William Howard Durham
Encyclopedia
William Howard Durham was an early Pentecostal preacher and theologian, best known for advocating the Finished Work
doctrine.
and joined his family Baptist
church; however, he would only experience conversion later. He joined the Holiness movement
and by 1901 founded the North Avenue Full Gospel Mission, a store-front church in Chicago.
When the influence of the Los Angeles Azusa Street Revival
spread to Chicago, one member of his congregation was baptized in the Holy Spirit. Initially, Durham was dubious about the new Pentecostal movement, but when he visited the Azusa Street Mission for himself, he had his own experience of Spirit baptism with speaking in tongues and was convinced. Upon returning to Chicago, Durham transformed his North Avenue Mission into a center to disseminate the Pentecostal revival in the Midwest and among ethnic minorities. Durham started publishing a periodical, The Pentecostal Testimony, and travelled extensivelly to diffuse the Pentecostal message.
Raised in a Reformed tradition, Durham found difficult to accept the then-widespread Wesleyan
doctrine of a three-stage salvation process held by most Pentecostals. Durham began preaching the Finished Work doctrine
that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit comes after salvation
. Quickly Durham acquired supporters among Pentecostals of Reformed, Baptist, and Christian & Missionary Alliance backgrounds, and many missionaries abroad, but entered at odds with the older Pentecostal preachers, such as William Seymour
, Charles Parham, and Florence Crawford
.
Durham planned to systemize his theology in order to explain his point of view and published drafts of it in his periodical, but he would not complete it as he died of pneumonia in Los Angeles in 1912.
, who preached among Italians in North America, Argentina, Brazil, and Italy; F.A.Sandgren, a pioneer among Scandinavians in the Midwest, one of them Daniel Berg
, a Swedish Pentecostal missionary in Brazil; Andrew Urshan, a leader in the Persian, Assyrian
, and Oneness Pentecostalism
s; Andrew H. Argue, pastor in Canada; Eudorus N. Bell, a leader in the Assemblies of God
; Aimee Semple McPherson
, evangelist and church founder; John C. Sinclair, pastor in Chicago and church founder; Frank Ewart, Howard Goss, leaders in the Oneness Pentecostalism.
Although he was an staunch congregationalist and against denominationalism, there are many denominations that trace their roots from Durham's work: General Council of the Assemblies of God in the United States of America; International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
; Open Bible Standard Churches
; New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc.
; the Scandinavian-American Fellowship of Christian Assemblies
and the Independent Assemblies of God, International
; the Italian-American International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies and its counterparts abroad, like the Christian Congregation in Brazil; the Assembleias de Deus
of Brazil; Pentecostal Church of God
; the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada
; the Oneness United Pentecostal Church; and many independent Pentecostal congregations, mainly in the Northeast United States.
Finished Work
The Finished Work is a doctrine within Pentecostal Christianity which locates sanctification at the time of conversion, and afterward, the converted Christian progressively grows in grace...
doctrine.
Early life and career
Durham was born in 1873 in rural KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and joined his family Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church; however, he would only experience conversion later. He joined the Holiness movement
Holiness movement
The holiness movement refers to a set of beliefs and practices emerging from the Methodist Christian church in the mid 19th century. The movement is distinguished by its emphasis on John Wesley's doctrine of "Christian perfection" - the belief that it is possible to live free of voluntary sin - and...
and by 1901 founded the North Avenue Full Gospel Mission, a store-front church in Chicago.
When the influence of the Los Angeles Azusa Street Revival
Azusa Street Revival
The Azusa Street Revival was a historic Pentecostal revival meeting that took place in Los Angeles, California and is the origin of the Pentecostal movement. It was led by William J. Seymour, an African American preacher. It began with a meeting on April 14, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915...
spread to Chicago, one member of his congregation was baptized in the Holy Spirit. Initially, Durham was dubious about the new Pentecostal movement, but when he visited the Azusa Street Mission for himself, he had his own experience of Spirit baptism with speaking in tongues and was convinced. Upon returning to Chicago, Durham transformed his North Avenue Mission into a center to disseminate the Pentecostal revival in the Midwest and among ethnic minorities. Durham started publishing a periodical, The Pentecostal Testimony, and travelled extensivelly to diffuse the Pentecostal message.
Raised in a Reformed tradition, Durham found difficult to accept the then-widespread Wesleyan
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
doctrine of a three-stage salvation process held by most Pentecostals. Durham began preaching the Finished Work doctrine
Finished Work
The Finished Work is a doctrine within Pentecostal Christianity which locates sanctification at the time of conversion, and afterward, the converted Christian progressively grows in grace...
that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit comes after salvation
Conversion to Christianity
Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person to some form of Christianity. It has been called the foundational experience of Christian life...
. Quickly Durham acquired supporters among Pentecostals of Reformed, Baptist, and Christian & Missionary Alliance backgrounds, and many missionaries abroad, but entered at odds with the older Pentecostal preachers, such as William Seymour
William J. Seymour
William Joseph Seymour was an African American minister, and an initiator of the Pentecostal religious movement.-Biography:...
, Charles Parham, and Florence Crawford
Florence Crawford
Florence Crawford was an American silent film actress.-Filmography:*The Scarlet West .... Mrs. Harper*The Path of Happiness .... Doris Ingraham*The Man Inside ......
.
Durham planned to systemize his theology in order to explain his point of view and published drafts of it in his periodical, but he would not complete it as he died of pneumonia in Los Angeles in 1912.
Legacy
Durham was a mentor to a whole generation of Pentecostal leaders: Louis FrancesconLouis Francescon
Louis Francescon was a missionary and pioneer of the Italian Pentecostal Movement. Several Pentecostal denominations and fellowships acknowledge him as their founder, including the Christian Church of North America, the Christian Congregation in the United States, and the Christian Congregation of...
, who preached among Italians in North America, Argentina, Brazil, and Italy; F.A.Sandgren, a pioneer among Scandinavians in the Midwest, one of them Daniel Berg
Daniel Berg
Daniel Berg is a scientist, educator and was the fifteenth president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.He was born on June 1, 1929 in New York City. In 1950, he graduated from City College of New York with a B.S. in physics and chemistry. He earned M.S. and P.h. D. degrees in physical chemistry...
, a Swedish Pentecostal missionary in Brazil; Andrew Urshan, a leader in the Persian, Assyrian
Assyrian Pentecostal Church
The Assyrian Pentecostal Church , in , began in villages across the Urmia region in Iran, and spread to the Assyrians living in the adjacent cities. The current church's doctrine and tradition is a continuation of the spiritual revival movements that took place in Western Iran during the 1930s...
, and Oneness Pentecostalism
Oneness Pentecostalism
Oneness Pentecostalism refers to a grouping of denominations and believers within Pentecostal Christianity, all of whom subscribe to the nontrinitarian theological doctrine of Oneness...
s; Andrew H. Argue, pastor in Canada; Eudorus N. Bell, a leader in the Assemblies of God
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
; Aimee Semple McPherson
Aimee Semple McPherson
Aimee Semple McPherson , also known as Sister Aimee, was a Canadian-American Los Angeles, California evangelist and media celebrity in the 1920s and 1930s. She founded the Foursquare Church...
, evangelist and church founder; John C. Sinclair, pastor in Chicago and church founder; Frank Ewart, Howard Goss, leaders in the Oneness Pentecostalism.
Although he was an staunch congregationalist and against denominationalism, there are many denominations that trace their roots from Durham's work: General Council of the Assemblies of God in the United States of America; International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, commonly referred to as the Foursquare Church, is an evangelical Pentecostal Christian denomination. As of 2000 it had a worldwide membership of over 8,000,000, with almost 60,000 churches in 144 countries. In 2006, membership in the United States...
; Open Bible Standard Churches
Open Bible Standard Churches
right|thumb | OBSC Pacific Office in [[Eugene, Oregon]]The Open Bible Standard Churches or Open Bible Churches is an association of Pentecostal churches with headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Open Bible Churches is affiliated with , an accredited Bible college in Eugene, Oregon...
; New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc.
New Testament Christian Churches of America, Inc.
New Testament Christian Churches of America is a Pentecostal, Evangelical, Trinitarian, Fundamentalist denomination of about 5,000 members, headquartered in Graham, Washington. It was founded in 1969 by former Pentecostal Church of God minister Rodger Wilson Davis. The NTCC proselytizing strategy...
; the Scandinavian-American Fellowship of Christian Assemblies
Fellowship of Christian Assemblies
The Fellowship of Christian Assemblies is a pentecostal Christian association with roots in a revival during the 1890's among the Scandinavian Baptist and Pietist communities in the United States....
and the Independent Assemblies of God, International
Independent Assemblies of God, International
The Independent Assemblies of God, International is a pentecostal Christian association with roots in a revival in 1890 decade among the Scandinavian Baptist and Pietist communities in the United States....
; the Italian-American International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies and its counterparts abroad, like the Christian Congregation in Brazil; the Assembleias de Deus
Assembleias de Deus
The Assembléias de Deus are a group of Pentecostal denominations in Brazil related to the Assemblies of God.- History :The Assembléias de Deus began when Daniel Berg and Gunnar Vingren, two Swedish Baptist immigrants from South Bend, Indiana had the Pentecostal experience in Chicago and departed...
of Brazil; Pentecostal Church of God
Pentecostal Church of God
The Pentecostal Church of God is a trinitarian Pentecostal Christian denomination headquartered in Joplin, Missouri, United States. As of 2006, there were 117,000 members and 2,870 clergy in 1,170 churches in the United States. Sixty churches and missions exist among the Native Americans...
; the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada
Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada
The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada is a Pentecostal Christian denomination and the largest evangelical church in Canada. It reports 234,385 adherents and 1,077 member congregations throughout Canada...
; the Oneness United Pentecostal Church; and many independent Pentecostal congregations, mainly in the Northeast United States.
Further reading
- Clayton, Allen L. (1979), "The Significance of William H. Durham for Pentecostal Historiography", in Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 1 (1): 28–29