Holy Roller

Holy Roller is a term that was created in the 19th century. Some types of Protestant Christians who dance, shake, or roll on the floor during church services can be called Holy Rollers.[1] People who do this say that the Holy Spirit makes them. Sometimes, the term 'Holy Roller' is used as an insult. However, Holy Rollers also use the term as a badge of honor,[2][3] and it can also be used as a neutral term.[4]

References

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  1. ↑ Snyder, C. Albert (1 May 2006). Spiritual Journey. p. 69. ISBN 9781600340161. Holiness means different things to different people. Our church, the Free Methodist, is a "holiness" church. One doctor said to me: "Free Methodists? I know about them; they are holy rollers. They used to have camp meetings near where I grew up."
  2. ↑ "Why I Am a Holy-Roller", a sermon by William Marrion Branham, August 1953
  3. ↑ "Holy Roller". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2010-09-14. A member of one of the Protestant sects whose worship meetings are characterized by spontaneous expressions of emotional excitement.
  4. ↑ "The first tune, 'Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting', is church music. I heard this as a child when I went to meetings with my mother. The congregation gives their testimonial before the Lord, they confess their sins and sing and shout and do a little Holy Rolling. Some preachers cast out demons, they call their dialogue talking in tongues or talking unknown tongue (language that the Devil can't understand)." Roots and Blues liner notes, Atlantic Records