Imagine entering a room filled with people of all ages yelling gibberish while their bodies shake violently. You look around and see a seizure palooza on the floor. Imagine a grown adult running around with his hands in the air like a five year old playing with his toy airplane while women, men, and children cry uncontrollably. If you are an optimist you would think that maybe this group of people just won a million dollars and are in shock. If you are a pessimist, you would say with certainty that you just witnessed several demonic possessions. The reality of this perplexing sight is simply a group of upstanding Christian people worshipping the good Lord. Interestingly, this peculiar way of worship is known as Pentecostalism, a Christian movement derived from the Protestant Reformation. Pentecostals are protestants that believe in the Trinity, but strongly emphasize the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It is believed that special spiritual gifts are obtained through the Holy Ghost, which allow believers to be in direct communion with God. In order to obtain the special …show more content…
It was an exciting epoch where women of different races and social classes were able to fully participate, have authority, and become leaders, preachers, and missionaries. The reason women were able to obtain authority in spiritual life was because they believed that spiritual gifts were accessible by everyone. Under those circumstances, women were able to use their gifts as a platform to be heard and respected by men. For example, Aimee Semple McPherson, who converted to Pentecostalism, became a famous evangelist during the 20th century. She healed the sick and the spiritually broken people. She used “ modern media (especially radio) as vehicles for evangelization” (pg 209) which helped her become widely known and respected by