Traditional Pentecostals were among the first in our nation to
embrace the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But have they kept in
step with the Holy Spirit since? Charisma takes a comprehensive
look at the classical Pentecostal community—both past and
present. Over the years, the Pentecostals have been called by
various names. Although many of the first Pentecostal churches
in the United States were known as “Holiness” churches, the
first strictly Pentecostal groups used variations of the name
“Apostolic Faith.” This was the name chosen by Charles Parham
for his small group in Topeka, Kan., when Pentecost fell in
1901. When Parham’s African-American follower and friend,
William J. Seymour, opened the famous Azusa Street Mission in
Los Angeles in 1906 he also used the name Apostolic Faith. In
the years that followed, other names such as “Full Gospel,”
“Pentecostal” and “Latter Rain” were used. At times, the public
scornfully called these Spirit-filled believers “holy rollers,”
a name universally rejected by adheren