(01:35–03:34) Music Played
"The Multiples of One" from Awakening, performed by Joseph Curiale

(01:01) Statistics on Global Pentecostalism
Grant McClung's article in Christianity Today cites a three-volume study — published as the World Christian Encyclopedia and World Christian Trend — by David Barrett and Todd Johnson. They estimate that there are more than 580 million Pentecostals. With that number growing by 19 million per year, adherents will reach the one billion mark by 2025 with expansion most prominent in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Pentecostalism has more than 100 denominations and its adherents speak more than 8,000 languages; two-thirds live in the non-Western world.

(02:04) Actuality of Billy Wilson Introduction
Participants in the Azusa Street Centennial are welcomed by Reverend William M. (Billy) Wilson, executive officer for the gathering. He is International Minister of Outreach for two Pentecostal denominations based in Tennessee, the Church of God and Church of God of Prophecy. He is also producer and host of a weekly global television broadcast, World Impact.

(03:40) Spread of Pentecostalism
For a more in-depth discussion about the impact Pentecostalism is having in Latin America and other continents, listen to sociologist Peter Berger describe the movement's explosion in Guatemala and learn more about the Latino Pentecostal experience in this Web-exclusive interview with scholar Arlene Sanchez Walsh.

(03:35–04:55) Music Played
"Lazarus Raised" from Passion: Music For The Last Temptation Of Christ, performed by Peter Gabriel

"Descent of the Holy Ghost" (Albrecht Durer)

Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

I will show portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: "In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know—this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him, "I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.' "Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, "He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.' This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, "The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." 'Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified."

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

(05:00) Robeck's Family History
In a clip that didn't air in the radio program, listen to Robeck tell the story of his Pentecostal parents and his personal journey.

(05:13) Charles Parham and Gifts of the Spirit
Charles Fox Parham was a controversial but pivotal figure in the early development of the Pentecostal Movement. Consonant with the Holiness Movement of which he was part, he was critical of the formalistic established churches. He founded the Apostolic Faith Movement. Pursuing the key to leading a sanctified life, he became fascinated by the "gifts of the spirit" that the New Testament — in 1 Corinthians, chapters 12-14 — credited with underpinning the evangelical power of the earliest Christians.

With a group of students he began to focus on the event recorded in Acts, where the "gifts of the spirit," descended in the faithful, manifest most dramatically in speaking in tongues. Parham developed the theory of "baptism in the Holy Spirit" and proceeded to pursue this with his followers. One of them, Agnes Ozman, began to speak in tongues on December 31, 1901. Some reports say that she spoke a dialect of Chinese for three years. William J. Seymour came to study with Parham for several weeks in Houston in 1905. Parham was not in favor of the mixing of the races, and he was associated at one point with the Ku Klux Klan. But he allowed Seymour to sit in the hallway and listen in on his lectures on baptism of the Holy Spirit. He also accompanied Seymour to Black neighborhoods and critiqued his preaching. Parham discouraged Seymour from accepting the call to Los Angeles, where the idea of "baptism in the spirit" became the lynchpin of a revival and a global movement.

There are nine "gifts of the spirit," or charisms, which can be separated into three categories: of the mind, of the tongue, and of action. Some of these gifts include the power to heal, to work miracles, to prophesy, and to speak in tongues.

(08:50) Audio Clip of Speaking in Tongues
Glossolalia, commonly known as "speaking in tongues," is the ecstatic utterance of unintelligible sounds by individuals in a state of religious excitement or fervor. Pentecostal revivals are often accompanied by manifestations of glossolalia. Its biblical basis is rooted in the Acts of the Apostles and Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. Xenoglossy, the ability to speak another human language that was previously unknown to the practitioner, is viewed as a means to reversing the confusion experienced at the Tower of Babel.

The audio in the program was recorded during the opening of the Azusa Street Centennial procession which began on Bonnie Brae Street in Los Angeles. Listen to a complete recording of Billy Wilson's opening remarks and the speaking in tongues taking place in the crowd. Also, you can hear two women from the Foursquare Gospel Church in Pasadena describe how the gift of speaking in tongues occurs in their daily lives.

(12:10) Historical Precedents in Other Cultures
Speaking in tongues is often thought to be a contemporary and uniquely Christian practice. But, glossolalia is practiced by a large number of non-Christian religions around the globe: among the Inuits and Saami, in Japanese seances in Hokkaido, in a small cult led by Genji Yanagide of Moji City, the shamans in Ethiopia in the zar cult, and various spirits in Haitian Voodoo. Other locations include Malaysia, Indonesia, Siberia, China, Japan, Korea, Arabia, and Burma. In a piece not included in the radio program, Mel Robeck discusses the historical references to glossolalia happening in ancient Greece.

(13:40) John in the Book of Revelations
The following passage is excerpted from the first chapter of the apocryphal book of Revelations:

I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, "Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea." Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this.

(15:05) Testimonies by Shane and Jessica Ross
View our audio gallery: "Foursquare Stories", which features the voices of Shane and Jessica as well as other members of the Pasadena Foursquare Church.

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Azusa Street Mission located at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles, California. (Courtesy: American Religion Image Library Project, Vanderbilt Divinity Library)

(17:43) Citation from Los Angeles Herald
Krista cites an article from the Los Angeles Herald published during the days of the Azusa Street revival:

All classes of people gathered in the temple last night. There were big Negroes looking for a fight, there were little fairies dressed in dainty chiffon who stood on the benches and looked on with questioning wonder in their baby-blue eyes. There were cappers from North Alameda Street, and sedate dames from West Adams Street. There were all ages, sexes, colors, nationalities and previous conditions of servitude. The rambling old barn was filled and the rafters were so low that it was necessary to stick one's nose under the benches to get a breath of air.

It was evident that nine out of every ten persons present were there for the purpose of new thrills. This was a new kind of show in which the admission was free—they don't even pass the hat at the Holy Rollers' meeting—and they wanted to see every act to the drop of the curtain. They stood on benches to do it. When a bench wasn't handy they stood on each other's feet.

(17:50) Procession Actuality
A chant to the Holy Ghost sung by a group of African delegates in the Azusa Street procession.

(23:35) Music from West Angeles Cathedral
"I Need You to Survive"

(24:47) Actuality from Service at West Angeles Cathedral
The voice is that of Bishop Charles Blake of the West Angeles Cathedral of the Church of God in Christ, preaching to his congregants on the Azusa Revival.

(25:35) Music from West Angeles Cathedral
"Draw Me Nearer"

(29:10) Actuality from Procession
A telescoped recording of the Azusa procession including various parade contingents: a brass band from the Bahamas, African chant, a gospel choir, Native Americans blowing the shofar (an ancient Hebrew instrument), and others.

(30:40) Evangelical and Fundamentalist Christianity
The number of evangelical Christians in the United States varies according to the year and the sample group being surveyed. In a 2001 Gallup poll, approximately 40 percent of survey participants described themselves as evangelical Christians, compared to 45 percent in 2000. On average, 39 percent of Americans identify themselves born-again/evangelical since the poll's introduction in 1975.

The word "evangelical" derives from the Greek word, euangelion, meaning "good news." Although defining Evangelicism can be difficult because of the wide variety of beliefs among Evangelicals, who are typically Protestant Christians with representation across many denominations, but they may also be Roman Catholic or non-denominational. Several fundamental concepts are stressed among most followers: a supreme belief in the authority and inerrancy of the Bible — with an emphasis placed on the four gospels of the New Testament, a relationship with Jesus Christ that comes through personal conversion, a belief in salvation by faith in Jesus Christ's death, and an emphasis placed on spreading God's word.

If you'd like to understand the nuances — the differences and the similarities — of evangelical Christianity and fundamentalism, listen to scholars speak about their experiences in two Speaking of Faith programs. James Smith, a theologian at Calvin College, talks about what being an evangelical Christian means to him in "Evangelicals Out of the Box" and Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, describes the appeal and the drawbacks of being a Christian fundamentalist in "The Power of Fundamentalism."

(30:55) The Holiness Movement
In the United States, the Holiness Movement grew out of the Methodist tradition and emerged during the 19th century. Holiness churches emphasized the doctrine of perfection put forth by John Wesley. Congregants believe that "entire sanctification," which involves the removal of inbred sin, follows conversion and is experienced instantaneously by faith. This differed from the Puritan Calvinist strain of Christianity, which saw human beings as essentially depraved and fallen.

The Holiness movement is more oriented to ethics and the spiritual life than to a defense of doctrinal orthodoxy. The earliest issue of the Holiness movement was abolitionism. Another recurrent theme in Holiness churches has been involvement with, and ministry to, the poor and oppressed. Early abolitionist literature has striking parallels to today's "liberation theology." The "free" in Free Methodist also stood for opposition to church pew rentals, which served to exclude the poor. Such concerns were held to be required by a proper reading of the Scriptures. The Salvation Army is an outgrowth of the Holiness Movement.
Reverend James Forbes, Jr., a well-known theologian and senior minister at The Riverside Church in New York City, came from the Holiness tradition, attending the United Holy Church of America in Georgia. In the Speaking of Faith show, "Pentecostalism in America," Robert Franklin notes that the United Holy Church of America has a rich, ethical tradition of ordaining women and appointing female bishops early in its history. Predominantly a black Holiness Pentecostal Christian denomination, the church was organized as the outgrowth of a Holiness revival sparked by the meetings held by Isaac Cheshier at Method, North Carolina (a suburb of Raleigh), in 1886.

(37:30) Music from West Angeles Cathedral
"Let It Fall Down on Me"

(38:30) Citation from Arlene Sanchez Walsh's Book
Krista cites a passage from Arlene Sanchez Walsh's book, Latino Pentecostal Identity: Evangelical Faith, Self, and Society:

The rupture that occurred at the beginning of the twentieth century, when the Pentecostal movement began to sift members away from several religious bodies, caused more than a momentary outburst — Pentecostalism shocked Protestant America. Pentecostalism was anti-intellectual, anti-rational, ahistorical, non-liturgical and allegedly sensual — and therefore morally dangerous. Evangelicals, as a diffuse body of Christians, as historian Randall Balmer has described them, form part of a religious subculture. Evangelicalism had its own language, imagery, institutions, and expectations that could not accommodate Pentecostalism's spiritual tidal wave.

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Early meeting of the Roman Catholic Pentecostal Dialogue, which began in 1972 and continues today. David du Plessis played a significant part in the charismatic renewal that swept through mainline Christian churches in the 1960s. Those photographed (l to r) are: J. Rodman Williams, Michael Harper, Arnold Bittlinger, Pierre DuPrey, David du Plessis, Pope Paul VI, Basil Meeking; Justus du Plessis, Robert McAlister and Kilian McDonnell. Courtesy: American Religion Image Library Project, Vanderbilt Divinity Library

(43:34) Reference to John 17
Robeck cites the following passage from John 17: 11-16:

And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.