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Charles Fox ParhamCharles Fox Parham is a man both lauded and vilified by those who write or speak of him. Raised to the position of having facilities named after him, he is also accused of having commited heinous crimes against humanity, although he was never convicted, of being an active member of the Ku Klux Klan, and of being both a "womanizer and a drunk." History Born in 1873, Parham became a preacher at around the age of 15, holding his own services by the age of 19. He was affiliated with the Methodist and Holiness churches. His vehement disagreements with the elders of his church organization are without contention, and these led to his writing, in 1901, that he had been released from their confines for five years. In 1906, as a Pentecostal pioneer and teacher, Parham was invited by William J. Seymour to his Los Angeles Apostolic Faith Mission on Azusa Street. He soon denounced the revival as a "darky camp meeting," saying, "God is sick at His stomach!" and "What good can come from a self-appointed Negro prophet." Although it was his teachings which brought Pentecostalism to the forefront, and although it was he who had allowed Seymour to listen outside his classroom in Texas, he further stated that the services were full of spiritualists and fakes and that he was sickened by the zealous displays there. In 1910, Parham became a full member of the Ku Klux Klan. He was also a member of the Freemasons. Because many in the Pentecostal movement are so against the Freemasons, some have said that he left the organization when he started his "Full Gospel" healing ministry, although there is evidence that he was still a member in good standing in 1928. During the short time (approximately two days) Parham was affiliated with Seymour's Apostolic Faith Mission, he was arrested for sexual indiscretions with young boys. Although the charges were dropped, Seymour promptly dismissed him from his Apostolic Faith Mission. It is said that no one would testify against Parham. Parham then founded the Assembly of God church in Los Angeles. The Charles F. Parham Center for Pentecostal-Charismatic Studies is a research facility on the campus of South Texas Bible Institute in Houston, Texas. The center considers Parham the father of Pentecostalism. Parham, Charles Fox
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