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H. Vinson Synan, Ph.D., a Renewal Historian and author within the Pentecostal movement, once served as the Director of the Holy Spirit Research Center at Oral Roberts University. He also served as General Secretary of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. Since 1994 he has served as Dean of the School of Divinity at Regent University in the U.S. state of Virginia. See below for more details.

1. Biographical Sketch

Harold Vinson Synan, along with his twin brother Vernon, was born on December 1, 1934 in Hopewell, VA., just two short decades after the glory days of the Azusa Street revival. Joseph Alexander Synan and Minnis (Purdue) Synan had seven children. His father, a 16 year old Methodist was converted at a Pentecostal Holiness tent meeting near Frederichsburg, VA. He later planted five Pentecostal Holiness congregations in the Tidewater area of Virginia before serving as bishop of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, a position he held for 24 years. Vinson Synan’s formative years revolved around his Pentecostal Holiness church. His call to ministry came shortly after his conversion in 1951, while living in Memphis, TN during the time he was seeking his experience of the “second blessing” of entire sanctification. Nine months later, at the age of seventeen, he received the “baptism in the Holy Spirit.” He began his preaching ministry the same year and in 1954 was ordained in the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Synan then completed a two year liberal arts degree from Emmanuel College, Franklin Springs, GA in 1955, and after a one year pastoral apprenticeship, he became an evangelist in the Eastern Virginia Conference. Synan graduated from the University of Richmond with a B.A. in American history in 1958, and in the fall of the same year began his teaching career. On August 13, 1960, he married Carol Lee Fuqua from Richmond, VA. Reflecting on the day he met her as a young evangelist preaching at a summer youth camp, he described her as “a dark haired beauty whose smile seemed to light up the entire room.”  Together they had four children: Mary Carol (1961); Virginia Lee (1963); Harold Vinson Jr. (1966); and Joseph Alexander III (1968). From 1956 to 1962 he helped plant three churches in Virginia and from 1967 to 1974 he planted one in Georgia. From 1963 to 1975 he also taught history at his alma mater, Emmanuel College.

As Synan was making preparation for his academic career, Oral Roberts, a friend of the family, offered him a full scholarship to earn a Ph.D. in theology at Harvard, Yale, or Princeton if he would return and teach at Oral Roberts University. Synan however declined the offer since he had already received a full scholarship with stipend from the State of Georgia to prepare for his calling as a historian. In 1965, he completed his M.A. and in 1967 his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in American Social and Intellectual History under Dr. Horace Montgomery. From 1973 to 1977, Synan served as the General Secretary for the Pentecostal Holiness denomination while also teaching at Oklahoma City Southwestern College and served as the acting president in 1980. He was elected as Assistant General Superintendent of his denomination in 1977 and served until 1981 when he became the Director of Evangelism, a position in which he held for the next four years. During the years of 1990 and 1994 Synan was professor of Pentecostal and Charismatic History and served as the Director of the Holy Spirit Research Center at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For twelve years, from 1994 to 2006, he served as the Academic Dean of Regent University. Under his leadership the School of Divinity implemented both a Doctorate of Ministry and a non-residential and on-line Ph.D. program in Renewal Studies, a revolutionary approach which was the first of its kind in the world. Presently Synan serves as Professor of Pentecostal and Charismatic History and Dean Emeritus of Regent University.

2. Summary of Major Publications

In 1963, Synan began his teaching career in history at Emmanuel College. It was at this time the school also asked him to write the school’s official history. Synan had known Mrs. G. F. Taylor, the widow of the founder of the college when he was a student in the 1950’s, and since he was a faculty member, research of the school’s history was readily accessible. In 1969, the school published his research as a fund raiser for the school’s 50th anniversary under the title Emmanuel College: The First Fifty Years.

Synan’s entire life was shaped by his involvement in the Pentecostal Holiness church. His father became a preacher twelve years before Synan was born, served in several pastorates during Synan’s early years and later served as chairman, presiding bishop and general superintendent of the Pentecostal Holiness denomination. He was also one of the founding fathers of the National Association of Evangelicals in 1943. As a son of the denomination and a professionally trained historian, Synan was commissioned in 1967 to write the official history of his PH Church. The Old Time Power was published in 1973, the same year Synan assumed the position as General Secretary for his denomination. Two revisions of the book were published in 1986 and 1998 respectively. In 1972 Synan was invited by Father Kilian McDonnell to speak at the third annual Catholic Charismatic Conference at Notre Dame University. This was a life changing experience that marked the beginning of many years of leadership in the ecumenical movement. Because of Synan’s involvement in the Charismatic movement, in 1974 he wrote Charismatic Bridges which is an overview of the history of the Pentecostal movement and served as an introduction to those outside the Pentecostal tradition.

The Holiness-Pentecostal Movement in the United States which was published by Eerdsmans in 1971 was a result of Synan’s Ph.D. dissertation. It was later revised and published under the title Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition in 1997. His central thesis was that Pentecostalism was rooted in the Wesleyan-Holiness movement in the late 19th century. While this is a commonly held belief by many Pentecostal historians today, it was a fresh concept at that time. Prior to publishing his monograph, Synan added three chapters beyond his dissertation to include the Catholic Charismatic Movement which was at this time in full swing. Synan was concerned that including the Catholic’s in his book would jeopardize his standing in the Pentecostal world since his position validated the Catholic Renewal as a genuinely Pentecostal experience. To his surprise, more Catholics purchased the book than any other group as they attempt to discover the history behind their charismatic experience. Copies were sent to the Vatican and all over Europe, and as a result, Synan became a frequent speaker at Catholic Charismatic events and was invited to participate in the Catholic-Pentecostal dialogue with David du Plessis and Father Kilian McDonnell. After thirty-seven years The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition, revised in 1997 under its present title, is still a popular text.

In order to prepare his dissertation for publication, Synan spent the summer of 1968 reading through major Pentecostal journals. His travels took him to the Church of God headquarters in Cleveland, TN where he met with several leaders. Significant among them was Dr. Horace Ward who was serving as the dean of students at Lee College. Together they discussed the possibility of a future colloquium where Pentecostal scholars could share ideas. He later met with William Menzies while reviewing the Assemblies of God archives in Springfield, MO. Following a similar conversation regarding the organization of Pentecostal scholars, Ward, Menzies and Synan proposed their idea at the Pentecostal World Conference held in Dallas, TX in 1970. The outcome was the birth of the Society for Pentecostal Studies. Synan was elected as the first General Secretary and served as the editor of their newsletters for several years.

While his book, The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition, made Synan a popular historian, the book Aspects of Pentecostal-Charismatic Origins which he edited in 1975 is a compilation of articles presented at the Society for Pentecostal Studies in 1973. The book offers a variety of themes related to the history of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement.

In 1977, Synan was the chairman of the Pentecostal track for the General Conference on Charismatic Renewal held in Arrow Head Stadium in Kansas City. This event packed the stadium with 50,000 charismatic worshipers and attracted attention from around the world. It also opened up many doors of ministry for Synan and he became a frequently invited guest on such television programs as PTL, TBN, and the 700 Club to discuss the Renewal that was occurring among Catholics and the exploding growth of Pentecostalism around the world. Synan also continued to write articles about the Renewal movement, and in 1980 he was asked to write the introduction to the reprint of Frank Bartlemen’s book written in 1925, How ‘Pentecost’ Came to Los Angeles: As It Was in the Beginning. It was published by Bridge-Logos as a Centennial Edition under the title Azusa Street: An Eyewitness Account.

While serving as the Director of Evangelism for the Pentecostal Holiness denomination, he published his seventh book In the Latter Days: The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Twentieth Century in 1984. Originally written in 1974 as a series of lectures presented for the King Memorial Lectureship at Emmanuel College, Synan used the motif first described by David Wesley Myland in his book The Latter Rain Covenant and Pentecostal Power in which the Pentecostal outpouring at the turn of the century was recognized as the fulfillment of the Joel 2 prophecy for early and latter rain. In this book Synan depicts the antecedents of the Pentecostal outpouring of the 20th century as the “Gathering Clouds.” The chapter on the early history with Parham and Azusa Street the author titles “The Rain Falls in America.” The chapter “The Rain Falls Around the World” is a description of the movement’s growth into Europe, Chile, Latin America, Russia, and Brazil. The two chapters “The Rain Rejected” and “The Rain Reconsidered” discusses the troubled years when Pentecostalism came under harsh criticism and then with the rise of the healing Evangelists and the Charismatic movement which began with Dennis Bennett, a more positive attitude evolved. The history of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and the “Jesus People” was described as “Rain Fall” and “Cloudburst.” The book closed with the three streams of Renewal coming together into one River. The ecumenical heart of this churchman and historian is witnessed in this opening statement of his book: There is only one outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the latter days, although the streams flow through channels known as ‘classical Pentecostalism,’ Protestant ‘neo-Pentecostalism,’ and the ‘Catholic charismatic renewal.’ In the end it adds up to one great historical phenomenon which has had a profound effect on Christianity around the world. According to Synan, In the Latter Days has been published in more languages than any of his other books.

In 1985, Synan was the founder and chairman of the North American Renewal Service Committee in 1986 which resulted in  New Orleans Leaders Conference that hosted over 7,500 leaders from Pentecostal denominations and mainline churches involved in the renewal movement. In 1987, 40,000 people attended the following General Congress hosted in the New Orleans Superdome. In preparation for the conference, Synan had the opportunity to interview many of the pioneer leaders of the various charismatic renewal groups and obtain a firsthand account of their story. These conversations led him to realize there was “a great deal that remain[ed] to be told about this movement.” The results of his findings were published in 1987 under the title The Twentieth-Century Pentecostal Explosion: The Exciting Growth of Pentecostal Churches and Charismatic Renewal Movements.

While serving as the Director of the Holy Spirit Research Center and Professor of Pentecostal and Charismatic History at Oral Roberts University, Synan co-authored with Ralph Rath his ninth book titled Launching the Decade of Evangelization in 1990. It was during this same year he chaired the Holy Spirit Congress in Indianapolis where 25,000 gathered in the Hoosier Dome. Part three of Launching the Decade of Evangelism provided a historical background of the events which led up to the Indianapolis Renewal gathering. After this, there were two more Congresses on the Holy Spirit and World Evangelism—one in Orlando (1995) and one in St. Louis (2000).

At the Indianapolis Congress in 1990, Demos Shakarian commissioned Synan to write Under His Banner to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International which began in 1951. By the time this book was published in 1992, this ecumenical forerunner movement had grown to over 3,000 chapters in 117 nations.

His book, The Spirit Said “Grow” was the fourth in a series of books published by MARC Innovations on mission. The material for this book was originally presented as a series of lectures on “Evangelization and the Charismatic Renewal” in 1990 at the Church Growth Lectureship at the School of World Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary under the leadership of C. Peter Wagner. In this 62 page book, Synan quotes David Barrett’s statistics to provide a historical sketch of the explosive growth of Pentecostal-Charismatic Renewal around the world employing the  “Third Wave” analogy  first expressed by Wagner in 1983.

In a book review by Henry Lederle, Synan’s 2001 book The Century of the Holy Spirit: 100 Years of Pentecostal and Charismatic Renewal was described as “a lasting contribution to the recording of Pentecostalism,” and a book that is “poised to become the standard work of reference for the historical development of the various Pentecostal and Charismatic awakenings of the twentieth century.”  This book, which Lederle calls Synan’s “magnum opus,” contains 15 chapters, seven of which were written by Synan and the remaining eight chapters by contributing authors. While the primary focus of the book is the 21st century, it also provides a brief history of the Wesleyan Holiness antecedents which begin in the early 1700’s.

Written at the invitation of Bert Ghezz, a Catholic Charismatic and editor of Servant Publications, Voices of Pentecost: Testimonies of Lives Touched by the Holy Spirit is primarily a devotional book, presents short personal testimonies of 61 individuals throughout history, especially Pentecostals and Charismatics who, as the title suggests, have been touched and transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In 2003, Synan, along with three of his family members, produced The Synans of Virginia: The Story of an Irish Family in America. This 244 page book traces the Synan bloodline back through William Synan, the Immigrant, from County Cork in southern Ireland to Virginia. While not a book that will attract a wide readership, it is nonetheless an excellent piece of history that will be a gift to future Synan generations.

Synan’s latest publication was written in honor of the '25th Anniversary of the Regent University School of Divinity. Filled with pictures, this text provides the history of a school, founded by Dr. M. G. ‘Pat’ Robertson, which began with 23 students on September 8, 1982 as CBN University School of Biblical Studies and has grown to become a fully accredited university recognized around the globe as a school destined to change the world.

3. Contribution to the Field

Synan is a genetic historian who has situated the history of the Pentecostal movement within the roots of the Wesleyan holiness tradition. A unique concept when first presented, it is now widely accepted by the academy. As a churchman, he has served in various leadership positions in his Pentecostal Holiness denomination, and he has touched and influenced countless people in the classroom where he has served as a teacher and scholar for over 45 years. In addition to numerous articles, Synan has published a total of sixteen books, fifteen of which are related to Pentecostal and Charismatic history within the 20th century. He was also a leader in convening the racial reconciliation conference in Memphis in 1994, which became known as the “Memphis Miracle.” His long time hobby has been playing classical guitar, and because of his love for music, he helped to spread Charismatic Renewal songs that he took from his Pentecostal tradition around the world. And finally, he is an individual of ecumenical significance who has sought to bring unity to a Pentecostal-Charismatic Renewal movement which had literally circled the globe to become the greatest protestant Christian expression in the recent history of the church. He is not only a historian, but because of his ecumenical involvement, church leadership, and academic contributions both in the classroom and in his writing he has also become a history maker.

4. Bibliography

Bartleman, Frank. Azusa Street: An Eyewitness Account, ed. Vinson Synan. Gainsville, FL: Bridge-Logos, 1980.

Synan, Vinson. Emmanuel College: The First Fifty Years 1919-1969. Franklin Springs, GA: North Washington Press, 1968.

Synan, Vinson. The Holiness-Pentecostal Movement in the United States. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1971.

Synan, Vinson. The Old Time Power: A History of the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Franklin Springs, GA: Advocate Press, 1973.

Synan, Vinson. Charismatic Bridges. Ann Arbor, MI: Word of Life, 1974.

Synan, Vinson. ed., Aspects of Pentecostal-Charismatic Origins. Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1975.

Synan, Vinson. In the Latter Days: The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Twentieth Century. Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Books, 1984.

Synan, Vinson. Voices of Pentecost: Testimonies of Lives Touched by the Holy Spirit. Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 2003.

Synan, Vinson. The Twentieth-Century Pentecostal Explosion. Altamonte Springs, FL: Creation House, 1987.

Synan Vinson and Ralph Rath, Launching the Decade of Evangelization. South Bend, IN: North American Renewal Services Committee, 1990.

Synan, Vinson. Under His Banner: History of Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International. Costa Mesa, CA: Gift Publications, 1992.

Synan, Vinson. The Spirit Said ‘Grow’, Series editor Bryant L Myers. Monrovia, CA: MARC, 1992.

Synan, Vinson. The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm B. Eerdmans, 1997).

Synan, Vinson. The Century of the Holy Spirit: 100 Years of Pentecostal and Charismatic Renewal. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2001.

Synan, Vinson. Voices of Pentecost: Testimonies of Lives Touched by the Holy Spirit. Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Publications, 2003.

Synan, Vinson. The Synans of Virginia: The Story of an Irish Family in America. United States: Xulon Press, 2003.