The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century / Edition 2

by Vinson Synan

Overview

Called "a pioneer contribution" by Church History when it was first published in 1971 as The Holiness-Pentecostal Movement in the United States, this volume has now been revised and enlarged by Vinson Synan to account for the incredible changes that have occurred in the church world during the last quarter of the twentieth century.

Synan brings together the stories of the many movements usually listed as "holiness," "pentecostal," or "charismatic," and shows that there is an identifiable "second blessing" tradition in Christianity that began with the Catholic and Anglican mystics, that was crystallized in the teaching of John Wesley, and that was further perpetuated through the holiness and Keswick movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to the appearance of modern Pentecostalism. Synan then chronicles the story of the spread of Pentecostalism around the world after the heady days of the Azusa Street awakening, with special attention given to the beginnings of the movement in those nations where Pentecostalism has become a major religious force. He also examines the rise of various mainline-church charismatic movements that have their roots in Pentecostalism.

Because of the explosive growth of the Pentecostal movement in the last half of the century, Pentecostals and Charismatics now constitute the second largest family of Christians in the world after the Roman Catholic Church. "This could well be the major story of Christianity in the twentieth century," writes Synan. "Pentecostalism has grown beyond a mere passing 'movement' . . . and can now be seen as a major Christian 'tradition' alongside the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Reformation Protestant traditions."

The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition will continue to be an important handbook for shaping our understanding of this phenomenon. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802841032
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	08/25/1997
Edition description:	REVISED
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.85(d)

About the Author

Vinson Synan (1935–2020) was an advocate and historian of the Pentecostal movement who served at Oral Roberts University and Regent University.

Table of Contents

Preface

1. The Double Cure (1766-1866)
2. Echoes from the Forest Temple—The National Holiness Association (1867-1894)
3. The Fire-Baptized Way
4. The Churches of God
5. The American Jerusalem—Azusa Street
6. Pentecost Comes South
7. Missionaries of the One Way Ticket
8. Criticism and Controversy (1906-1920)
9. The African-American Pentecostals
10. The Pentecostals in Society (1901-1960)
11. The Neo-Pentecostal Movement
12. The Catholic Charismatic Renewal
13. The Charismatic Explosion
14. Centennial Reflections

Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Christianity Today, Number 15 on the Top 25 Books of the Year list (1998)

Charisma
"As a historian, Synan offers powerful explanations and conclusions."

Christian Scholars Review
"An indispensable and highly readable account of the origins and growth of what is clearly the most significant movement in the twentieth-century church . . . With the growing 'charismaticization' of the contemporary church, this book should be of interest to Christians in all academic disciplines."

Clergy Journal
"A fine historical work that will interest those engaged in the history of the American church. . . This is a book that makes for fascinating reading and is well worth the investment of time and money."

Publishers Weekly
"This revision of a book originally published in 1971 incorporates five new chapters and further strengthens Synan's detailed and highly readable history of the various 'second-blessing' movements that form a major branch of Christianity. . . Synan provides an authoritative, highly documented and nuanced survey of a tradition that continues to thrive worldwide."

From the Publisher

As a historian, Synan offers powerful explanations and conclusions.

Charisma

"An indispensable and highly readable account of the origins and growth of what is clearly the most significant movement in the twentieth-century church... With the growing "charismaticization" of the contemporary church, this book should be of interest to Christians in all academic disciplines."

Christian Scholars Review

A fine historical work that will interest those engaged in the history of the American church.... This is a book that makes for fascinating reading and is well worth the investment of time and money.

Clergy Journal

"This revision of a book originally published in 1971 incorporates five new chapters and further strengthens Synan's detailed and highly readable history of the various "second-blessing" movements that form a major branch of Christianity.... Synan provides an authoritative, highly documented and nuanced survey of a tradition that continues to thrive worldwide."

Publishers Weekly

This revision of a book originally published in 1971 (as Holiness-Pentecostal Movements in the United States) incorporates five new chapters and further strengthens Synan's detailed and highly readable history of the various "second-blessing" movements that form a major branch of Christianity. The book begins with Methodism founder John Wesley's early reliance on Christian mystical tradition and his teachings on second-blessing sanctification; it ends with an analysis of contemporary Pentecostal practice and speculation about the future. Synan, Dean of Regent University's Divinity School, Virginia Beach, Va., traces the development of a uniquely American religious movement that has spread across cultures and faith groups. From the earliest Pentecostal in Cane Ridge, Kentucky (1801), and in L.A.'s Azusa Street (1906) to Catholic charismatic renewal, Synan provides an authoritative, highly documented and nuanced survey of a tradition that continues to thrive worldwide. By the end of the century, he writes, Pentecostals and charismatic mainline Protestants and Catholics could make up half of the world's Christians. So powerful are the Pentecostal and charismatic movements that, Synan believes, "it is altogether possible that the future of Christianity will be molded by the developing Pentecostal churches of the Third World interacting with the vigorous charismatic elements in traditional churches." (July)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly