The Assemblies of God General Council is meeting next month and the hot topic for this year is a proposed revision to the Statement of Fundamental Truths. This document, created in 1916, has served as the theological basis for the fellowship. Its central tenets define the AG's beliefs on doctrinal matters such as salvation, baptism … Continue reading Revising the Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths
Last May I completed a my journey through my PhD program. For 10 years I have immersed myself in the world of Assemblies of God history and doctrine in order to produce the first comprehensive study of AG eschatology that looks at 100 years of official, popular and scholarly expressions of the AG's position on … Continue reading The Origin, Development, and Future of Assemblies of God Eschatology: A PhD Thesis
On May 16th I successfully defended my dissertation and was awarded the degree of PhD in Pentecostal Theology from Bangor University (Wales, UK). I was examined by Dr. Robert Pope of Westminster College (Cambridge, UK) and Dr. Andrew Davies of University of Birmingham (UK). The Viva (so called in the UK) took about an … Continue reading The Future of AG Eschatology
A question was asked today in an Assemblies of God scholars group I am a part of concerning what areas in the AG needed more scholarship. While doing my own research on the AG, I would often come across information or topics that I recognized were still gaps in AG research. Here is a list … Continue reading Ten Opportunities for Future Assemblies of God Research
This week I attended the annual meeting for the Society for Pentecostal Studies. It was a wonderful meeting. The theme this year was "Pentecostals and the Poor". This theme appealed to me because one of the questions my thesis attempts to answer is how Assemblies of God eschatology translated to how they engaged in social … Continue reading How Eschatology Shaped AG Social Ethics
Alice Eveline Luce was a missionary to India and church planting pioneer who entered the Pentecostal movement in 1910. She was born in England in 1873 and at age 22 she became a missionary with the Anglican Church Missionary Society.[1] While in India, word of the Pentecostal movement had reached her in 1910 and she … Continue reading Eschatological Women of the Assemblies of God: Alice E. Luce
In my studies of AG eschatology I was delighted to uncover a couple women who were influential with their eschatological writings. One such woman was Elizabeth Sisson who had the unique opportunity to transition with from the late nineteenth century healing holiness movement, to the Pentecostal movement and finally into the AG. Sisson had a … Continue reading Eschatological Women of the Assemblies of God: Elizabeth Sisson
If you were to ask for song requests in any AG church in America, I can almost guarantee someone will request "I'll Fly Away". For whatever reason, this song has become an American and Pentecostal favorite of previous generations. There are several reasons its popular. For one, this song has an Oklahoma connection, being written … Continue reading The Theological Legacy of “I’ll Fly Away”
In my dissertation, I am documenting the history of the Assemblies of God and their eschatological positions. One of the joys of that pursuit has been to build a timeline of all the books on eschatology that have been published by the Gospel Publishing House. To my knowledge, no one has done so. I also … Continue reading The Eschatology Books of the Assemblies of God
100 years ago this week the Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths was adopted by the 1916 General Council in St. Louis. Although AG Leaders were reluctant to adopt a statement of faith during those early years, a doctrinal statement was needed to stave off division over debates about trinitarian vs. oneness baptism. A … Continue reading Statement of Fundamental Truths Turns 100
