Gutierres Fernandes Siqueira, author of the books Revestidos de Poder (CPAD), The Spirit and the Word (CPAD) and Divided Kingdom (GodBooks), used his profiles on social networks to position himself against a statement made by Pastor Paulo Junior, leader of the Alliance Church of Calvary, about revival.
The position of the writer who is a member of the Assembly of God (Ministério do Belém) in São Paulo (SP) is due to a statement made by Pastor Junior, where he refers to the Azusa Street revival, which took place in California (USA) in 1906, as an emotional lullaby.
Gutierres explained that because he was a public figure, Pastor Junior should be refuted, which is why he decided to write about it. Initially, the Assemblyman highlighted the historical importance of the event at Azusa.
“The Azusa Street Revival was a pivotal moment in modern Christian history. In a period of intense racial segregation, William Seymour, an African-American pastor, led a movement that broke down racial and cultural barriers by uniting Christians from diverse backgrounds in one place,” he said.
Afterwards, Gutierres recalled that due to the supernatural movement of that period, a series of social and life transformations began to occur not only in the United States, but also in various parts of the world.
He also stressed that, as a characteristic of a genuine revival, believers in Jesus began to pray and read the Bible with more emphasis, evidencing a behavior of true commotion for their sins.
“Reports from the period highlight the presence of a strong sense of call to repentance, as well as a strong emphasis on prayer and the study of the Word of God. Movement participants were deeply committed to taking the gospel message to the world,” says Gutierres.
mistaken opinion
The Assemblyian writer, finally, said he believed that the current evangelical world would not be the same if the Azusa revival had not occurred. He pointed to evangelism on a global scale as a credible feature of what happened in 1906.
“The speed with which the gospel message has spread around the world, especially in the Global South, is a reflection of the influence of this revival. Without the passion and fervor of the Azusa believers, the evangelical world would certainly not be what it is today,” he said.
Remembering that renowned theologians such as Alister McGrath disagree with Paulo Junior’s view, recognizing the importance of Azusa, Gutierres closes his comment by classifying the opinion of the pastor of the Aliança do Calvário Church as “superficial” and “mistaken”.
“Paulo Júnior’s opinion, unfortunately, is wrong, shows a lack of knowledge and is superficial”, concludes the author. On the same subject, see also:
Pastor: ‘All revivals have had excesses, but you don’t take away their genuineness’