Charismatic movement.
Description:
Although Life Magazine and USA Today list the Azusa Street Revival as one of the top one hundred nation-impacting events of the Twentieth Century, there still remains a degree of vagueness about its black leader, William Joseph Seymour. After one hundred years, the Pentecostal Charismatic movement has grown to almost 600 million adherents globally. Particularly within the North American context, where many of these believers trace their roots either directly or indirectly to Azusa Street, it is becoming more important to investigate the significance of Seymour. Though, in recent decades, some Pentecostal historians have tried to make people more aware of his significance, few have specifically concentrated on the contribution that Seymour's theology has made to the movement. One of the reasons for this oversight is that most historians have viewed Seymour as a pastor, rather than a theologian. Further, nonintellectual factors were paramount to Seymour's doctrine, for the Azusa leader's theology was shaped, primarily, by his personal and religious experiences and pragmatic concerns that developed within the early movement. However, although Seymour was a self-educated black man, and not a scholar by contemporary standards, these historians overlooked his theological aptitude due to a perceived lack of intellectual foundation, and have failed to recognize Seymour's competency in theological matters. Because of such attitudes, his writings and sermons reflect a hermeneutical soundness and theological depth that is often missed. This dissertation examines Seymour's theology, as well as the experiences that aided in his theological formation in the context of the early Pentecostal movement. Accordingly, the first objective is to examine the antecedents that shaped Seymour's theology. The second goal is to elucidate his theology as it played out at the Azusa Street Mission and Revival and the ensuing pivotal early controversies that surrounded them. Finally, it will consider the implications of Seymour's theology for the Twenty-first Century Pentecostal Charismatic movement.