Azusa Street Revival Symposium: Dr. Anthea Butler

On April 9, 1906, from a home on Bonnie Brae Street, William Seymour preached a sermon on Acts 2:4 that would change the course of spiritual history. People from diverse races, backgrounds, and economic classes congregated to hear his sermons and, in return, experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit which included speaking in tongues, singing, shouting, miraculous healings, and ultimately praising God. Later known as the Azusa Street Revival, this little-known Los Angeles history sparked the beginning of the global Pentecostal church.

The symposium looks at the significance and impact of the Azusa Street Revival on the Pentecostal movement and on culture in general.

The Color Line was Washed away in the Blood: Race and the Revival

Speaker: Dr. Anthea Butler is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Graduate Chair in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. A historian of African American and American religion, Professor Butler’s research and writing spans African American religion and history, race, politics, Evangelicalism, gender and sexuality, media, and popular culture. Professor Butler currently serves as President Elect of the American Society for Church history, and is also member of the American Academy of Religion, American Historical Association, and the International Communications Association.