Integration in the early black Pentecostal community: a basis for social action in a post-1994 South Africa

Abstract

Early Pentecostalism refers to the early development and establishment of the Pentecostal movement in South Africa. Early Pentecostalism in South Africa was a united movement learning from the Azusa Street Revival in the United States of America and the Pentecostal message of William Seymour of non-racialism. However, the movement soon succumbed to the political divisions in South Africa and became divided along racial lines. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that the black Pentecostal community remained integrated amidst racial segregation in the country. This has been established by previous studies on the black Pentecostal movement in South Africa. What is new here is that this integration can become a source for social action, specifically in dealing with the challenges of a post-1994 South Africa, such as the injustices of the past, socio-economic challenges, crime, and corruption. The following will be the main section of this article: Firstly, the discussion on the early Pentecostalism in South Africa before the movement succumbed to the racial segregation tendencies. Secondly, the history of the black Pentecostal community in South Africa including the mixed-race and the Indians. Thirdly, integration in this community is discussed to demonstrate that black people have been united especially in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. The last section deals with how this integration can serve as a basis for socialaction in post-1994 South Africa in dealing with the remnants of the apartheid system. By social action in this article, one refers to activities that society can take in confrontation of oppressive systems. The article uses literary analysis that evaluates data on the integration of the black Pentecostal community in South Africa. However, before delving into these main sections, the article discusses the theory of integration to apply it to the black Pentecostal community.