“‘It’s Like Heaven on Earth’: The Influence of the Apocalypse on the Worship at Azusa”

This paper seeks to employ a history of effects methodological approach as a way to ascertain the extent to which the early Pentecostals at Azusa were influenced in their worship by the Apocalypse. History of effects, Wirkungsgeschichte, is a relatively recent methodology being applied to the interpretation of Scripture. This approach to Scripture, put forth most notably by Ulrich Luz,1 seeks to understand the impact, influence, or effect that biblical texts have had on the Church and society throughout the centuries. In Luz’s view, while historical-critical methods seek to reconstruct the original meaning of a text, history of effects seeks in an intentional way to connect the text with the reader. A particular strength of the history of effects approach to Scripture is that it emphasizes the power that biblical texts possess as an expression of ‘the living Christ’.2 As such, Scripture is held in high esteem as a living word for the present, rather than a static book of norms belonging to the past. Interpretation, then, continues to bring the power of Scripture to bear on the constantly changing situations and circumstances in the life of the Church.