Pentecostals are as diverse as they come, but to our shame, a lot of our churches are not. They say you can’t go forward without first knowing where you came from—it’s time for the Pentecostal Church to not only remember our forefathers, but celebrate what made the movement so powerful in the early 1900s.

The movement was not just a miraculous moving of the Spirit God with speaking in tongues, but the unity of the body despite the evils of racism that were on the outside. It’s time for the Pentecostal Church to come together in unity of Spirit ... and body.

By: PHILIP NORDSTROM

“African American theology can be reduced to these two words...Hallelujah Anyhow”—Van Jones.

My Pentecostal heritage is inextricably linked to African American church history. As I watched the George Floyd funeral, it felt a lot like home. I knew many of the songs and the pastor of the host church, Remus Wright is a direct descendant of my spiritual tribe. His spiritual father was Bishop Golder, a legendary bishop from our background that pastored the first integrated church in St. Louis. Golder’s spiritual father was GT Haywood, one of the founders of the Pentecostal movement.

The most prominent preacher of the Pentecostal movement was a humble African American pastor in Los Angeles named William Seymour. Because of the revival he led, the Pentecostal movement went viral. The revival drew the attention of the Los Angeles Times who made fun of Seymour, calling him a “one eyed uneducated pastor.” A historian said that “black people were laying hands on white people and the color line was washed away in the blood.” Missionaries left that Los Angeles revival and went around the world. One fourth of all Christian churches can trace its roots to this revival. It’s arguably the most significant revival that you have never heard of possibly because it was led by a black man.

Seymour taught that the “main sign” of the Holy Spirit was “love for all people.” Sadly, after the revival, old racial divisions crept back into that movement and denominations were formed largely divided by color. I believe, however, that the hope for equality is found in our history. We need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit that manifests in an outpouring of love for all people. Yes, laws must change. Policing and prisons need reform but hearts must also change.

My heart goes out to the family of George Floyd. To all of my friends of different political and theological persuasions, I love all of you and I need you in my life. We can be brothers and sisters without being twins. All of you count and reflect the beautiful image of God.

To all my black friends, you matter to God and to me. I’m deeply sorry for the pain you have endured far too long. I want to be a voice of healing. Forgive me for my shortcomings and my silence at times. “I Need You To Survive”