The name comes from Pentecost, the event in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles and the Church began proclaiming Christ with boldness. Pentecostals see Acts not merely as ancient history, but as a model of Spirit-filled Christian life.
Historically, modern Pentecostalism grew out of the 19th-century Holiness movement, which stressed conversion, sanctification, revival, and a deeper experience of God. A key early moment came in 1901 in Topeka, Kansas, where Charles Parham’s Bible school connected baptism in the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues. But the most famous catalyst was the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, beginning in 1906, led by William J. Seymour, an African American Holiness preacher. Azusa Street became a multiethnic revival that drew people from many backgrounds and helped spread Pentecostalism around the world.
Pentecostals are often known for several distinctive emphases: baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing, miracles, fervent prayer, energetic worship, and missionary zeal. Many classical Pentecostals teach that Spirit baptism is a post-conversion empowering experience and that speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of it, though not all Pentecostal or charismatic Christians explain this the same way.
It is important to distinguish between classical Pentecostals, Charismatics, Neo-charismatics, and Oneness Pentecostals. Classical Pentecostals usually come from denominations directly connected to the early Pentecostal revivals. Charismatics are Christians within other traditions, including Protestant, Catholic, and even some Orthodox contexts, who accept certain Pentecostal-like spiritual practices. Oneness Pentecostals are a separate non-Trinitarian stream and should not be treated as representative of all Pentecostals. Most classical Pentecostals are Trinitarian.
Several misconceptions should be avoided. Pentecostalism is not automatically the prosperity gospel, though prosperity teaching has appeared in some Pentecostal and charismatic circles. Pentecostals are not all the same, and their churches can differ widely in doctrine, worship, discipline, and theology. Pentecostal worship is often expressive, but it is not merely emotionalism; at its best, it is rooted in prayer, Scripture, evangelism, and a desire for holiness. Also, Pentecostals are not “non-Christian” simply because many practice tongues or healing prayer; many affirm core Christian doctrines such as the Trinity, the deity of Christ, salvation through Christ, and the authority of Scripture.
From an Orthodox Christian perspective, Pentecostalism should be evaluated carefully and fairly. Orthodox Christians can respect Pentecostal zeal for prayer, Scripture, mission, repentance, and the living presence of God, while still raising serious theological questions about authority, sacramental life, ecclesiology, spiritual discernment, emotional excess, and whether modern claims of spiritual gifts are always tested according to the fullness of apostolic tradition.
The bottom line is this: Pentecostalism is a modern movement with ancient longings. It appeals to Acts 2 and the power of the Holy Spirit, but its modern form emerged in the early 20th century through revivalist Protestantism. To understand Pentecostals fairly, one must recognize both their genuine Christian devotion and the theological concerns that come with a movement so diverse, decentralized, and experience-driven.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Pentecostalism”
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pentecostalism
Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Azusa Street Revival”
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Azusa-Street-revival
Encyclopaedia Britannica, “William J. Seymour”
https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-J-Seymour
Pew Research Center, “Christian Movements and Denominations”
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2011/12/19/global-christianity-movements-and-denominations/
Pew Research Center, “The New Face of Global Christianity: The Emergence of Progressive Pentecostalism”
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2006/04/12/the-new-face-of-global-christianity-the-emergence-of-progressive-pentecostalism/
Assemblies of God, “What Is Pentecostalism?”
https://news.ag.org/en/article-repository/spiritual-life/2020/09/what-is-pentecostalism
Gordon-Conwell Center for the Study of Global Christianity, “Quick Facts About Global Christianity”
https://www.gordonconwell.edu/center-for-global-christianity/research/facts-global-christianity/
Vinson Synan, The Century of the Holy Spirit: 100 Years of Pentecostal and Charismatic Renewal, Thomas Nelson, 2001.
Allan Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity, Cambridge University Press, 2014.