jepta 2001 21 - European Pentecostal Theological Association

The Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association, Vol. XXI, 2001
The Earliest Days of British Pentecostalism: Neil Hudson
had increased to 6000.' This is a significant number of magazines in circulation.
However, Confidence was not the only publication. From 1910, a number of
smaller magazines began to circulate. For example, Moncur Niblock produced
Omega from January 1910, in response to a command from God to include
'articles pertaining to last things in these latter days'.' The articles were
surprisingly mystical in nature; selections were included from writers such as
Gerhard Tersteegen,' Jacob Behrnan,' Pascal,' Thomas a Kempi~,~ as well as the
more expected contributions from Asa Mahon and A.J. Gordon.' There were also
a number of selections from Early Church writings, notably the First Epistle of
Clement, the Shepherd of Hermass and Chryso~tom.~ Although Boddy was
clearly concerned about the potential damage that these new magazines could do
to Confidence,'' few of them proved to be as durable. Frodsham's Victory, the
closest to Confidence in nature since it majored on the dissemination of news,
was published between 1909-1916, closing in debt. Others, such as The
Abundance of Grace and the Spirit of Truth, were short-lived. Cantel, one of the
early Pentecostal leaders in London, published the Overcoming Life, which then
became the Overcomer, both of which contained selections from Madame Guyon,
Fenelon and contemporary articles from America. A very long running magazine
was the missionary based Fragments of Flame, published by Cecil Polhill, which
ran from 1908-25. It survived so long because of its missionary emphasis; it was
not in direct competition with Conjidence. Taylor suggested that this was the
only other magazine that was not a 'publishing fiasco'." In 1925, the magazine
became a part of Redemption Tidings when the Pentecostal Missionary Union,
the organisation that the magazine operated for, became part of the Assemblies of
God. The other magazine that survived from 1910-26 was Showers of Blessing.
In this case, it managed to outlast many of the other publications because it was a
denominational paper, supporting the Apostolic Faith Movement.
In attempting to understand the early British Pentecostals, the magazines,
however short-lived, are invaluable. They illustrate the tremendous willingness to
be enterprising. The magazines were all supported on 'faith' principles and there
was a naive expectation that God would sustain and provide for all their
I 'Ready for the Post Office Van', Confidence, August 191 1,192.
'Editorial, Omega, Jan-Feb. 191 0, 1.
' Omega, July 191 0.
' Omega, Jan -Feb 191 0.
' Omega, August 19 1 1.
'Omega, July 1910.
' Omega, April-May 1910.
' Omega, Jan-Feb 19 10.
Omega, April - May 191 1.
lo A.A. Boddy, 'Other Pentecostal papers in Great Britain', Confidence, March 1910,61.
" Taylor, 126.
publishing needs. This spirit of risk and belief in both self and God was
demonstrated throughout the story of early Pentecostals. Buoyed by their belief
that they were living in the last days and that the experience of receiving the
Spirit had marked them out as the restored church meant that they were
undaunted by the financial constraints that others may have felt. They were the
ones ready to take all sorts of risks to publicise their message. Characterised by
hope and courage, their willingness to establish magazines, new churches and
mission activity whose influence would lie far beyond their numerical strength
was to be demonstrated continuously during this early period of the twentieth
century. For Pentecostals, meeting in small house-groups of perhaps a dozen
people, to read of events in America, Russia and China encouraged them to keep
their eyes on a much wider horizon.
The other significant information that is revealed by these magazines is the extent
to which they were prepared to engage with historical sources in an attempt to
explain their own spiritual experiences and to encourage others to grow. The
sources were the mystical writers, more at home in a Catholic setting than in the
Protestant roots of the Reformers and Puritans. This willingness to use a wide
range of sources would suggest that the early Pentecostals were happy to explain
their experiences in terms of an encounter with the Spirit and were less able to
explain it in theologically consistent terms. This was very evident, in particular,
with Boddy himself. Having had various Pentecostal experiences before he
spoke in tongues in 1907, he had difficulty in holding the integrity of them all
together and changed his explanation of them over time. It would only be with
the growth of Pentecostal denominationalism from 19 15 onwards that the
doctrinal explanations of the reception of the Spirit and the ordo salutis would be
agreed upon by the various groups. Until that time, individuals held to their
views, often tenaciously, and there was a plethora of opinions and explanations.
This attempt to determine a common Pentecostal theology would occupy the time
of those attending the Sunderland Conventions, the annual convocations hosted
by Boddy.
EARLY OPPOSITION TO PENTECOSTALISM
Between the Autumn of 1907 and the first Whitsuntide Convention held in
Sunderland, 6-1 1 June, 1908, Boddy had been occupied writing short tracts,
guidelines and articles defending and maintaining the Pentecostal position.
Amongst his most trenchant critics would be Jessie Penn-Lewis. Even before
Barratt's visit, Boddy had written to her after she had sounded warnings in The
Christian and the Life of Faith against those who were seeking after the gift of
tongues. Fearing that it was 'almost hopeless to expect that the subject should
I Letter, A.A. Boddy to J. Penn-Lewis, 17 June 1907.