God
used a southern black preacher, reared under Jim Crow and with little formal
education, to ignite a revival that has reshaped the face of Christianity
around the world. The Azusa Street Revival (1906-09) ignited a world-wide movement
that Harvard professor, Dr. Harvey Cox, says is still “reshaping religion in
the 21st century.”
William Joseph Seymour (1870-1922),
the leader of the revival, was born to former slaves Simon and Phillis Seymour
in Centerville, LA where they attended the local black Baptist church. William committed
his life to Christ at an early age and experience the call of God, even as a youth.
Although little is known of his
early life, he would have been reared in the poverty and segregation that was
the lot of most blacks in the South at that time.
He Finds His Way to
Houston
In 1895, at the age of 25, Seymour
moved to Indianapolis, IN where he worked for a time as a waiter in a
fashionable restaurant. In 1900 he moved to Cincinnati, OH where he encountered
“holiness” teachings through the Church of God (Anderson, IN). Seymour embraced
this teaching of a second blessing, called sanctification, that would purify
the heart and enable one to live a victorious life over sin.
In 1903, Seymour moved to Houston,
TX where he began attending a black “holiness” church pastored by Lucy Farrow,
the niece of Frederick Douglas. When Farrow accepted an invitation to go to Kansas
with Charles and Sarah Parham, she turned the congregation over to Seymour and
he became the pastor.
In 1906 Farrow returned to Houston
with the Parhams and reconnected with Seymour. She told him of an experience
she had while in Kansas called the “baptism in the Holy Spirit,” which had been
accompanied by speaking in tongues as on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:4. Seymour
was deeply impacted by her testimony.
Noticing that their new guest was
spending much of his time in prayer, the Asberrys decided to open their home,
at 214 Bonnie Brae Street, to evening prayer meetings. When revival erupted in
the prayer meeting, the crowds came and soon overflowed onto the porch and
lawn.
Realizing that the Asberry home was
too small to contain the crowds, Seymour and others began looking for larger
facilities for their prayer meeting. They finally located an older dilapidated
building at 312 Azusa Street in downtown Los Angeles. This 40’ x 60’ two-story
structure had formerly been a Methodist Episcopal Church, but more recently had
been used as a stable and warehouse.
They removed the debris and
installed rough plank benches and a makeshift pulpit made from wooden
shoeboxes. On April 14, 1906, they held their first meeting in the new
facilities and revival fires blazed even more brightly.
Although the prayer meeting was
soon organized into a church that they called the Apostolic Faith Mission,
prayer continued to be the foremost activity. One participant said, “The whole
place was steeped in prayer” (Hyatt, 2000
Years of Charismatic Christianity, 145).
Seymour, the recognized leader,
spent much of his time behind the pulpit with his head inside the top shoebox
praying. An unpretentious man, he recognized his own need for the continual
guidance and strength of the Holy Spirit. A contemporary, John G. Lake,
described him as a man of great spiritual power. He wrote,
God had put such a hunger into that
man's heart that when the fire of God came it glorified him. I do not believe
any other man in modern times had a more wonderful deluge of God in his life
than God gave to that dear fellow, and the glory and power of a real Pentecost
swept the world. That black man preached to my congregation of ten thousand
people when the glory and power of God was upon his spirit, and men shook and
trembled and cried to God. God was in him (Hyatt, 2000 Years of Charismatic Christianity, 145).
Christ Centered, Holy
Spirit Empowered Meetings
The services at Azusa were
spontaneous. There were no pre-announced events, no special choirs, singers, or
well-known evangelists. With no platform, everyone was on the same level and
anyone was free to share a testimony or word of exhortation.
Although the building was never
empty of people at prayer, the services usually began spontaneously around
mid-morning and continued until three or
four the following morning. One participant gave this description of a typical
service.
Someone might be speaking. Suddenly
the Spirit would fall upon the congregation. God Himself would give the altar
call. Men would fall all over the house, like the slain in battle, or rush for
the altar enmasse to seek God.
Presumptuous men would sometimes come among us. Especially preachers who would
try to spread themselves in self-opinionation. But their effort was short
lived. Their minds would wander, their brains reel. Things would turn black
before their eyes. They could not go on. We simply prayed. The Holy Ghost did the
rest (Hyatt, 2000 Years of CharismaticChristianity, 145).
Although dramatic Spiritual
manifestations captured the attention of the general public, Seymour made a
point to keep Christ at the center of the revival. When asked by a certain
woman to pray that she might speak in tongues, Seymour kindly exhorted, “Now
see here, Sister Sadie, don’t you ever go looking for tongues. Seek Jesus for Himself.
Seek the Lord. He’s the One.”
Frank Bartleman, who often gave
exhortations at the revival, agreed with Seymour and said, “I endeavored to
keep Him [Christ] as the central theme and figure before the people.” The January
1907 issue of The Apostolic Faith warned
the people not to become preoccupied with the manifestations but to stay
focused on Jesus.
We do not have time to preach anything
else but Christ. The Holy Spirit has not time to magnify anything but the Blood
of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are simply a voice shouting, “Behold the Lamb of
God!” When we commence shouting something else, then Christ will die in us. If
Christ be lifted up, he will draw all men unto Himself.”
The Crowds Flock to Azusa
As services continued at the Azusa
Street Mission, the news spread by word of mouth and religious periodicals that
God was doing a unique work there. The
Los Angeles Times gave local coverage, that although negative, caught the
attention of the local populace. Seymour began a paper called The Apostolic Faith that soon reached a
distribution of 40,000 copies.
News of the revival raised interest
everywhere and soon the faithful and the curious were journeying from far and
near to experience the event. They came from across the United States and
Canada and from foreign lands.
Missionaries on foreign soil heard
of the revival and came. Visitors claimed that they could feel a supernatural
atmosphere within several blocks of the mission. Multitudes received the Pentecostal
experience and went forth with new zeal, fresh vision, and a new message of
Spirit-empowerment for world evangelism.
Several denominations were swept
into the revival as a result of their leaders visiting the revival or by being
impacted by someone who had just visited the revival. Future denominational
leaders were also impacted by the revival.
C.
H. Mason and the Church of God in Christ
Charles
H. Mason and the Church of God in Christ were swept into the Pentecostal
revival when Mason visited the Azusa Street Mission during the fall of 1906.
A Future Assemblies of
God Official Impacted at Azusa Street
Another whose life was transformed
at the Azusa Street Mission was Ernest S. Williams who later served as general
superintendent of the Assemblies of God (1929-49). He first visited the revival
in 1907 and was astounded by what he encountered.
I wish I could describe what I saw.
Prayer and worship were everywhere. The altar area was filled with seekers;
some were kneeling; others were prone on the floor; some were speaking in
tongues. Everyone was doing something; all were seemingly lost in God. I simply
stood and looked, for I had never seen anything like it (Hyatt, 2000 Years of Charismatic Christianity,
146).
Interracial Character
The Azusa Street Revival exhibited
an amazing racial harmony at a time when America was racially divided by both
law and custom. Frank Bartleman, who wrote an eyewitness account of the
revival, said, “The color line was washed away in the blood” (Hyatt, 2000 Years of Charismatic Christianity,
147).
The original Azusa board of
directors reflected this racial harmony. This board, which governed the affairs
of the mission and issued ministerial credentials, consisted of seven women and
five men. Five of the women were white and two were black. Of the five men, four were white and one, Pastor Seymour, was
black.
Women
at Azusa Street
An amazing gender inclusiveness emerged
at Azusa Street at a time in America when women could not vote and were
excluded by most churches from any viable roles of leadership. Women were a
majority on the governing board and a number of powerful women evangelists,
pastors, and missionaries went forth from the revival.
The Prophetic Impact of
Azusa
The revival on Azusa Street
continued unabated for about three years (1906-1909). During this period, it
was the key instrument in dispersing Pentecostalism around the world. This
occurred not only as a result of the many visitors who came from around the
world, but by the numerous missionaries, evangelists, and church planters who
went out from Azusa.
Seymour continued as pastor of the Azusa
Street Mission until his death on September 28, 1922 in Los Angeles. The
mission was torn down in 1931 and the property was made into a parking lot.
Dr. Eddie Hyatt is a church historian and ordained minister who specializes in spiritual awakening in church history. This article is derived from his book, 2000 Years of Charismatic Christianity, published by Charisma House and used as a text book in Bible schools and seminaries around the world. His latest book, The Great Prayer Awakening of 1857-58, is availble from Amazon in both Kindle and paperback. Learn more of his ministry and vision for another Great Awakening at www.eddiehyatt.com.
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