The Ironies of Azusa
by Donald Gantz, Special Collections and Archives Supervisor

April 2006 marks 100 years since the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles. A huge celebration will take place April 25-29 in that city. This important centennial has already been celebrated at Regent during April with the annual Azusa Street Lectures by the School of Divinity, and with a special display and book talk and signing in the library during National Library Week. Regent School of Divinity professor Dr. Estrelda Alexander spoke about her new book The Women of Azusa Street.

A careful look at this revival, and the events that preceded and followed it, tend to confirm the old saying “truth is stranger than fiction.”

The life of William Seymour, who played a major role in the Azusa Street revival, seems to have had more than one person’s share of ironic twists. Born in Louisiana in 1870 to parents who were former slaves, his opportunities for advancement were likely meager. He apparently had little formal education. As a result of smallpox, he lost sight in his left eye. A careful look at some of his photographs reveals a noticeably disfigured eye. On the surface, he did not appear to be a candidate for dynamic leadership in a movement that generated hundreds of new churches and impacted several continents.

The Pentecostal movement began with Charles Parham in Kansas in 1901 when Parham and some of his students were baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. Parham had a Bible school in Topeka, and later one in Houston, Texas. Seymour, who by then had become a Holiness evangelist, attended Parham’s school in Houston. Because of racial segregation he could not sit in Parham’s classroom, but he was permitted to sit in a hall where he could hear through a doorway. There he accepted the teaching that glossolalia was the sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, even though he had not experienced it.

Seymour then went to Los Angeles, having been offered the possibility of pastoring a Holiness church there. In his first sermon in Los Angeles he stressed the necessity of speaking in tongues as evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This resulted in his being locked out of the church. He lost his opportunity to pastor the church as a result of teaching something he had still not experienced!

Now unemployed and with no money to go back to Houston, Seymour was offered a room in the home of Edward Lee. There he began a Bible study and prayer meeting, which soon outgrew the Lee home. The meeting moved to the home of Richard Asberry. These meetings of about fifteen African American believers experienced a powerful visit of the Holy Spirit on April 9, 1906. Several spoke in tongues. On April 12 Seymour was finally baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues.

By this time he was looking for an even larger meeting place and found an empty building on Azusa Street. It had been an African Methodist Episcopal church, but most recently was used as a warehouse and stable. It had a dirt floor on which they scattered straw and sawdust. The walls remained unfinished. Some who attended the meetings reported being plagued by swarms of flies. In spite of this, more and more people attended the meetings, including whites and other ethnic groups, and experienced powerful manifestations of the Holy Spirit. Not the location most of us would have chosen to launch the revival of the century, but then, this is not the first time God chose an obscure stable to start something that would have extraordinary results.

The Azusa Street revival received much attention in the newspapers. Many of the articles were negative and sarcastic, especially about the “babbling in tongues.” This had the strange effect of inspiring more and more people to come to Los Angeles to see the revival for themselves. Many were transformed by what they experienced there and carried the influence back home. The negative press served to spread the movement.

Early in the revival Seymour acknowledged Charles Parham, whose school he had attended in Houston, as his “spiritual father in the Apostolic Faith.” After the movement began to spread, Seymour invited Parham to Los Angeles to hold a citywide revival. Parham came, but could not accept the interracial mixing and African-American style of worship he saw there. The conflict between them became so serious that Seymour asked Parham to leave. Seymour was rejected again, this time by his spiritual mentor.

The list of ironies and reversals in the Azusa revival could go on and on. But let the present list suffice: roots in a suppressed minority, lack of marketable appeal, a strange loyalty to doctrine beyond one’s experience, poor location, negative advertising, rejection, and more rejection …
“ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29 NIV)

For more information on the Azusa Street revival and centennial celebration see:

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Regent Libraries Celebrate National Library Week
by Harold Henkel, Assistant Librarian

From April 2 to April 8, the University Library and Law Library celebrated National Library Week, a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association since 1958. The purpose of National Library Week is to draw attention to the contribution of libraries and promote their use and support. This year the Library created posters to display recommended reading by Regent librarians and selected University faculty. The posters are still on display in the Library lobby. Continuing a Regent tradition begun in 2003, National Library Week was also “Amnesty Week,” during which all patrons returning overdue books had their fines waived. This year, sixty-one patrons took advantage of this benefit.

The week’s observances culminated on Thursday, when the Library held its annual open house, featuring presentations by three distinguished speakers and announcement of winners of the Library’s essay contest. Dean Sara Baron introduced the first speaker, former Chief of Naval Operations and Regent Distinguished Professor Admiral Vern Clark. Admiral Clark spoke about leadership and education, telling the audience that as an admiral, he almost never gave an order, but considered himself primarily a teacher. Speaking of the Executive Development Course which he helped create for the Navy, Admiral Clark said that he always stressed that “none of us knows enough; all of us are going to have to continue to learn.” Some of the books in the Library’s collection recommended by Admiral Clark include The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by John Maxwell; Leading Change, by John Kotter; and Good to Great, by James Collins.

Following a pizza lunch in the lobby, participating students and faculty moved to the Library auditorium to hear minister and author Randy Clark discuss his new book There is More, a historical and theological study of the impartation and visitation of the Lord in the Church. Randy told the audience that impartation, the gift of the Holy Spirit for healing and other miracles, is a Biblical doctrine almost forgotten today. God manifests Himself in this way to reveal His nature—His love, kindness, and generosity. Since April also marks the centennial of the beginning of the Azusa Street Revival, Randy gave a historical overview of how for 100 years prior to the Azusa Street Pentecost, God had been preparing the world for this great outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Following Randy Clark’s talk, there was a short break for refreshments after which the Library welcomed the final speaker, School of Divinity professor, Estrelda Alexander. Dr. Alexander spoke about her book, The Women of Azusa Street, the story of the crucial contribution made by women in the Azusa Street revival. Dr. Alexander, an ordained minister and professor of theology, told the audience that she actually does not consider herself primarily a historian, but that her book was a labor of love, written out of her conviction that women had played a decisive part in the history of Azusa Street, and without great leaders like Julia Hutchins, Florence Reed Crawford, and Lucy Leatherman, “it would have been a very different revival.” One of the most interesting aspects of Dr. Alexander’s talk was her account of some of the detective work necessary to write her book. For example, it was often difficult to determine from published reports the exact identity of the women in question, because both newspapers and even Azusa Street publications tended to refer to women only by Mrs.+last name. Fortunately, many of the women involved with the revival kept journals and diaries, which proved invaluable for research. Throughout her talk, Dr. Alexander evinced a passionate enthusiasm for her subject and continued to take questions from members of the audience over refreshments following the lecture, bringing the day’s events to a happy conclusion.

For more information check out these links:

Admiral Vern Clark (ret.): http://www.regent.edu/news/clark_vern.html

Randy Clark: http://www.cbn.com/700club/guests/bios/randy-clark040606.asp

Asuza Street Revival: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azusa_street_revival

Estrelda Alexander: http://www.regent.edu/acad/schdiv/news/home.cfm#NEWS2

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Undergraduate Student Wins Library Essay Contest
by Harold Henkel, Assistant Librarian

As part of National Library Week observances, the University Library sponsored an essay contest. Regent students were invited to submit essays of not more than 250 words on the topic, “the library's role in helping to achieve Christian leadership to change the world.” Forty-four students representing all schools and degree programs at Regent submitted entries for a chance to win $200 cash for first place, $50 cash for second place, or a $25 Amazon gift certificate for third place. Judging the essays were Library Dean Sara Baron, Dr. Beth Doriani of the School of Undergraduate Studies, Leanne Hillary of the Law Library, and Harold Henkel of the University Library.

All essays were read blind and judged on the basis of development of the topic, creativity, and style. The judging was not an easy process because nearly all entries demonstrated a high level of accomplishment in the three criteria. After lengthy discussion, however the judges settled on a first, second, and third place winner, as well as an honorable mention:

1st place: Keren Chisaki, School of Undergraduate Studies, Communication
To read the winning essay, click here.

2nd Place: Mark Hardgrove, PhD student, School of Leadership Studies

3rd Place: Nathaniel Pierce, School of Law

Honorable Mention: Ingrid Sell, School of Law

To read notable excerpts from selected essays, click here.

The University and Law Libraries would like to thank all the contestants and judges. Thanks also to the Schools of Divinity, Government, Law, Leadership, and Psychology and Counseling for contributing to the cash prizes.

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Alumni Library Opportunities
by Elizabeth Keen, Circulation Supervisor

Saturday, May 6, 2006 will be a momentous occasion for many of you – Commencement! And some of you may wonder about your Alumni library privileges – what are they? Once you graduate, you can get a Regent Library Card for free! Your privileges include being able to borrow up to five books at a time for three weeks, and two AV items at a time for one week.

Even though you will no longer have access to our online databases after you graduate, many public libraries, including Virginia Beach Public Library, offer Online Reference Resources for your post-graduation research needs – and it’s all free! You can access these at the VB Public Library, or, if you have a valid Virginia Beach Public Library card, you can access them from your home. Public libraries also offer Interlibrary Loan services if you have a valid library card.

So don’t think that once commencement is over, so are your library days. Take advantage of your Alumni privileges here and also check out what your local library has to offer – you may be pleasantly surprised!

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Deeper into Databases
by Marta Lee, Assistant Librarian

Security and Counter-Terrorism Database

Regent University library has acquired a new electronic resource, International Security and Counter Terrorism Reference Center (ISCTRC). This EBSCOhost database provides a better understanding of security and counter-terrorism issues. It is a comprehensive, open-source intelligence resource designed for analysts, risk management professionals, and students studying security and terrorism. Content in ISCTRC database includes full-text journal articles, reports, news feeds and books.

The database is easy to search and features the same user-friendly interface as other EBSCOhost databases, such as Academic Search Premier. In addition, the searcher may limit the search to full-text articles, scholarly journals, or date and publication title. A sample search using keywords “United States” and “Homeland Security,” clicking the full-text box, selecting article under document type, and selecting academic journal under publication type resulted in 342 articles being retrieved.

International Security and Counter Terrorism Reference Center is especially relevant today since the news is full of acts of terrorism that are occurring worldwide. Having a source that provides access to scholarly (peer reviewed) journals on these subjects is vital for graduate students studying leadership or government. Regent University Library was the first institution to subscribe to ISCTRC. The University Library had a subscription even before the Department of Homeland Security.

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Library Services for Undergraduate Students
by Harold Henkel, Assistant Librarian

What is WorldCat?

WorldCat is a worldwide union catalog created and maintained by over 9,000 member institutions, including many of the leading research libraries in the world. WorldCat currently contains over 65 million cataloging records for literally anything that might be found in a library, including books, journals, musical scores, CDs and DVDs, to name only a few.

WorldCat is one of the most important and widely used of the Library’s databases. It has a user-friendly interface that makes searching easy. Here is the WorldCat search screen:

Because the WorldCat database is so vast, limiters (see red rectangle) can be especially useful when searching for a particular item. Limiters filter out unwanted categories, or limit results to a particular desired one, such as language or item type.

Like the search screen, WorldCat records are also functional and contain features that can save researchers time. Here is part of the WorldCat record for The Women of Azusa Street by Regent professor Estrelda Alexander:

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Book Spotlight--The Crown and the Crucible by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella
Reviewed by Sandra Yaegle, Associate Librarian

If you are looking for a good historical fiction series to read in order as a respite from academic reading, you might consider The Russians by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella. Set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution, the series begins with The Crown and the Crucible. This lead book in the series introduces the reader to two families, the Burenin family and the Fedorchenko family. One family is aristocratic and powerful, the other family belongs to the peasantry. The reader gets a sense of what it would have felt like to live in Russia in the days preceding the Russian Revolution. Through a series of events, the lives of these families become intertwined as they see their country begin to be ripped apart by war and conflict .Each of the following six books in the series depict the experiences of these families as they see their beloved Russia torn apart by war, greed and rise to power of the Bolsheviks. The faith and love of many members of these families is put to the test as they experience hardship, hunger and even death.

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