Kansas City 1977

Vinson Synan

Yesterday, Christianity Today magazine posted on its website an interview with Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan.  The occasion was the publication of Synan's new book, An Eyewitness Remembers the Century of the Holy Spirit (Chosen/Baker).

In response to a question about what was the high moment of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement, Synan said, "The movement reached a climax in America around 1977 during the Kansas City conference, because all the different streams came together.  The 50,000 people in the stadium showed the vigor and force that was sweeping the world."

Synan, dean emeritus of Regent University's School of Divinity, goes on to note that national television and magazine outlets covered the conference, which was officially titled, the Conference on Charismatic Renewal in the Christian Churches.

An example of that coverage was this article published in the August 8, 1977 issue of TIME magazine.

"At one point, the Rev. Bob Mumford, a nondenominational evangelist from California, halted his speech at the Arrowhead Stadium, where the Kansas City Chiefs play football, and called time out for a 'Holy Ghost break.'  He began to shout: 'Glory to God!  Jesus is Lord.'  The audience rose and joined in," TIME reported.

The charismatic journal New Wine gave this account of the same moment, "That session was one of the highlights of the conference, especially in the middle of Bob's message, when, after he said, 'If you take a sneak look in the back of the book ... you find out that Jesus wins!'  the entire crowd spontaneously broke into a five or ten minute period of uninterrupted praise and worship."

I wasn't there, but I did hear a recording of that message, and the moment was super-charged with the Lord's presence.

New Wine's coverage of the momentous Kansas City conference --- including prophetic words that were given, and the text of Mumford's message, The Beauty of Holiness --- can be read here in the October 1977 issue of New Wine.  Readers without a high-speed internet connection should be aware that that link connects to a 64-page .pdf file --- the entire October 1977 issue.  (Mumford was also featured on this blog December 20, 2008, easily the most-viewed item ever on this blog.  Over 20 percent of the traffic on this blog goes to that item).