Did Russians in L.A. “found” Pentecostalism?
The editors of Leben discover history of the Molokan immigrants
By Lillian
Sokoloff, A.B.
Commentary by Julio Severo: WND, or
WorldNetDaily, has recently reported on the founding of Pentecostalism in
America and, based on a 1918 report, probably written by a non-Pentecostal
writer unfamiliar with the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit, makes the
case that Russian immigrants may have been the founders of Pentecostalism in
America. This is interesting for me, because today Brazil is the most
Pentecostal nation in the world. The WND article begins: “American Christianity
has influenced, and been influenced by, a stunning panoply of non-conformist
groups, separatist enclaves and, in some cases, self-styled prophets and
messiahs… We begin… with a fascinating report we’ve recently discovered,
written in 1918, about a group known as the ‘Jumpers,’ or ‘Molokans,’ the
former name referring specifically to an 1830s offshoot of the Molokans.
Impelled by the utterances of a prophet-child, they left their native Russia by
the thousands and headed for the ‘City of the Angels,’ Los Angeles,
California.” The prophetic messages of a prophet-child saved them from the
impending World War I and the Communist Revolution in Russia one century ago.
Now read the 1918 report:
The first group
of Molokans, who came here in 1905 [some date this as 1904, Ed.], settled around
Bethlehem Institute on Vignes Street. When others came, a few bought homes
along Clarence and Utah Streets. Then the settlement grew in the district
situated between Boyle Avenue on the east and the Los Angeles River on the
west, and between Aliso Street on the north and Seventh Street on the south.
Recently there has been a new settlement made along what is known as Salt Lake
Terrace several blocks east of the larger colony. On that street are located
many of the somewhat better homes. In a hollow south of Stephenson Avenue and
east of Mott Street, there is a group of about 60 houses occupied by Russians
only.
To understand
the Russians in Los Angeles, it is necessary to consider briefly their
historical backgrounds. During the reign of Alexis Michaelovitch, second ruler
of the Romanoff family – 1645-1676 – Nicon, at that time patriarch of the
Russian Greek-Catholic Church, investigated and decided to change the liturgy.
While the ruling house accepted these changes and formally adopted his type of
worship as the state religion, there were many dissenters who would not submit
to the dictates of the government in matters of religion. The dissenters were
continually persecuted or banished and were greatly dissatisfied with the
bureaucratic institutions, with the hypocrisy of the priesthood and with the
forms of their worship. The numbers who sought other types of religion that
would satisfy their deep religious feelings constantly grew.
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| Molokans in Russia |
The essence of
the Dukhobor religion is a belief in the divinity of Christ [this is contrary
to modern sources, Ed.] and the brotherhood of man. The Dukhobors do not
believe in any earthly representative of God; they have no church leaders and
no icons or images. They do not have church ceremonies nor do they believe in
saints as do the Greek Catholics. They are opposed to war and therefore to
military service. Their religion forbids their indulging in the use of
intoxicating liquors and in smoking.
The name
“Molokan,” derived from the word “moloko,” which means milk, was first applied
to them in 1765 by a religious sect in the Government of Tambov. This name was
applied because of the fact that the Molokans drink milk every day in the week,
while the Greek Catholics abstain from it on Wednesdays and Fridays, which are
fast days for them.
The Molokans had
no definite form of religion for many years. During the last years of the 17th
century, two highly educated men, Skovoroda and Tveritinoff, had come under the
influence of the teachings of Luther, Calvin and other European reformers.
These men then preached reform among the dissenters of the Russian
Greek-Catholic Church. They thus paved the way for other reformers. For about
100 years, the Molokans were unmolested by the governmental authorities.
It was not long,
however, before the Russian government again began to oppress the sectarians in
various ways. The heavy taxation of their land proved to be a greater burden
than they could possibly bear. They were again compelled to serve in the army.
Some of the more educated among them foresaw disastrous times because of
inevitable wars in which Russia was to engage. They therefore began to consider
the advisability of emigrating from their country.
It is well known
that of the emigrants from Russia up to the end of the last century, the greatest
number were Jews and a smaller percent were Poles, but scarcely any Russians
proper. In the last two years of the 19th century, many of the Dukhobors left
the Caucasus region and went to Western Canada, where several thousands now
live. [There remains a large community in the Grand Junction area, Ed.]
The beginning of
the Russo-Japanese War inaugurated a new era of persecutions for the sectarians
in southeastern Russia. They were compelled to go to war. Though many were
capable of occupying high military positions, they were prevented from so doing
and were put to the most menial work. They also suffered all kinds of insults
at the instigation of government officials. They were not permitted to go
anywhere without passports – and passports were not granted them. It is
therefore not surprising that these people became disgusted with conditions
such as they experienced and longed to leave the country.
Of all the
Russians in Los Angeles, about 75 percent of the working men were employed in
lumber yards up to the outbreak of the war. Then the majority entered the
ship-building industry. About 10 percent own and drive their own teams and work
by the day in hauling produce and other commodities. About 2 percent are
engaged in running little grocery stores and butcher shops, which are
patronized by their own people. The remainder – about 13 per cent – are
employed in various ways, e. g., in the metal trades, automobile shops, planing
mills, fruit canneries. The last-mentioned occupations are followed by the younger
men of the community, who have had some schooling but who left school as soon
as the law permitted them to do so.
It is the usual
thing among the Russians for the married women to work. The young women are
employed chiefly in laundries. Girls who have attended school and have learned
the English language work in the biscuit factories in the neighborhood. A small
number of girls work in a candy factory on Utah Street. The older women work in
fruit canneries or do housework by the day. Though many of the girls who have
been to school for several years could do other work and perhaps earn more
money, the parents are anxious to have them work near home and among their own
people. Clerking or office work might cause the girls to become “Americanized”
quickly, and to this the older people object.
The religion of
the Molokans sprang from that of the Dukhobors. Both these sects are opposed to
war. They believe in no earthly representatives of God. The Molokans have no
ministers or church dignitaries of any kind. They have no rules or traditions
as to who shall be their religious advisers. Their pastors are not ordained, do
not receive compensation and are not dependent upon the approval of the
community. Their authority prevails only at prayer meetings, marriage ceremonies
and funeral services. It may be said that the Molokan religion has little
definite form. It is systemless. Many of its phases are exceedingly crude. It
is incoherent and inconsistent. Like the orthodox Jews, the Molokans abstain
from eating pork and are supposed to slaughter their beef in a certain manner.
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| Molokan church in Los Angeles |
While there are still numerous groups in the U.S. and
in Canada that are direct descendants of the Molokan, Jumper and Doukhabor
sects, their influence may well have been enormous on what is today generally
referred to as Pentecostalism.
The Molokans, especially of the “Jumper” variety, had
a long history of laying claim to modern-day manifestations of the apostolic
gifts, including healings, tongues, etc. When they moved to Los Angeles,
California, most settled near the lumberyard that employed many of the men, a
lumberyard situated in close proximity to Azusa Street. A year after the
Jumpers arrived, the “Azusa Street Revival,” considered by many to be the birthplace
of American Pentecostalism, burst forth onto the American church scene. The
“revival” continued with three services a day for nearly three years.
It is an established fact that many of the Russian
Jumpers became a part of the Azusa Street Revival, but it remains a mystery as
to whether they were converts or, after a fashion, the founders.
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