My 8th pilgrimage was to a nondescript alley in downtown LA that was the birthplace of the 20th century global Pentecostal movement. I visited it on the eve of the Pentecostal centennial celebration. One hundred years ago, the black preacher William Joseph Seymore, ignited a spiritual spark among his (then radical) interracial congregation that spread to well over a half a billion souls today[1]. Considering Pentecostalism’s religious, social and political importance, I was embarrassed by my lack of familiarity with the phenomenon, but I also realized that I wasn’t alone in my ignorance. The explosive growth of Pentecostalism is one of the most important religious events of the 20th century, yet I know very few people who can tell me much about it.
Comparing Pentecostalism to Mormonism helps me a bit. In the 1990s, their numbers in the U.S. were comparable (2.5 million Mormons and 3.2 million Pentecostals/Charismatics in 1990), but Pentecostalism beat Mormonism growth rate over the decade by an order of magnitude[2]. The 19 million members that join the worldwide Pentecostal movement each year is greater than the total membership of the LDS church[3]. There are currently at least twice as many Pentecostals in the U.S. as there are Mormons. In spite of this, Pentecostals seem more marginalized in the public sphere. Prominent Pentecostal public officials included John Ashcroft and James Watt [4], while LDS leaders include Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Massachusetts Governor and potential Presidential candidate Mit Romney, cabinet member Mike Leavitt, and Orrin Hatch, who is the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary, Finance, and Select Intelligence committees[5]. Mormons have some strange ideas and practices–why the comparative obscurity of the much more successful (at least in numbers) Pentecostals?
I’m not sure if I have an answer. Their belief in the literal interpretation of the Bible and in the imminent return of Christ to reign on the earth are shared with many Evangelicals. Perhaps it’s the societal aversion to the Pentecostal improvisational worship style and emphasis on the physical manifestations of the Spirit, such as speaking in tongues (gibberish to outsiders) and being “slain in the spirit” (fainting). Then again, Mormons have their funny underwear and secret temple ceremonies. It could be that much of the growth is taking place outside of the United States (in Latin America, Pentecostalism is a serious threat to Catholic rule). I’m stumped. I welcome any ideas, especially from current or former Pentecostals.
I plan to visit a Pentecostal meeting in the next few months, so that I can add some small experience to my book knowledge. Perhaps then I can gain a better understanding of both their appeal and why they seem to fly under the radar. For now, I’d like to post a few pictures of my pilgrimage to Azusa Street. Looking at these pictures, it’s hard to believe that this was the birthplace of a movement that is sweeping the globe. Then again, one could say the same looking at present-day Bethlehem, or Sinai, or Palmyra, New York.
The tiny print on the sign says: “Site of the Azusa St. Revival from 1906 to 1931. Cradle of the Worldwide Pentecostal Movement.”
This is a view of the entire length of Azusa St. It seems less a street and more an access driveway for Little Tokyo businesses.
This is the view from the opposite end, looking towards the city center.
The rest of these are taken in or from the alley.
It should be obvious that Azusa Street really isn’t a holy place to the hundreds of millions of Pentecostals around the world. It’s a positive historical memory, to be sure. But they haven’t enshrined the space the way that Mormons have the Sacred Grove, ancient Christians the Church of the Nativity, Muslims Mecca, the Buddhists the Bodhi Tree, etc. They certainly have the resources. In retrospect, perhaps it’s not surprising that a movement focused on the continuing, very real presence of God within each believer would not go out of their way to build a monument to one such visit in the past.
1. “Ready or Not”, Sojourner’s Magazine. This is a great summary of the demographic and denominational changes Christianity is experiencing in the early 21st century.
2. adherents.org, see “Largest denominational families in the U.S., 2001.” The data’s a little confusing because Pentecostals and Charismatics are lumped together, but the Pentecostal Assemblies of God is counted separately.
3. 12.6 million as of December 31, 2005. lds.org “Key Facts and Figures”.
4. The Political Graveyard: Pentecostal Politicians.
5. Famous Mormons in Politics and Wikipedia: List of Latter-day Saints Currently in Office
8 responses so far ↓
1 Caroline T. // Aug 3, 2006 at 6:38 am
An interesting post! As a former Pentecostal and as a converted Mormon, you’d think that I could offer some answers to your questions but I’m pretty stumped.
Why are there so many Mormons in office? Why so few Pentecostals? I’m not sure about the direct correlation, but I think it may have something to do with the highly-organized structure of the Mormon community.
When I first starting attending the LDS church, I felt like I was ushered into a cozy little community. In my Pentecostal church I only mingled with the members of my congregagtion, but in Mormondom, I felt connected to Mormons worldwide—during General Conference especially.
Perhaps this tight sense of unity demands a representation in the government: we want our voice to be heard. Furthermore, the Church readily encourages its members to get involved politically. Thus Mitt Romney and Harry Reid are following prophet’s counsel when they engage in politics.
I also think Mormons have sort of a “sheperding” intuition. We believe that we have the truth of the gospel and that we must share it with others. We must uphold the morals of God—and one of the best ways to do so is within the government.
It also doesn’t hurt that Mormons, as a whole, generally admire our leaders. We’re faithful and loyal to them. Thus aspiring to become a politician is a good thing, even a great thing. And we’re still all waiting to see who will be the first Mormon president! Haha.
Hopefully some of this made sense!
2 Miko // Aug 5, 2006 at 1:38 pm
Hey, that’s not in OC…that’s near me! I hope that you took a moment to stop in the Buddhist temple that’s just around the corner there. Temple or no, the shrubs & fence make its courtyard an oasis of calm in downtown LA.
3 John // Aug 6, 2006 at 11:19 pm
Miko, my “OC” pilgrimage has broadened a bit. *grin* I missed the temple there, but caught a sister temple in the real OC a couple of weeks ago that I’ll write up soon.
Caroline, can you share with us a little bit about the Pentecostal worship and mindset? Enlighten us!
4 Caroline T. // Aug 7, 2006 at 5:54 am
Wow…it’s been a long time since I’ve been at a Pentecostal worship service! I was Pentecostal from age six to thirteen so I guess I can only offer a child’s point-of-view of Pentecostalism.
I remember feeling a strong sense of family at church. Our congregation was one big family and we took care of one another. I always felt a lot of love when I was there.
The mindset of my congregation was very Christ-centered. In Sunday School, we often quoted John 3:16; it was kind of our motto. The pastor was a soft-spoken and kind man, but who could turn on some fiery rhetoric at the pulpit. I think most of the members of the congregation were like our pastor—devout, charitable, and doggedly committed to the faith.
I was always a bit baffled by the literal interpretation of “speaking in tongues.” Whenever the adults would stand up and start talking in other languages, I would just sit there and stare. I thought the gift of tongues was something that only grown-ups could do and I looked forward to the day when I could experience it.
Even though I may now disagree with some tenets of Pentecostalism, I will always be grateful for my years spent in this religion. The people I met were wonderful and I definitely learned a lot about the Old and New Testaments in Sunday School! Pentecostalism provided an excellent religious foundation for me.
5 Jonathan // Aug 21, 2006 at 7:49 am
I attended a penecostal / charismatic church year ago (http://www.acac.net) where the pastor explained from a divine perspective why the movement started.
Christianity in general had evolved into an intellectual experience to the point which it de-valued the emotional / experience side of the spiritual life. Thinking about God (logical reasoning, book study, learning biblical history, doctrine, etc.) was to be preferred over experiencing him emotionally and supernaturally which is wild, spontaneous, and unpredictable.
However, God did not see this as a beneficial trend because our entire soul (mind, body, and spirit, emotions, etc.) was to be included to be in a relationship with Him, not unlike a husband and wife - who are never in a relationship just to study each other like scientists. So He inspiried certain people towards this perspective, and the Penecostal / Charismatic movement was born.
A lot of spiritual people were thirsty for this, so it florished, and continues to to so. But inevidabley the same problem arose that the more traditional churches struggled from– a one-sided focus. This new church movement became reactionary - it focused too much on the emotional and the experience side of the spiritual life at the expense of sound doctrine and logical reasoning. This made sense to them: after all, isn’t that stuff dry and empty and had not helped them in the past?
So this emotional / supernatural experiencing of God in the spiritual life had its own traps, but its ideal was revolutionary. For the spiritual seeker, a balance between the two worlds now needs to be found.
Believing that there is a common ground between living the spiritual life with my mind as well as my emotions, I am attending a charismatic church right now. I’ll keep you posted.
6 John // Aug 22, 2006 at 9:38 pm
Caroline, I’m glad that your early Pentecostal experience provided such a good foundation for your later spirituality. It’s easy for converts to denigrate their past religious life, but your way seems healthy.
Jonathan–please, keep us posted. (literally, now that you have a wonderful blog!)
7 Peter kwiatkowski // Sep 9, 2006 at 11:05 pm
The site listed below defends the azusa st. revival (scripturally). http://www.pentecostal-tongues-theology.org ps. You took some excellent pictures of azusa st.(actually the best that the web has to offer) Thanks
8 John // Sep 10, 2006 at 3:27 am
Thanks, Peter, for the compliment and the link. Your site is a great contribution to this discussion!
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