Charles Fox Parham: The Unlikely Father of Modern Pentecostalism

Charles Fox Parham is an absorbing and perhaps controversial biography of the founder of modern Pentecostalism. Parham was a deeply flawed individual who nevertheless was used by God to initiate and establish one of the greatest spiritual movements of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, helping to restore the power of Pentecost to the church and being a catalyst for numerous healings and conversions.

Author Dr. Larry Martin is a lifelong Pentecostal with decades of ministry as a pastor, educator, and evangelist. He researched the life of this complicated and contradictory figure for over twenty-five years before writing this book—with a certain degree of hesitancy. By disclosing the whole truth about Parham’s life—which has never fully been done before—would it give excessive ammunition to the critics of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements?

Martin uncompromisingly exposes Parham’s weaknesses, faulty thinking, and transgressions while disassociating his behavior from the movement as a whole, writing with an inside understanding of Pentecostalism and a thoughtful analysis of Parham’s life that goes beyond the acknowledgment of human frailty to reveal the work of a sovereign God.

If we don’t confront the faults of our spiritual fathers, Martin says, we will fail to address the truth in the way the Bible lays bare the faults of some of our greatest biblical heroes of the faith. We must recognize and learn from the weaknesses of others, as well as their achievements.

The author of several books on the Azusa Street Revival, the history of early Pentecostals, and the Pentecostal Church of God, Martin presents a much-needed exploration of the life of one of the most influential religious figures of the twentieth century, whose impact is still widely felt today.

Includes photos of Parham’s life and ministry.