Customer Reviews (1)

Cultural History of A/G
Blumhofer's analysis of pentecostalism and American culture is thoughtful and poignant and far outshines her historical work on the Assemblies of God, which is weighed down by over-attention to the 'Reformed' roots of the Assemblies of God, which in turn relies heavily on her dissertation at Harvard.This work is not intended as a history of pentecostalism but as a reflection of how pentecostals of one denomination related to the broader culture, and in this she is most insightful.Histories of pentecostalism tend to be narrowly defined within one denomination without reference to the larger culture, and Blumhofer's work here is a needed correction to this oversight.Perhaps the best cultural analysis is Grant Wacker's more recent Heaven Below, but that work relates to individual pentecostals and not to movements.Blumhofer's contribution here is highly readable and shows more balance than her earlier history, with helpful suggestions as to the direction classical pentecostalism ought to take in the future along with its critical understanding of the past. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This book is amust for Pastors and Laymen alike
This book is the finest work I have read to date on the early days of the Assembly of God denomination. It is written in a manner that is exciting to read and will educate you in the process. If you are looking to get a feelof what it was like to be a pentecostal believer in those days you havechosen the right book. If you have any interest in Church History this bookwill captivate you from the beginning to the end. This book captures thetrue qualities of what happened to many Christians who were effected by theAzusa street outpouring. This book will help breath life into your soul. Ithelps satisfy the question of , " why is revival so scarce". Itshows that the bod of Christ today lacks the Holiness that the church ofyesteryear had. This book will lead you back to the old days and paintvivid pictures in your mind of the lives of the people and of the timesthat they happened to have lived in. Please read this book. Do your self areal favor pick this book up today it will help you gain a perspective ofthe overflow of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers of that day.It shows the lives of many epople that would oneday become important proplewith this new denomination. if you read one book this year on pentecostalhistory please pick this one. You will not be disapointed. It will leaveyou seeking after revival. It is very accurate in the way it depicts thelives of the many people in the book. it makes you feel like you are therein the middle of the outpouring itself. ... Read more

Product Description

The Assemblies of God (AG) is the ninth largest American and the world's largest Pentecostal denomination, with over 50 million followers worldwide. The AG embraces a worldview of miracles and mystery that makes“supernatural” experiences, such as speaking in tongues, healing, and prophecy, normal for Christian believers. Ever since it first organized in 1916, however, the “charismata” or “gifts of the Holy Spirit” have felt tension from institutional forces. Over the decades, vital charismatic experiences have been increasingly tamed by rituals, doctrine, and denominational structure. Yet the path towards institutionalization has not been clear-cut. New revivals and direct personal experience of God—the hallmarks of Pentecostalism—continue as an important part of the AG tradition, particularly in the growing number of ethnic congregations in the United States.

The Assemblies of God draws on fresh, up-to-date research including quantitative surveys and interviews from twenty-two diverse Assemblies of God congregations to offer a new sociological portrait of the AG for the new millennium. The authors suggest that there is indeed a potential revitalization of the movement in the works within the context of the larger global Pentecostal upswing, and that this revitalization may be spurred by what the authors call “godly love:” the dynamic interaction between divine and human love that enlivens and expands benevolence.

The volume provides a wealth of data about how the second-largest American Pentecostal denomination sees itself today, and suggests trends to illuminate where it is headed in the future.

Product Description
Race and the Assemblies of God Church chronicles the treatment of African Americans by the largest, predominantly white, Pentecostal denomination in the United States. The formation of the Assemblies of God in 1914, brought an end to the interracial focus of the Pentecostal movement that characterized the revival from its inception in Los Angeles, California, at an abandoned warehouse on Azusa Street in 1906. Dr. Newman utilizes the extensive archival holdings of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center, housed in the international headquarters of the Assemblies of God in Springfield, Missouri, to support his contention that Assemblies of God leaders deliberately engaged in racist efforts to prevent African American participation in Assemblies of God activities because the denominational leaders feared the reaction of its ministers and congregations in the American South. In addition, a concerted effort to refer African Americans interested in the Assemblies of God to African American groups, such as the Church of God in Christ, was approved at the highest levels of Assemblies of God leadership. Ultimately, efforts to exclude African Americans from the denomination led to official decisions to refuse them ordination and approved resolutions to support the establishment of a separate, unrelated Pentecostal denomination specifically for African Americans. Assemblies of God attitudes regarding racial issues changed only as a result of the civil rights movement and its effect upon American society during the 1960s and 1970s. The treatment of race in church groups with European origins was compared to that of the Assemblies of God and the influence of African and slave religions upon the rise of the Pentecostal movement. Finally, the author provides an analysis of the 1994 event known as the "Miracle of Memphis" in which white Pentecostal denominations dissolved the racially segregated Pentecostal Fellowship of North America in favor of a new organization, the Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches of North America. The book concludes that although current Assemblies of God leaders have embraced the concept of an integrated church fellowship that no longer excludes African Americans, there is virtually no evidence of wide acceptance of this concept at the local church level in the denomination. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

This Gospel Shall Be Preached
This is an excellent historical account of the Assemblies of God missions department. This is a must read for any person affiliated with the AOG or the missions department.

Blueprint for Pentecostal Growth
The Assemblies of God is the largest Pentecostal Church in the world and deserves the attention of anyone interested in the growth of the modern Pentecost.

This book is full of historical information on the AG and it's Missions Ventures.The fellowship was founded as a Missionary sending agency and has wonderfully accomplished, and is still accomplishing this goal.God has moved tremendously through the open and willing men and women that call themselves Assemblies of God missionaries. ... Read more

Product Description
This work provides a qualitative analysis of an Assembly of God Pentecostal church in the North East of England. It gives an account of a synthesis between classical Pentecostals and the Charismatic movement that is creating a distinct form of spiritual expression resulting in a hybrid church. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

...a fascinating case study
Dr Gold has written a fascinating case study of one Assembly of God Pentecostal Church, City Christian Centre, in England. Set against the historical backdrop of the Assemblies of God and Pentecostalism at large, Gold examines the history and hybridization of this church from a sociological point of view that is coupled with his own intellectual biography. This approach definitely works and makes this book extremely interesting to read. A number of theories about the Assemblies of God are successfully challenged. The work has an excellent commendatory preface, up to date bibliography, and thorough index. There are numerous helpful charts throughout that aid the reader in understanding the arguments the author is trying to make. This monograph is a genuine contribution to scholarship and hopefully will find its way into libraries all over the world! ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: American Assemblies of God Clergy, New Zealand Assemblies of God Clergy, Samoan Assemblies of God Clergy, A. A. Allen, Jack Coe, Finis Jennings Dake, Gordon Fee, Tommy Barnett, Illiafi Esera. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 32. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt:A. A. Allen Asa A. Allen (March 27, 1911 in Sulphur Rock, Arkansas - June 11, 1970 in San Francisco ), better known as A.A. Allen , was a controversial Pentecostal evangelist and faith healer of Voice of Healing. At age 59 he died from liver failure brought on by acute alcoholism in San Francisco , and was buried at his evangelistic headquarters in Miracle Valley, Arizona . Early life His middle name, given only as "A." on his birth certificate, was changed to "Alonso" around age four. Asa A. Allen's father was an alcoholic and his mother was a full-blooded Cherokee .. At age 23, Allen became a Pentecostal at the Onward Methodist Church in Miller, Missouri . Later, he learned of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost from a Pentecostal preacher who was conducting meetings in his home. He soon felt the call to preach and affiliated himself with the Assemblies of God (A/G) and subsequently obtained ordination from them in 1936. By 1947, Allen was pastoring a large A/G church in Corpus Christi, Texas .After attending an Oral Roberts tent meeting in Dallas (1949), Allen testified that as he left that meeting he hoped to spread God's "miracles" and asked his church board to allow him to start a radio program. They refused. Allen soon resigned from his church and started A.A.Allen Revivals, Inc. holding his Healing Revival Campaigns.Revivalist Stemming from purported healings, he established a large following. Allen became one of the first to develop a national television ministry and broadcasting prophecies, unverified healings, and "claimed to communicate with t... ... Read more