| Chapter 1: | Pre-Twentieth-Century Roots of Pentecostalism |
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Chapter 1
Pre-Twentieth-Century Roots of Pentecostalism
Slave religious practice and experience, the origin of the African American church, and developments within nineteenth-century American Christianity that gave rise to the Holiness movement were significant factors in the birth of twentieth-century Pentecostalism.28 This chapter will examine these issues and emphasize the specific contributions each made to the fertile soil from which Pentecostalism sprouted.
Sociologist Jon Michael Spencer identified elements of African tradition retained by the slaves brought to North America, which he believed enabled them to merge the vestigial remnants of their culture with the realities of slavery. He then attempted to explain how these affected slave religion and ultimately, Pentecostalism. Forced to leave behind all personal effects and virtually all cultural peculiarities, rhythm was the only viable element of African culture slaves managed to bring to the New World. According to Spencer, it was an important factor in the establishment of slave culture in the United States.29