Who is the Most Influential African of All Time?

The most influential person of African heritage in the history of the human race is unknown to most. But powerful he is. In this video I nominate the person of African heritage who I think is the most important ever. The answer might surprise you but I think you might agree after listening to this video.

Great book on William Seymour: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Ministry-William-J-Seymour/dp/0964628945/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=william+seymour&qid=1607203311&sr=8-6

Transcript: Who is the most influential African of all time? Who is the most important person of Black African heritage in history? In this video I submit my nomination.

Hello everyone. One of the enjoyable ways to study history is to rank individuals and events. You see this kind of hook on the internet all the time. The ten worst movies ever made, the world’s twenty most beautiful actresses, and hundred more lists.

Since I am a professional historian I like ranking historical actors and in this video I want to offer my opinion of the greatest person of African heritage who has ever lived. I will define Africa the way geographers do. Sub-Saharan Africa I have asked my students for their nominees over the years and I have gotten a wide range: Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali. Oprah has received a few nominations. But none of these are close to the person I am going to talk about today. Few of you have heard of him. I would like to place in nomination the name of William Seymour. Please, hear me out. I think you may come to agree with me.

In 1870 a couple in Louisiana, who had been slaves until a few years previous, had a baby boy named William. They lived in a poverty we can’t fathom, barely eking out a living in the rural South after the Civil War.

When he was a teenager William left home and moved north looking for better employment. He worked many different jobs that were available to black men in that day. He also had a terrible bout with smallpox and was left blind in one eye. One night while living in Cincinatti he attended a revival meeting and was born again into new life in Christ. Although his education had been severely limited he began to study the Bible. In his day there was a renewed emphasis on the ministry and power of the Holy Spirit and he sought out teachers who could help him understand it. He went to a classroom where one of the well-known teachers on the Spirit was lecturing and asked if he could join. He was told he could not sit in a class with white people but they would leave the door open. He could sit outside. They would leave the door open and he could absorb what he could. He absorbed a lot.

In 1906 a family in Los Angeles wanted a teacher to come and instruct them in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. William got the call and went to southern California. He began teaching in the living room of a home but the meeting soon outgrew the house.

They found a stable on Azusa Street in the middle of Los Angeles. There William Seymour began preaching many times a week for three years. Thousands were affected by his teaching. It came to be known as the Azusa Street revival, it sent missionaries all over the world and was the birth of the worldwide Pentecostal movement.

Recently, Walter Russell Mead, the foreign affairs columnist for the Wall Street Journal, and a wide-ranging, well-known public intellectual, called Pentecostalism the most powerful social movement of all time. You will get a range of estimates but it is now the faith of some 500 million. It is transforming the culture and even the economy in many places in the world. It is gigantic in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, but it is important in America. 25% of America’s Hispanics are Pentecostal Christians. The Guardian, a left wing British publication, was complaining recently that even the prime minister of Australia had come under its influence.

Because of the spectacular growth and power of the Azusa Street Mission I nominate William Seymour the most influential person of black African heritage who has ever lived. Who else can claim a movement of 500 million souls? In the comments below tell me who would you nominate.

Do not miss the powerful lessons here. In the providence of God He used a one-eyed, barely literate, son of slaves to become one of history’s most important people. God will use you. In God’s eyes you have no limitations. He will use you to do great things. No one can stop you—no amount of discrimination or deprivation can keep you from doing what God has set out for you to do.

Thanks for watching. Please hit subscribe. May God bless you in a mighty way.