Page 55 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

CH A P T E R 4

The Gospel

Comes

to Africa

When Did the Pentecostal Church Begin?

n Chapter Three, I noted some of the involvements of Africans
that are recorded in Scripture. History indicates a rich heritage
I in this regard. Since I am writing this history from a Pentecostal
perspective, I want to ask an important question: When did the
Pentecostal church begin? One criticism often directed at modern
Pentecostals is that they have no tradition and little history. Some
say that while the church has existed for more than two thousand
years, Pentecostals have been around for only about one hundred
years. Some Evangelical Christians believe that Pentecostalism is just
a branch of main-stream Christianity, and they tend to condemn or
marginalize Pentecostalism.

I recall the day our daughter told me that one of her Bible teachers
had taught that speaking in tongues was abnormal and should not be
permitted in the church. I spent some time teaching her that the baptism
in the Holy Spirit is normative to Christian living and ministry and that
speaking in tongues should be normative in the church as well.

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