“Make Azusa Great Again”

Abstract

This article explores how some of the historiography of the Azusa Street Mission reflects the rhetoric of American exceptionalism. It first explores American exceptionalism as well as the development of the Azusa Street Mission in the context of global Pentecostalism. Second, some accounts of the Azusa revival are examined to observe the language of exceptionalism in the retelling of this event. Yet, it is not the purpose of this article to diminish the significance of the Azusa Street Mission in the development of global Pentecostalism. Instead, third, the great contribution of Azusa is discussed, namely, the emphasis on the democratization of the Spirit and its corollary of a Spirit-led, nondiscriminatory leadership. While not distinct in this vision in the context of global Pentecostalism, the Azusa Street Mission does function as an important symbol for the current pentecostal community that aspires to function as a post-racist church. Some implications of this for an emerging pentecostal political theology are briefly presented.