Holiness Movement: Main Influences on North American Pentecostalism

The Holiness Movement was a theological landmark in the history of the Church. Influenced by the theology of John Wesley, the movement innovated the understanding of the soteriological process, placing particular emphasis on sanctification as a second definitive work of grace after conversion.

Pentecostalism has its roots in the revivalist movements of the 18th and 19th centuries in New England. Among the main figures responsible for revival in the United States, the English Methodists stand out, whose theological tradition shaped much of Pentecostal spirituality.

In summary, the first major proponent of Pentecostalism in the United States, Charles Fox Parham, reformulated the theology of the new movement and, in this context, altered the understanding of the evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, establishing speaking in tongues as its initial sign.

William J. Seymour, in turn, was a student of Parham in Houston, Texas. In an unfavorable context marked by extreme racial segregation, Seymour attended classes from outside the classroom and received Parham’s teaching secondhand. Despite these obstacles, he became a key figure in the Azusa Street Revival.

Finally, William Durham participated in the Azusa Street movement. However, he disagreed on certain theological points. His understanding of the baptism with the Holy Spirit was congruent with that of Parham, yet he proposed the “Finished Work” theology, which influenced much of subsequent Pentecostal thought.

In view of all that has been presented, it can be concluded that the Holiness Movement exerted a predominant influence on the advent of Pentecostalism. Through the Methodist teachings of the second half of the 19th century, a solid theological framework was built that would later give rise to the Pentecostal movement as we know it today.