The Church of God in Christ, the first major denomination to spring from the fires of the Azusa Street revival, profoundly affected the history of the black church. Its tremendous influence can be traced to the dynamic spiritual life of its founder, Charles Harrison Mason. Bishop Mason led a fledgling movement from its infancy to a powerful, prophetic community over the next fifty years. The Church of God in Christ holds in tension the dynamics of holiness, spiritual encounter, and a prophetic Christian social consciousness.