The priesthood of all believers

It is a foundational concept of Protestantism. While Martin Luther did not use the exact phrase "priesthood of all believers," he introduces a general priesthood in Christendom in his 1520 To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation in order to dismiss the medieval view that Christians in the present life were to be divided into two classes: "spiritual" and "temporal." He put forward the doctrine that all baptized Christians are "priests" and "spiritual" in the sight of God:

Two months later Luther would write in his On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520): “How then if they are forced to admit that we are all equally priests, as many of us as are baptized, and by this way we truly are; while to them is committed only the Ministry (ministerium Predigtamt) and consented to by us (nostro consensu)? If they recognize this they would know that they have no right to exercise power over us (ius imperii, in what has not been committed to them) except insofar as we may have granted it to them, for thus it says in 1 Peter 2, "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a priestly kingdom." In this way we are all priests, as many of us as are Christians. There are indeed priests whom we call ministers. They are chosen from among us, and who do everything in our name. That is a priesthood which is nothing else than the Ministry. Thus 1 Corinthians 4:1: "No one should regard us as anything else than ministers of Christ and dispensers of the mysteries of God."

The origins of the doctrine within Protestantism are somewhat obscure. The idea was found in a radical form in Lollard thought. Martin Luther adduced it in his writings for the purpose of reforming the Christian Church, and it became a central tenet of Protestantism.

The doctrine is strongly asserted within Methodism and the Plymouth Brethren movement. Within Methodism it can plausibly be linked to the strong emphasis on social action and political involvement within that denomination. Within the Plymouth Brethren, the concept is most usually evidenced in the lack of distinction between "clergy" and "laity," the refusal to adopt formal titles such as Reverend or Bishop, the denial of formal ordination, and in some cases the refusal to hire any professional staff or paid Christian workers at all. Baptist movements, which generally operate on a form of congregational polity, also lean heavily on this concept.

Within this radical evangelicalism, expressed most strongly in the holiness and higher life movements, themes of restorationism, premillennialism, faith healing, and greater attention on the person and work of the Holy Spirit were central to emerging Pentecostalism. Evangelicals felt that modern Christianity was missing the power and authority of the New Testament church. Believing that the second coming of Christ was imminent, many evangelicals expected an end time revival that would bring many people to Christ. Many leaders began to speak of an experience available to all Christians which would empower believers to evangelize the world, often termed baptism with the Holy Spirit.

Fundamentalist Christianity, also known as Christian fundamentalism or fundamentalist evangelicalism is defined as anti-modernist Protestant evangelicalism was militantly opposed to both modernism in theology and the cultural changes that modernism endorsed. The name is taken from the title of a series of essays published by the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, “The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth.”

For example, American evangelist Billy Graham came from a fundamentalist background, but parted company with the movement because of his choice, early in his ministry (1950s), to cooperate with other faiths and teaching all Christians to reach out to non-believers. He represents a movement that arose within fundamentalism, but has increasingly become distinct from it, known as neo-evangelicalism or New Evangelicalism

There was no one founder of modern Pentecostalism. Instead, isolated Christian groups were experiencing charismatic phenomenon such as speaking in tongues. The Wesleyan holiness movement provided a theological explanation for what was happening to these Christians. The earliest date given for the beginning of the Pentecostal movement is January 1, 1901; the date Charles Parham began teaching that speaking in tongues was the biblical sign of the Holy Spirit's baptism at his Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas. Charles Parham later moved to Houston, Texas. In spite of racial segregation in Houston, William J. Seymour, a one-eyed African-American preacher, was allowed to attend Parham's Bible classes there. Seymour traveled to Los Angeles, where his preaching sparked the Azusa Street Revival in 1906. Despite the work of various Wesleyan groups such as Parham's and D. L. Moody's revivals, the beginning of the widespread Pentecostal movement in the United States is generally considered to have begun with Seymour's Azusa Street Revival.

The Azusa revival was the first Pentecostal revival to receive significant attention, and many people from around the world became drawn to it. The Los Angeles Press gave close attention to Seymour's revival, which helped fuel its growth. A number of new, smaller, groups started up, inspired by the events of this revival. International visitors and Pentecostal missionaries would eventually bring these teachings to other nations, so that practically all classic Pentecostal denominations today trace their historical roots to the Azusa Street Revival. By 1908, the Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa had formed, and there were Pentecostal groups in Australia by 1909.

The unconventionally intense and emotional environment generated in Pentecostal meetings dually promoted, and was itself created by, other forms of participation such as personal testimony and spontaneous prayer and singing. Women did not shy away from engaging in this forum, and in the early movement the majority of converts and church-goers were female.

Believing that the second coming of Christ was imminent, many evangelicals expected an end time revival that would bring many people to Christ. Many leaders began to speak of an experience available to all Christians which would empower believers to evangelize the world, often termed baptism with the Holy Spirit.

Of all the groups, pentecostalists use the priesthood to its most effectiveness. The authority to evangelize is placed on all believers whether they have any standing or not. Women as well are encouraged to lead and partake in the service. Pentecostals need no writ or individual directive to “spread the gospel”. Each one gains the right once converted and feels led to do so. This idea and openness may be the reason for the large growth that is being seen in the pentecostal movement around the world.

Bradley S Higgins