Updated March 14, 2006 (first published August 2, 2002) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

On a trip through the Midwest in 2002, I spent a day at the Kansas State Research Society library in Topeka where I found important documents pertaining to the earliest history of the Pentecostal movement.

The modern tongues speaking movement began at Charles Parham’s Bethel Bible School in Topeka in 1901 when one of his students, Agnes Ozman, claimed that she could miraculously speak in Chinese and various other languages. The other students soon followed suit with their own "tongues."

Parham’s school folded within a few months and he later established a school in Houston, Texas, and it was one of his students there, William Seymour, who became the most famous name in early Pentecostal history. Seymour went out to Los Angeles, California, and established the Azusa Street Mission, where the Pentecostal movement blossomed in 1906.

At the Research Society I found three old newspaper articles and other documents about Parham's Topeka school.

One describes the testimony of S.J. Riggins, a student who left the school, claiming that the other students were merely speaking "gibberish." Following is his testimony: "I was not under the influence, and could see that the students of the school had been led to this extreme through their fanaticism, and finally decided to leave the school. Accordingly last Saturday morning I went away, but before going, I called the inmates of the building together and explained to them my reasons for leaving. I told them they were under the influence of the evil one, and that the best thing they could do would be to leave the school, as I was doing. They call laughed at me, and I left the school, and do not intend to return" (Topeka State Journal, Jan. 7, 1901).

In light of the facts, we are convinced that Riggins was correct in his assessment.

Consider this description by Parham of what his students were doing the day after Ozman began her tongues-speaking career: "The next day I went down town and upon my return found ALL THE STUDENTS SITTING ON THE FLOOR TALKING IN UNKNOWN TONGUES, NO TWO TALKING THE SAME LANGUAGE, AND NO ONE UNDERSTANDING HIS OR HER NEIGHBOR'S SPEECH" (Topeka Mail and Breeze, Feb. 22, 1901). This is strictly contrary to the Bible's teaching about the genuine gift of tongues. The Bethel Bible School "tongues" in January 1901 was disorganized, unedifying confusion, which the Bible says is not of God (1 Cor. 14:33). The Bible says that tongues are not to be used unless they are interpreted and even then, the gift is to be exercised by only one speaker at a time (1 Cor. 14:23-28). Further, Parham claimed that Ozman was unable to speak in English for three days after her initial tongues experience; whereas the Bible says a genuine prophet or tongues speaker is in control of himself. "And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets" (1 Cor. 14:32). Ozman's uncontrollable "tongue" was not of God.

Consider another fact. Parham's students not only claimed to speak in tongues but also to write in miraculous languages. The Topeka Daily Capital printed an example of Ozman's "inspired writings," and it is obvious that it was nothing more than childish scratchings. She was deluded, plain and simple.

Further, the early Pentecostals thought they would be able to preach in foreign languages through the gift of tongues. Parham is quoted as follows: "It is a wonderful work, coming as it does on the eve of the twentieth century. We have for long believed that the power of the Lord would be manifested in our midst, and that power would be given us to speak other language, and that the time will come when we will be sent to go into all the nations and preach the gospel, and that THE LORD WILL GIVE US THE POWER OF SPEECH TO TALK TO THE PEOPLE OF THE VARIOUS NATIONS WITHOUT HAVING TO STUDY THEM IN SCHOOLS" (Topeka State Journal, Jan. 7, 1901). The early Pentecostals believed that tongues-speaking involves an earthly language. They knew that this is what occurred at Pentecost, and they thought they would be able to go to foreign nations and preach without having to learn the languages. It was only later, when they realized that they were not speaking in earthly languages, that they devised the "heavenly language" doctrine that is popular today.

Many godly believers have been deceived by the Pentecostal claims, but it was unscriptural from its inception.

We have further documented the error of Pentecostalism in our book “From Azusa to Pensacola,” available from Way of Life Literature. This book contains the history of Pentecostalism and a biblical refutation of its doctrines.