Tulsa's Black Pentecostal community has a rich history. As Tulsa's black population thrived along side the development of the Greenwood District known as "Black Wall Street," Pentecost also took hold with at least two Church of God in Christ Churches by 1921 with over 100 members each. In doing research for my book, Pentecost in … Continue reading Notable COGIC Women from the Tulsa Area
pentecostalism
Russell Spittler’s 1983 Predictions for Pentecostal Studies and Their Fulfillment
This week we received the news that pioneering Pentecostal scholar, Dr. Russell Spittler (Ph.D. Harvard, 1971) had passed away. Spittler had a long and distinguished career as a Pentecostal scholar and educator serving at Central Bible College, Vanguard University, and Fuller Theological Seminary. He was also very involved in the Society for Pentecostal Studies where … Continue reading Russell Spittler’s 1983 Predictions for Pentecostal Studies and Their Fulfillment
Metro Pentecostal Church Celebrates 100 Years
Tulsa is a city with a rich history of Oneness Pentecostalism. Following the split between Trinitarian and Oneness believers in the Assemblies of God in 1916, it is unclear if any Oneness congregations were maintained from the number of early Pentecostal believers in Tulsa. The first known church was started In 1922, when a Oneness … Continue reading Metro Pentecostal Church Celebrates 100 Years
God Broke Me on The Wheel of My Prejudice: Jonathan E. Perkins
Jonathan Ellsworth Perkins was an early Assemblies of God pastor who served from 1924-1926 at the "5th and Peoria" Assembly of God in Tulsa. Perkins was an important early leader who wrote The Brooding Presence, one of the first AG books on the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Perkins also served with Stanley Frodsham as Associate Editor … Continue reading God Broke Me on The Wheel of My Prejudice: Jonathan E. Perkins
New Book: Pentecost in Tulsa
I am excited to announce that my new book, Pentecost in Tulsa, is out today from Seymour Press. Tulsa has become an important epicenter of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in the United States. In its earliest days, revivals helped establish important churches. Later, well-known launched worldwide ministries from Tulsa that impacted millions around the globe. … Continue reading New Book: Pentecost in Tulsa
Pentecost in Greenwood
Back in April of this year, I was invited to present at the Tulsa City-County Library Unite Tulsa symposium commemorating the Centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. I was one of a dozen presentations on various themes that spark conversations about race and society. I presented on "Pentecost in Greenwood: The Black Pentecostal Churches … Continue reading Pentecost in Greenwood
“’Rescued Women’: Early Pentecostal Responses to Sex Trafficking”
This week I present at the annual Society for Pentecostal Studies meeting. The theme this year is "'This is My Body": Addressing Global Violence Against Women," a challenging topic for any scholar to address. Yet violence against women is a global phenomenon that is felt by people in virtually every community, including Pentecostals. I have … Continue reading “’Rescued Women’: Early Pentecostal Responses to Sex Trafficking”
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher and the Pentecostal Origins of Desegregation
In 1954, the Supreme Court decided the famous Civil Rights case, Brown Vs. Board of Education, which argued that segregation in public schools violated the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment. This led the way for the 1964 decision to permanently desegregate schools in America. What many people do not know is that a … Continue reading Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher and the Pentecostal Origins of Desegregation
Bishop Travis B. Sipuel: A Pentecostal Survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
During my research on the history of the Pentecostal movement in Tulsa, I discovered the story of a Church of God in Christ pastor, Bishop Travis B. Sipuel, who survived the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. His story we know because of his daughter Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, the famous Oklahoma Civil Rights leader. This is … Continue reading Bishop Travis B. Sipuel: A Pentecostal Survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
How Pentecostals Responded to the 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic
(Note: This blog was also published in Influence Magazine and can be viewed on their website https://influencemagazine.com) Hear a podcast about this topic with Steve Strang of Charisma Magazine. Right now the whole world is feeling the effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic. It seems like every institution in our society is closing down to protect … Continue reading How Pentecostals Responded to the 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic
Daniel D. Isgrigg 