Toward a Holistic Pentecost

Abstract

Pentecostalism is often celebrated as a holistic or embodied spirituality that overcomes the dualisms inherent to modernity, and that juxtapose the body and the spiritual. However, historically and in the present, pentecostals struggle to address the problems of inequity and oppression that impact certain bodies in the church and the world. This article explores this tension in Classical Pentecostalism with a focus on Azusa Street and contemporary Pentecostalism in Britain. Through a case study of a “progressive” pentecostal church, I demonstrate that even in contexts that prioritize social engagement, the realities of class, race, and gender oppressions can continue unnamed and unchallenged. Resources may be located, I argue, in the African roots of the movement that provide an integrated worldview in which all aspects of life are considered spiritual and thus the oppressed are empowered to resist social, economic, and political as well as spiritual oppression.