During the last century, Pentecostals defied norms calling for racial segregation and enforcement of Jim Crow laws. Women were also vital to the early Pentecostal movement, believing baptism in the Holy Spirit empowered them to engage in activities traditionally denied them. The Pentecostal Church was one of the first religious groups to ordain women. Their progressive attitudes put Pentecostals at odds with their conservative Kansas neighbors, often leading to violent clashes. Read about religious tensions in America’s heartland 100 years ago in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).
