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November 23, 2008
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Home > 2008 > September (Web-only)Christianity Today, September (Web-only), 2008  |   |  
All You Need to Know About the Assemblies of God
A primer for Palin watchers and others.



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"She is a longtime member of the Assemblies of God. That's all you need to know."

That's how political blogger Andrew Sullivan recently summarized Governor Sarah Palin's faith background.

But entertain the crazy thought that some people might want to know more. What would we learn from the media about the Assemblies of God?

It's "the evangelical experience on steroids," "where sitting is an option but clapping is not," where beliefs "stray a bit from the mainstream" and which "mainstream Christians don't understand." There's the usual report of tongues, faith-healing, and "end times" — threateningly caricaturized as "a violent upheaval that … will deliver Jesus Christ's second coming." Combine "holy laughter, divine dancing, silver tooth fillings turning into gold, [and] the regeneration of a large intestine," and you see why Palin's childhood faith has been "deemed irrelevant by the liberal intelligentsia because it is regarded as fundamentalist and … irrational."

Then again, news accounts of "rational faith" have been rather scarce.

The first wave

About one in four Christian believers worldwide are Pentecostal or charismatic, and the percentage is increasing daily. The World Christian Database says 8.7 percent of the world's population is part of this "renewalist" group. The AG is one of the most prominent Pentecostal groups, it's only a part of the movement. An AG study from 2006 found 60 million adherents in more than 300,000 churches worldwide. About 2.8 million of these are in the U.S.

The renewalist movement in the U.S. is often divided into three historical "waves." The first wave began in 1901, resulting in the "classical" Pentecostal denominations, including the Assemblies of God. The second ("charismatic") wave began around 1960, and the third ("neocharismatic") wave around 1980. While there are doctrinal and practical differences between the various Pentecostal and charismatic believers, what is common to all is the conviction that the Holy Spirit is personally active, immanent, and works through believers by giving gifts (charisms) for ministry, evangelism, and holiness.

While some scholars have traced a thread of Pentecostal and charismatic expressions throughout church history, the modern renewal began with the "touch felt around the world" on January 1, 1901, when students of Charles Fox Parham were "baptized in the Spirit" and spoke in tongues after studying the Bible to prove or deny the validity of such an experience. The fledgling movement found its tipping point at the Azusa Street Revival, led by a former student of Parham's, William Joseph Seymour. This California revival, from 1906 to 1909, is widely considered the true genesis of Pentecostalism and has been called " America 's most successful spiritual export."

The first Pentecostal denomination to form (in 1907) was the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), led by Charles H. Mason. The body that became the AG formed in 1914.

What do they believe?

Today, the Assemblies of God is generally considered orthodox with beliefs common to many denominations — excepting mainstream cessationist groups. George Barna reports that among the 12 largest denominations, Assemblies of God adherents tend to have the highest "overall purity of … biblical perspectives." They are more likely to be born again, to be "absolutely committed" to faith, to hold a high view of Scripture, to believe in a literal heaven and hell, to believe that Jesus was sinless, to believe that God created the universe, are more likely to pray, and are more likely to share the gospel with unbelievers.





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[Reader Reviews]
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 72 comments.See all comments
hobbitgirl   Posted: September 16, 2008 8:46 PM
Great article, but the one question I have still remains unanswered: what are the teachings of the church that Palin currently attends? Or, does she no longer attend church regularly? What are her beliefs?

Johann   Posted: September 23, 2008 8:55 PM
Is there any heresy that Christianity Today does not embrace? Does the mere fact that a church prays to Jesus and and reads the Bible enough for CT? Pentecostalism is a syncretic New Age faith that embraces every belief and ritual that will appeal to the masses, no matter how much those beliefs deviate from real Christianity. I don't want Palin anywhere near the Presidency. I don't want a President so weak minded that she speaks in tongues. I don't want a President who is under the thumb of some dictatorial pastor/cult leader. I don't want a President who believes that every thought and emotion she has is a direct message from God. Pentecostalism is a dangerous disease that should be opposed by every true Christian, not lauded with fluff stories in Billy Graham's magazine.

Keith   Posted: September 18, 2008 3:00 PM
twa01...Thank you for your comments which both confirm the racist past of the movment and suggest that the denomination has done what the lord requires to move forward as brothers and sisters in Christ. no one has addressed my orinal question...I WONDER WHERE PALIN, THIS SUPPOSED CHRISTIAN STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF RACE. This is a fair question for any person who seks to serve all of the people.

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