Founders of Pentecostalism
William J seymour
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William J Seymore was the leader of the founding meetings on Azusa street in California. His beliefs, among many others, shaped the religion today. Seymour believed that one can have a relationship with God without a church. He was a student under his co-founder at the Bethel Bible School. He broke down racial barriers at the time because it was controversial for an African American man to lead a religious movement. He died at the age of 52 of a heart attack.
Charles Fox parham
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Charles Fox Parham is the other main figure in the creation of Pentecostalism. Parham was the first pastor to distinguish Pentecostalism as a new style of religion. Parham is also known for associating glossolalia with baptism in the Holy Spirit. Charles invited African Americans and Mexicans to join the movement as well and his views on race are still controversial. Aside from his Pentecostal beliefs he also started The Bethel Healing Home, a place for people to be healed from sins, and preached divine healing in Topeka, Kansas. Charles Fox Parham died at the age of 56 in 1929.