Vinson Synan, Dean Emeritus of the School of Divinity at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, received his Ph.D. in American history in 1967 from the University of Georgia. In 1970 he co-founded the Society for Pentecostal Studies which has given institutional shape to Pentecostal research. Over the years, Dr. Synan has published numerous scholarly and popular articles, essays and books on various Pentecostal and charismatic themes.
His Holiness-Pentecostal Movement published in 1971 was one of the few early scholarly treatments of Pentecostalism and is still a significant work on the origins of American Pentecostalism. His Old-Time Power(1973) is a history of the Pentecostal Holiness Church and the more popularly written, In The Latter Days (1984) and The Twentieth-Century Pentecostal Explosion (1987) are surveys of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements. He has also published a brief descriptive account of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship, Under His Banner (1992), and The Spirit Said “Grow” (Fuller Church Growth Lectures, 1990). His newest major book, Century of the Holy Spirit (2001), is a historical summary of the major streams of Pentecostal and charismatic renewal. Another book of personal testimonies, Voices of Pentecost, appeared in May, 2003.
In 2010 he published his memoirs titled An Eyewitness Remembers the Century of the Holy Spirit. The next year, 2011, he edited and published a major work titled, Spirit Empowered Christianity for the Twenty-First Century.
An ordained minister in the Pentecostal Holiness Church, Dr. Synan has founded and pastored four churches and has held various denominational offices. He has participated in the International Roman Catholic-Pentecostal Dialogue, and has served as chairman of several large Congresses on the Holy Spirit and World Evangelization.
Dr. Synan will be bringing this extensive experience and knowledge to Franklin Springs, GA. Coming this fall, Emmanuel College is excited to welcome Dr. Synan as he teaches on the Pentecostal/Charismatic history (HTC410) in four weekend sessions. The class, HTC410, is open to the public for certificate credit and will be held on September 10th, 17th, 24th, and October 1st. Class sessions will located in Wellons Science Resource Center beginning at 9:30am and running through 4:30pm with a one hour lunch break. The total cost for the course will be $50 per person with a $25 non-refundable deposit due by August 21, 2011. Checks can be made payable to Emmanuel College and designated for the Synan/HTC410 class.
For more details and to register for Dr. Synan's class, click here.
For more information about the Cultural Awareness Program (CAP) of Emmanuel College or to see other upcoming events vist the CAP page here.