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 PrintableVersion Alexander BoddyPentecostal Anglican pioneerAn original charismaticALEXANDER BODDY Alexander Boddy (1854-1930), the Vicar of All Saints Church, Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, was introduced to the ‘Pentecostal experience’ in September 1907 through Thomas B. Barratt, a minister based in Oslo, who visited Sunderland in answer to Boddy’s many requests. Boddy was a compassionate man who made friends easily and discharged his parish duties most faithfully. He lived in a noisy, smoke-filled environment which took its toll on his health and eventually led to his moving to a country parish in later life. He attempted to discharge this duty even before his Pentecostal experience and is still remembered for his work with great fondness by former parishioners. As far as Pentecostalism is concerned, he had a similar vision to Michael Harper, in that he saw the Pentecostal experience as a unifying factor and as productive of renewal within the Church of England and other mainstream denominations. From this stance, he tried to give leadership to the burgeoning Pentecostal movement. Even when many Pentecostals separated from existing denominations, whether as a result of rejection for their convictions or through their own preference, Boddy remained true to his vision and sought to give leadership to all. In this, he was a moderating influence and prevented the arising of many possible extremes, in contrast to, for example, William Hutchinson, the founder of the Apostolic Faith Church in Bournemouth, who espoused bizarre prophetic views and British Israelism. Although Boddy was not a theologian of particular significance, he succeeded in imprinting his interpretation of Pentecostal phenomenon on later generations. Many of his views, such as the (in my view, unbiblical) distinction between ‘tongues’, seen as a ‘sign of receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit’, as opposed to the so-called ‘gift of tongues’, are still prevalent today both among Pentecostals and charismatics. What could have been a really interesting account was for me made difficult by the author’s writing style and unsatisfactory sequencing of certain facts. The book ought to have gripped me, but it did not. However, in the absence of anything better, it is an important reference for anyone seeking to understand the origins of Pentecostalism in the UK. Mike Taylor,
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