ABSTRACT
Evangelicals yearned for the breath of the Holy Spirit. While most Christians had some vision of divine grace, for evangelicals the Spirit played an active, vital role in directing personal journeys of faith. Evangelicals sought out and recognized persons gifted with charisma, marvelled at the power of their speech and followed them as divinely appointed leaders, but they also found promise in the ability of ordinary persons to reach God. They revelled in the hope of that astonishing moment when God would touch their lives and infuse their souls with grace. This conviction of the individual soul’s ability to experience God stood at the centre of their strength. They focused upon their personal relationships with God, venerating the work of the Spirit in the encouragement and promotion of the godly community.
