A History of Christian Doctrine #3 - Online Christian Library

A History of Christian Doctrine
Wilkerson (born 1931), an AG minister who began an
effective ministry among the street gangs of New York
City. He ultimately founded Teen Challenge as a nationwide
deliverance ministry. His book, The Cross and the
Switchblade (1963), recounted how God had led him
into this work and how many youth were miraculously
delivered from drugs, alcohol, gang violence, and promiscuity.
It spoke of the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a key
factor in the process. A film by the same name was also
produced. Many Protestants and Catholics first learned of
the baptism of the Spirit from the book or film and developed
a hunger to receive this experience for themselves.
Early Charismatic Experiences
After World War II, a few Protestant ministers began
receiving the Holy Spirit yet remained in their denominations.
Probably the first significant case was Harald
Bredesen (born 1918), a Lutheran minister who received
the Holy Spirit at a Pentecostal camp in 1946. He offered
to resign as a minister, but Lutheran authorities refused to
accept the resignation. In 1957, Bredesen became a pastor—at
Mount Vernon Dutch Reformed Church in New
York City—and he soon began a charismatic prayer meeting
there. Later, when the Charismatic movement blossomed,
he became a prominent leader and media figure.
For example, he appeared on Walter Cronkite’s television
program in 1963.
Another early forerunner of the Charismatic movement
was Tommy Tyson (born 1922), a United Methodist
pastor. He received the Holy Spirit in 1952 and became
an evangelist.
A number of mainline Protestants received the Holy
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