Unbiblical Demonstrations in the Church Service – Azusa Street and Before
My Thoughts on Azusa Street
Having been in the ministry for a number of years, it has not been uncommon to hear a minister speak of the happenings at Azusa Street. Azusa Street, located in Los Angeles, California, is widely accepted to be the birthplace of Pentecostalism in the United States. Although ministers allude to the events that occurred in 1906 at the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles, I found out that most of these ministers do not even know what really happened there. Usually, when a minister talks about Azusa Street in a positive manner, they are NOT referring to souls being saved. They usually emphasize the excitement, emotionalism, and physical demonstrations that occurred there. Most ministers who are proud of the events of Azusa Street can tell you about Rev. Seymour who kept his head in a shoebox to display his humility, but they can’t tell you how many people were saved there.
In light of these observations, I began to study the events of Azusa Street in recent years. Frank Bartleman was a leading minister of that era. He witnessed the events of Azusa Street firsthand. He wrote about those events in great detail in his book, Another Wave of Revival. I read this book thoroughly. I honestly do not think Frank Bartleman, an eyewitness of the Azusa Street events, could tell you how many people got saved during that time. Frankly, I do not think he cared. In Bartleman’s above-mentioned work, you will find pages upon pages of physical manifestations – people were shouting, falling over chairs, weeping for hours, placing their heads in cardboard boxes, spontaneous testimonies, and other such manifestations; but VERY LITTLE or ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about souls being saved. I’m not being critical; I’m being honest.
Frank Bartleman despised any type of leadership in the church. According to him, the church as a whole should merely come together, pray until the Spirit moves, and no man should take any type of charge whatsoever. Bartleman did not even promote the preaching of the word of God! Look at Frank Bartleman’s own words:
“There was no program, and hardly s chance for even necessary announcements. No attempt was made to preach (Bartleman, Frank. Another Wave of Revival. Whitaker House. Springdale, PA. ©1982. p. 76).”
“The Spirit allows little human interference in the meetings…To draw attention to them brings a spirit of fear on the saints, and they stop seeking. The Spirit is hindered from working. He moves them out of the way (Bartleman, p. 77).”
Dr. W.C. Dumble of Toronto visited Frank Bartleman’s congregation, a branch that sprang from the Azusa Street Mission. Dumble wrote of what he witnessed:
“Jesus is proclaimed the Head, and the Holy Spirit His executive. Hence, there is no preaching, no choir, no organ, no collection, except what is voluntarily placed on the table or put in the box on the wall (Bartleman, pp. 97, 98).”
“NO PREACHING!” That was the testimony of an eyewitness of the Azusa Street days! No preaching! And the Bible says that God chose preaching! The desire of those at Azusa Street was “no human interference.” God, however, gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11)!
The Azusa Street “revival” focused on physical manifestations rather than souls being saved; on “the Spirit” controlling everything instead of teaching or preaching. While this sounds spiritual to some, it is a great degree of ignorance, and the Azusa Street “revival” proves it! Look at what Frank Bartleman said concerning how long this “move of God” lasted:
“The truth must be told. Azusa began to fail the Lord also early in her history. God showed me one day that they were going to organize, though not a word had been said in my hearing about it…From that time the trouble and division began. It was no longer a free spirit for all as it had been (Bartleman, pp. 73, 74).”
Frank Bartleman was sincere. He truly believed that what the church needed was no human governments (when the Bible plainly teaches that God gives governments, helps, and administrations; I Corinthians 12). He truly believed that omitting preaching and teaching from the services would build a strong church. However, Bartleman was forced to admit that this kind of church starved to death in its infancy.
Let me be clear – as a pastor, I am not supposed to gather my church people to do nothing but have prayer meetings. I am commanded to be “apt to teach.” I have a divine order to “feed the sheep.” I want my church to be built on prayer, but not apart from the word of God! You may be impressed with Azusa Street, but it lasted about as long as a drop of water on a pot-belly stove!
The Charismatic movement is characterized by some of the same manifestations as the events of the Azusa Street “revival.” The Charismatic movement today is characterized by physical manifestations rather than soul-winning, and little or no emphasis on the word of God.
Before Azusa Street
Although the events of Azusa Street mark the beginning of Pentecostalism in the United States for some, scholars are swift to point out that people were speaking in tongues before Azusa Street. So, I studied Pentecostal history in the United States prior to Azusa Street in 1906. In 1801, there was a “revival” at Cane-Ridge in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Vinson Synan tells about this revival, stating that there was such occurrences as falling, jerking, falling into trances, barking like dogs, “holy laugh,” and other such manifestations (Synan, Vinson. The Holiness-Pentecostal Movement in the United States. William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company. Grand Rapids, MI. ©1971. p. 24). Barking like dogs? Really? Holy laugh? Where’s that in the Bible? I don’t care if Grandma practiced “laughing in the Spirit” or not; there is no such form of worship in the Bible!
Just like these manifestations in early holiness meetings, you will find them in the Charismatic movement today. Charismatics still laugh “in the Spirit.” There were reports just a few years ago in Pensacola, Florida of Charismatic groups who were telling jokes in tongues, barking like dogs, and laughing hysterically “in the Spirit.” If you’re trying to prove that Pentecostalism has roots in the United States prior to Azusa Street, I wouldn’t use the Cane-Ridge revival as evidence. The Cane-Ridge revival is nothing of which to boast!
Just as there were unbiblical manifestations at Azusa Street, and unbiblical junk such as laughing in the Spirit at Cane-Ridge, these characteristics still classify Charismatics today!
