c. 1900–1914

The Azusa Street revival and the rise of Pentecostalism

In 1906 manifestations of the "gifts of the Spirit" – speaking in tongues, healings, prophecy – flared up with new force at the Azusa Street mission in Los Angeles.

The revival broke beyond the Wesleyan holiness tradition. It embraced both white and black believers and spread rapidly across the country. In 1914 the Assemblies of God emerged from the general gathering of "believers in the baptism of the Holy Spirit." Pentecostals worked successfully in cities and sent out many missionaries worldwide.

This was one of the most important events in twentieth-century Christian history. The movement almost became a new confessional family. But its influence – a renewed attention to pneumatology and eschatology – was felt across all confessions.