Pentecostalism: beliefs, history and sources

History & overview

The Spirit did not retire in the first century.

The fastest-growing Christian movement: the gifts of the Spirit — tongues, healing, prophecy — as present-tense realities for every believer. Born in a Los Angeles revival, now over half a billion strong.

DeitiesOne God in three persons

Founded1906 CE · Los Angeles

FounderWilliam J. Seymour and the Azusa Street revival

AfterlifeResurrection and judgment

TextsBible

The map

Pentecostalism’s corner of it — solid lines are descent; dotted lines are resemblance only, ideas held in common across unrelated faiths. Click a node to recenter; ✕ returns here. All 171 faiths →

c. 1000 BCE Judaism 30 CE Christianity 1517 CE Protestantism 1906 CE Pentecostalism

Core Tenets

2 — a sample of the center, never the sum Enter →

The Spirit still speaks. Tongues, healing, prophecy — the gifts did not expire with the apostles. Go deeper — context →

Baptism in the Spirit is for every believer. A second encounter beyond conversion — power for ordinary people. Go deeper — context →

Rites & Ritual

what its people do — and when Enter →

Spirit-filled worship. Hands raised, tongues loosed, healing prayed for — the service expects interruption by God. When weekly — and unscriptedWho the whole assembly Go deeper — context →

Where next

the museum exit — every door leads deeper in

Christianity — 2 shared ideas, a different faith The Brethren in Christ — 2 shared ideas, a different faith Hinduism — 1 shared idea, a different faith Buddhism — 1 shared idea, a different faith Branch Pentecostalism — inherit everything, change what you must The library of ideas — what Pentecostalism shares with every other faith A faith at random — somewhere you have never been