Page 106 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT

“The Fire-Baptized Holiness Church served as an forbids the use of medicine by exclaiming, “We say yes,
important link in the chain that later produced the most emphatically YES.”
modern Pentecostal movement. By teaching that the In the March 22, 1899, issue of Parham’s Apostolic
baptism of the Holy Ghost was an experience separate Faith magazine (the first month of its publication), he
from and subsequent to sanctification, it laid the basic
doctrinal premise of the later movement. It is probable listed his beliefs: “salvation by faith; healing by faith,
that Charles F. Parham, the man who initiated the laying on of hands, and prayer; sanctification by faith;
Pentecostal revival in Topeka, Kansas, in 1901, coming (pre-millennium) of Christ; the baptism of Holy
received from Irwin the basic idea of a separate Ghost and Fire, which seals the Bride and bestows the
baptism of the Holy Ghost following sanctification. gifts.” Thus we see the combining of the various
Indeed, for a time in 1899, Parham promoted the doctrines he had gathered in his travels.
‘baptism of fire’ in his Apostolic Faith After his visit with Sandford, Parham moved to
magazine” (Synan, The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition, Topeka, Kansas; and in October 1900, he established the
p. 59).
Parham also adopted some heresies from a Quaker Bethel Bible School. Parham was convinced that Christ’s
return would be preceded by a latter rain outpouring of
friend, David Baker (Parham married Baker’s signs and wonders and he believed that tongues-
granddaughter). He denied the eternal punishment of speaking is the evidence of the baptism of the Holy
the wicked, claiming, rather, that that the unsaved Spirit. He further believed that the tongues are real
would be annihilated in hell. earthly languages that would enable missionaries to
In 1898 Parham came under the influence of the preach the gospel to the ends of the earth without
aforementioned Frank Sandford, who operated a having to learn foreign languages. According to
religious community named Shiloh and the Holy Ghost Parham’s teaching, those who received the latter rain
and Us Bible School in Durham, Maine. Sandford baptism would form the bride of Christ and would rule
promoted a latter rain type theology, believing the final with Him at His coming.
work of God on earth would include the performance of Parham urged his students to seek this experience,
signs and wonders to separate humanity into two and in this context he laid hands on one of his Bible
groups, Christ’s and Antichrist’s. He was striving to school students, Agnes Ozman, on January 1, 1901, and
return to “apostolic life and power.” Several of she allegedly began to speak in Chinese and later in
Sandford’s students claimed to speak in tongues, and it Bohemian and was unable to speak in English for three
is said that Sanford himself believed in the restoration days after this experience. She spoke while in a trance
of tongues at least until 1901. That was the year he (Topeka State Journal, Jan. 9, 1901). Ozman had been
baptized A.J. Tomlinson (who later founded the Church influenced by the Fire-Baptized Holiness movement.
of God of Prophecy) with his “restored baptism.” Subsequently, Parham and others at the small Bible
From Sandford, Parham picked up the heresy of school also allegedly began to speak in tongues. Parham
Anglo-Israelism, that white Anglo-Saxons are said that language professors and other linguistically
descendants of the “ten lost tribes” of Israel. Sandford, educated people confirmed that the tongues the
and Parham after him, confused the church with Israel students were speaking were languages, but this has
and believed Britain and America have inherited never been confirmed. Newspaper reporters of the day
promises granted to Israel. described the phenomenon merely as “gibberish.”
In 1900 Parham traveled to Chicago to study the One of the students, S.J. Riggins, left the school,
ministry of John Alexander Dowie, the father of healing claiming that the others were merely speaking
evangelism, and to witness Dowie’s newly organized “gibberish.” He told the Topeka Daily Capital: “‘I believe
Zion City, “where doctors, drugs, and devils were not the whole of them are crazy. I never saw anything like
allowed.” Dowie believed he was at the forefront of an it. I do not believe their senseless jargon means
end times apostolic miracle movement. In 1901 Dowie anything. I am trying to be an earnest Christian” (Jan. 6,
proclaimed that he was “Elijah the Restorer” who was to 1901).
precede the Lord’s coming and that he was the first Consider this description by Parham of what his
apostle of the renewed end-time church. He emphasized students were doing the day after Ozman began her
a sinless perfection experience and healing in the tongues-speaking career: “The next day I went down
atonement. Parham, too, taught that healing was town and upon my return found ALL THE STUDENTS
promised by Christ’s atonement and railed against the SITTING ON THE FLOOR TALKING IN UNKNOWN
use of medicine and doctors. He claimed that it was TONGUES, NO TWO TALKING THE SAME LANGUAGE,
always God’s will to heal sicknesses. For example, in the AND NO ONE UNDERSTANDING HIS OR HER
Sept. 13, 1899, issue of his Apostolic Faith magazine, NEIGHBOR'S SPEECH” (Topeka Mail and Breeze, Feb.
Parham replied to the question of whether the Bible
22, 1901).

106 Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity