Assemblies of God USA Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===1930–1979=== ====Women and ethnic minorities==== [[File:Evang Hispanic Ch day school Elizabeth jeh.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Day school of Evangel Hispanic Church, an AG church in [[Elizabeth, New Jersey]]]] [[File:Hispanic_Centennial.jpg|thumb|AG Hispanic Centennial Celebration, August 2, 2018, in Houston, Texas]] Despite Pentecostalism's origins in a racially inclusive revival, it accommodated itself to America's culture of [[Racial segregation in the United States|racial segregation]] rather early; the Assemblies of God was no different. As early as 1915, an executive presbyter wrote in an article for the ''Pentecostal Evangel'' that segregation was "ordained of God"; however, it was not until 1939 that the General Presbytery enacted a policy prohibiting the [[ordination]] of African Americans to the ministry.<ref name=PneumaAzusa2Memphis>{{Citation |last=Macchia |first=Frank D. |title=From Azusa to Memphis: Evaluating the Racial Reconciliation Dialogue Among Pentecostals |journal=Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies |volume=17 |issue=2 |page=208 |date=Fall 1995 |doi=10.1163/157007495x00192}}</ref> Districts were still allowed to license African Americans to preach but only in the district where the license was issued. Black Pentecostals seeking ordination were referred to "one of the colored organizations". This was especially true of the Church of God in Christ,<ref name=":0" /> which, despite the fact that it predates the Assemblies of God, was seen as a "younger sibling". It was not until 1962, under the leadership of General Superintendent [[Thomas F. Zimmerman]], that the denomination finally began issuing ordinations without regard to race.<ref name=racialreconciliation>Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center. [http://ifphcseeninprint.wordpress.com/2007/12/12/pentecostals-and-racial-reconciliation/ "Pentecostals and Racial Reconciliation"], December 12, 2007. Accessed July 19, 2010.</ref> Three years later the 1965 General Council adopted a resolution affirming the goals of the civil rights movement and condemning racism and discrimination.{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|pp=249–250}} By the 1970s, there was renewed focus on inner-city evangelism and integrated urban efforts. While blacks were largely excluded from the AG until the 1960s, though some served as missionaries and evangelists,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodgers |first=Darrin |date=2024-02-27 |title=Remembering the Assemblies of God's Black Heritage |url=https://news.ag.org/en/articles/news/2024/02/remembering-the-assemblies-of-god-s-black-heritage |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330225220/https://news.ag.org/en/articles/news/2024/02/remembering-the-assemblies-of-god-s-black-heritage |archive-date=2024-03-30 |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=AG News}}</ref> the denomination's work among Spanish-speaking people has a long history, first sanctioned explicitly in 1918. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]] outreach became independent of the Foreign Missions Department in 1929 when the first Latin American District was established. By the end of World War II, the AG's Latin American constituency formed the largest Protestant presence among Hispanics in the United States.{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|pp=244–246}} The AG also focused on major European immigrant populations, but as later generations assimilated into American culture, these separate European segments were absorbed into the regular geographic districts. During the time when African Americans were barred from ordination, women began to receive greater opportunities for leadership. Women formed an important part of the Assemblies of God's constituency, many being [[Sunday School]] workers and evangelists, most prominent being [[Aimee Semple McPherson]] (who would later found the [[Foursquare Church]]). This made the issue of women's place in the movement important in the 1930s.{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|p=171}} It was also recognized that many congregations who could not afford male pastors relied on women preachers. Although opposition to female pastors had been regularly affirmed since 1914, the office of pastor was opened to women in 1935.{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|p=174}} ====Relations with other denominations and renewal movements==== [[File:Shiloh Roadtrip 2010, Assembly of God Church, Elvis's home, Tupelo.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The interior of the AG church in [[Tupelo, Mississippi]], that [[Elvis Presley]] attended as a child.]] Between the World Wars, the movement kept a relative isolation from other Pentecostal and evangelical groups, but after World War II, the AG started an approximation with Pentecostal groups overseas. Like the [[Federation of Pentecostal Churches (Germany)|Federation of Pentecostal Churches]] in Germany and the [[Assemblies of God in Australia]], at that time many national denominations came to affiliate with the U.S. fellowship. These partnerships would later develop into the World Assemblies of God Fellowship. As well as establishing fellowships in other nations, the AG also began to communicate with other U.S. churches. The Assemblies of God was a founding member of both the [[National Association of Evangelicals]] and the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America (now [[Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America]]).{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|pp=180–197}} In the 1950s, the AG was challenged by the [[Latter Rain (post-World War II movement)|Latter Rain movement]], which began among former members of the [[Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada]], the AG's Canadian counterpart, and quickly spread to the United States. The "New Order" as it was known was highly critical of denominations, such as the AG, and taught that the gifts of the Spirit are channeled through church [[Elder (Christianity)|elders]] and are given to others by the [[laying on of hands]]. However, the Assemblies of God and other classical Pentecostal groups maintained that the [[charismata]] are not personally received or imparted but are manifested as the Holy Spirit wills.{{Sfn|Holdcroft|1980|p=48}} In 1949 with a meeting of the General Council approaching, there were fears that the fellowship might split over the Latter Rain issue, but in the end, the General Council was united against what were seen as the excesses of the movement. A General Council resolution specified six errors which included: imparting, identifying, bestowing, or confirming gifts by [[prophecy]] and the laying on of hands. It also rejected the idea that the Church is built on present-day apostles and prophets. The Latter Rain theology of no pre-tribulation [[rapture]] and the [[manifested sons of God]] teaching were condemned as [[heresy]].{{Sfn|Patterson|Rybarczyk|2007|p=173}}{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|p=211}} The Latter Rain and the [[Healing Revival|Salvation/Healing Revival]] of the late 1940s and 50s would be a major influence on later renewal movements. During this time, by 1953, the denomination's college ministry [[Chi Alpha]] was chartered.<ref name="Pent. Dict.">{{Cite book |last=Bixler |first=Frances |title=The new international dictionary of Pentecostal and charismatic movements. |publisher=Zondervan Pub. House |year=2002 |isbn=0310224810 |editor=Stanley M. Burgess |edition=Rev. and expanded |location=Grand Rapids, Mich. |page=521 |chapter=Chi Alpha}}</ref> The affiliation of the Assemblies of God with the National Association of Evangelicals in 1942 signaled the AG's alignment with evangelicalism and its opposition to [[mainline Protestantism]] and the [[ecumenical movement]]. The AG and its evangelical partners agreed on most issues and shared similar world views though the AG's Pentecostal distinctives—Spirit baptism and the operation of spiritual gifts—were not embraced by most evangelical Christians. The AG's response then to the [[charismatic movement]] that began in the 1960s was a cautious one, affirming the move of the Holy Spirit yet urging that all revival must be judged by scripture. For the first time, beliefs and practices which had largely remained confined to the classical Pentecostal denominations began to impact mainline Protestant and [[Roman Catholicism in the United States|Roman Catholic]] churches on a large scale (see: [[Catholic Charismatic Renewal]]). The fact that this occurred in these churches (which were historically seen by Pentecostals as suspect), the multifaceted nature of the movement owing to the many different traditions its participants came from, and the perception by Pentecostals that the movement was based too much on experience and not on biblical teaching led some in the Assemblies of God to see it in relation to the ecumenical movement.{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|pp=235–237}} The charismatic movement forced a reevaluation of what it was to be Pentecostal. The Assemblies of God understood Spirit baptism in the context of baptistic evangelical theology and, by the 1950s, emphasized certain doctrines and practices as requisite for Spirit baptism. Charismatics challenged these views by claiming to receive Holy Spirit baptism outside of this context (such as remaining in [[liturgical]] churches, failing to reject [[sacrament]]al theologies, and not adopting Pentecostal taboos on dancing, drinking, smoking, etc.).{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|p=226}} On the local level, Assemblies of God churches were influenced by the charismatic movement. Some charismatics left their original churches and joined less formal Assemblies of God congregations. In addition, the contemporary decreased emphasis on traditional Pentecostal taboos in the AG is in part attributable to the charismatic movement, which accelerated a trend already in existence.{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|p=236}} ====Changing views on behavior, war and pacifism==== [[File:Rockford First Sunday Easter 1971.png|right|200px|thumb|Pastor Ernest Moen preaching at [[Rockford First Church|Rockford First Assembly of God]] on Easter Sunday 1971]] [[File:Zimmerman_NAE.jpg|thumb|General Superintendent Thomas F. Zimmerman addresses the [[National Association of Evangelicals|NAE]]/NRB Convention in 1976.]] Since their movement's emergence early in the 20th century, Pentecostals saw themselves as "peculiar people", and one of the components of this identity were particular prohibitions on behavior. Prohibitions on drug use, gambling, social dancing, consuming alcohol, smoking, attending theaters, bowling, swimming in public pools and beaches, owning television sets, and restrictions on feminine attire and fashion helped distinguish Pentecostals from the larger society.{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|p=236}}{{Sfn|Poloma|1989|p=15}} Starting in the 1950s, attitudes in the Assemblies of God on many of these activities underwent dramatic change. The most change probably occurred over views on women's attire, with the former stance against wearing make-up and jewelry giving way to the acceptance of popular fashion. Most of these "holiness standards" are no longer adhered to; however, some are still held to, such as proscriptions on smoking, alcohol and drug use.{{Sfn|Poloma|1989|p=15}} For much of its history, the Assemblies of God officially opposed Christian participation in war and was listed by ''The Pacifist Handbook'' as America's third largest [[peace church]] in 1940.{{Sfn|Beaman|2009|p={{page needed|date=September 2020}}}} The official position of the church until 1967 encouraged Christian nonviolence: "We . . . are nevertheless constrained to declare we cannot conscientiously participate in war and armed resistance which involves the actual destruction of human life, since this is contrary to our view of the clear teachings of the inspired Word of God".<ref name="Paul Alexander">Paul Alexander, An Analysis of the Emergence and Decline of Pacifism in the History of the Assemblies of God, PhD dissertation, Baylor University, 2000. See also [http://www.apu.edu/theology/faculty/palexander/ Paul Alexander] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229033706/http://www.apu.edu/theology/faculty/palexander/ |date=2008-12-29 }}, (2008), [http://www.cascadiapublishinghouse.com/ptw/ptw.htm ''Peace to War: Shifting Allegiances in the Assemblies of God'']. Telford, PA: Cascadia Publishing/Herald Press.</ref> Most of the founders and first generation members of the denomination held to this view, and it was presented as official teaching throughout World War I and World War II. The official [[pacifist]] position remained unchanged until 1967 when the denomination affirmed "the right of each member to choose whether to declare their position as a combatant, a noncombatant, or a conscientious objector".<ref name=GC09BylawsXVIIp146>General Council Minutes 2009, Bylaws, Article XVII, p. 146.</ref> This was the culmination of a process begun during World War I, when it was unpopular to hold antiwar views, in which AG adherents questioned their denomination's pacifist stance.{{Sfn|Blumhofer|1993|pp=142–149}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! 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