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Other Famous Pentecostals

The Pentecostal movement grew out of the late 19th-century Holiness Movement in the United States. The movement can be traced back to 1901, when Holiness preacher Charles Fox Parham began preaching to his congregation in Topeka, Kansas that speaking in tongues (i.e., glossolalia) was objective evidence of baptism in the Spirit. Parham later went to Los Angeles, California and set up an Apostolic Faith mission. In 1906, Parham's mission became the center for what came to be known as the Azusa Street Revival. The Pentecostal movement spread from there, both nationally and internationally.

Originally Pentecostalism was strongly denounced by mainstream Christian denominations. Many denominations sprang up dedicated to the expression of the Pentecostal beliefs and practices which were so widely vilified by older Christian denominations. Eventually, as Pentecostal movement grew, it influenced a broader range of pre-existing denominations. Some pre-existing denominations embraced Pentecostalism and began identifying themselves as Pentecostal (i.e., the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.) Pentecostal forms of worship entered denominations and individual congregations, primarily but not exclusively among conservative Protestants. Now that the Pentecostal movement is over 100 years old, most Christian denominations accept Pentecostals as fellow Christians, although not all Christians subscribe to specifically Pentecostal practices and doctrines.

This page is not intended as a place to list all famous Pentecostals. Most Pentecostals belong to one of a small number of major Pentecostal denominations, such as the Assemblies of God, the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel or the Church of God in Christ. We have separate pages for each of these groups.

This page is only for listing other famous Pentecostals or (more likely) famous people who have been identified as Pentecostal, but whose specific denominational affiliation is unknown to us. For example, it is well known that U.S Attorney John Ashcroft is a Pentecostal. But because he is a member of the Assemblies of God, he is listed on the "Famous Members of the Assemblies of God" page.

Entertainment
- Sam Kinison - raucous comedian (lapsed; former Pentecostal preacher)
- Toni Braxton - popular 1990s pop, R&B singer (daughter of an Apostolic preacher, but the family converted to Methodist)
- D'Angelo - singer (lapsed; son of an Apostolic preacher)
- Phil Jackson - famed basketball coach of the Chicago Bulls (now a Buddhist)
- Kenneth Copeland - charismatic (neo-pentecostal) teacher, preacher, singer, televangelist, and author. Previously a successful pop singer.

Politics
- Al Sharpton - controversial, lively and frequently embarrassing black civil rights advocate; minister and politician; ran unsuccessfully to be the 2004 Democratic nominee for U.S. President
- Veo Easley - (1932-2003) Politician. Democrat. Member of Arkansas state house of representatives, 1983-95.
- Albert Robinson - (b. 1938) Republican. Member of Kentucky state house of representatives 85th District, 1972-84, 1986-88; member of Kentucky state senate 21st District, 1994-.
- Smallwood Edmond Williams - (b. 1907) Democrat. Black. Delegate to Democratic National Convention from D.C., 1964, 1972. Member, NAACP; Urban League. Presiding Bishop, Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Steve Fielding - Australian politician; parliamentary leader of the Family First Party
- Betty Burks - Republican candidate in 1996 U.S. Senate race in West Virgina
- Carrie Dillard-Trammell - Democratic candidate in 1996 U.S. House race in Indiana's 6th District

Preachers and Religious Leaders
- Oral Roberts - controversial and popular American televangelist
- T.D. Jakes - one of America's most prominent Pentecostal preachers and televangelists; preaches weekly on TV show "The Potters's Touch"; featured in the 2004 feature film Woman, Thou Art Loosed, which he wrote
- William Seymour - African-American minister and an initiator of the Pentecostal movement
- John Wimber - Former Calvary Chapel member who founded the Vineyard Movement and the Vineyard Churches religious body; a leader of the Charismatic movement (Pentecostal?)
- Derek Prince - (1915-2003) internationally recognized radio preacher whose show Today with Derek Prince (a.k.a. Keys to Successful Living) was broadcast to half the population of the world in various languages
- Richard Reader Harris - prominent English barrister; counselor to Queen Victoria; Methodist minister; founder of the Pentecostal League of Prayer; author; a major promoter of the belief in the Lost Ten Tribes
- Ake Green - icon of free speech advocates; Åke Green is a Pentecostal pastor who was sentenced to one month in prison under Sweden's controversial law against hate speech (widely viewed as an anti-free speech law). In February 2005 the appeals court overturned the decision and acquitted him. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court.
- Barry Chant - Australian author of Protestant Christian books; minister of the Christian Revival Crusade (now CRC Churches International); founder, president of Tabor College, Australia
- Guy Chevreau - historian; renewal theologian associated with the "Toronto Blessing"
- John Alexander Dowie - faith healer and preacher; in 1896 he founded the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church (in Zion, Illinois)
- John Christopher Thomas - Pentecostal theologian; Clarence J. Abbott Professor of Biblical Studies at the Church of God Theological Seminary
- Kenneth E. Hagin - Pentecostal minister; father of the modern "Word of Faith" movement
- Luis Cabral - Portuguese-born AoG preacher who has led congregations and missions in Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa, Malaysia, Panama and elsewhere
- Reinhard Bonnke - German charismatic Christian evangelist
- Rufus Hollis Gause - leading theologian in the Church of God (Cleveland)
- Ted Haggard - Colorado pastor; graduate of Oral Roberts University; head of the National Association of Evangelicals; founder/head of the Association of Life-Giving Churches
- Wayne Hughes - AoG minister; served as General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God in New Zealand from 1985 to 2003
- William M. Branham - influential Pentecostal minister sometimes credited with founding the Latter Rain Movement
- Irvin Baxter Jr. - founder and president of Endtime Ministries; author of religious books

Famous Pentecostals / Celebrity Pentecostals webpage copyright © 2005 by Adherents.com.
Web page created 25 October 2005. Last modified 1 December 2005.
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