The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism

The Azusa Street Revival was a series of religious revival meetings led by African American preacher William J. Seymour. The revival started in 1906 and ended around 1915. Despite the established racial segregation in the Christian church, the revival witnessed a large interracial audience. People from different backgrounds—including white bishops, Black workers, Asian people, poor, rich, Mexican immigrants, women and children—gathered to attend Seymour’s preachings. A particular characteristic of the congregations was the practice of speaking in tongues. Seymour emphasized the idea of Baptism with the Holy Spirit. The movement waned amid ongoing criticism from Christians across religious denominations, the separation of white Pentecostals from Seymour, and divisions along racial and theological lines, and ultimately the congregation became all Black after white Christians abandoned it. The movement made a significant contribution in the evolution of religion in America and is considered key in the spread of Pentecostalism.

Evangelicalism derives from the Greek word “euangelion” for the Gospel. It refers to the practice of preaching the Gospel in order to propagate the message of salvation and the teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who espouse this tradition are termed evangelists.

Evangelicalism is a denomination within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes the preaching of the Gospel, spiritual rebirth through individual conversion to Christianity, missionary work, and the Bible as the basis of faith and guidance.