The Assemblies of God: Godly Love and the Revitalization of American Pentecostalism

Godly Love and the Revitalization of American Pentecostalism The Assemblies of God (AG) is the ninth largest American and the world's largest Pentecostal.
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Book review: The assemblies of God: Godly love and the revitalization of American Pentecostalism

The AG embraces a worldview of miracles and mystery that makesOC supernaturalOCO experiences, such as speaking in tongues, healing, and prophecy, normal for Christian believers. Ever since it first organized in , however The Assemblies of God AG is the ninth largest American and the worldOCOs largest Pentecostal denomination, with over 50 million followers worldwide. 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 GodOCothe hallmarks of PentecostalismOCocontinue 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 OC godly love: OCO 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. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Assemblies of God , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about The Assemblies of God. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia.

The Assemblies of God: Godly Love and the Revitalization of American Pentecostalism

For the most part this scholarly book hits the nail on the head as to what is going on the movement. There are several instances of wrong information. As classical Pentecostals, the Assemblies of God believes all Christians are entitled to and should seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The AG teaches that this experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of salvation.

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The baptism in the Holy Spirit empowers the believer for Christian life and service. The initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues "as the Spirit gives utterance. While the World AG Fellowship has a statement of faith which outlines the basic beliefs which unify the various branches of the movement, each national AG denomination formulates its own doctrinal statements.

The Pentecostal aspects of the revival were not generally welcomed by established churches, and participants in the movement soon found themselves forced outside existing religious bodies. These people sought out their own places of worship and founded hundreds of distinctly Pentecostal congregations.

By , many ministers and laymen alike began to realize just how far-reaching the spread of the revival and of Pentecostalism had become. Concerned leaders felt the desire to protect and preserve the results of the revival by uniting through cooperative fellowship. In April , about preachers and laymen were invited from 20 states and several foreign countries for a general council in Hot Springs, Arkansas , United States , to discuss and take action on these and other pressing needs.

A remaining fellowship emerged from the meeting and was incorporated under the name General Council of the Assemblies of God in the United States of America. In time, self-governing and self-supporting general councils broke off from the original fellowship or were formed independently in several nations throughout the world, originating either from indigenous Pentecostal movements or as a direct result of the indigenous missions strategy of the General Council.

Prior to , the Assemblies of God, along with the majority of other Pentecostal denominations, officially opposed Christian participation in war and considered itself a peace church. The initial purpose was to coordinate evangelism, but soon developed into a more permanent organism of inter-relation. Hogan was elected the first chairman of the Fellowship and served until when Rev. David Yonggi Cho was elected chairman. Trask was elected to succeed Cho.

The World Fellowship unites Assemblies of God national councils from around the world together for cooperation. Each national council is fully self-governing and independent and involvement with the World Fellowship does not limit this independence.

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The work of the World Fellowship is carried out by the Executive Council. Executive Council members represent different regions of the world and serve three-year terms. They are elected by the General Assembly. 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.

Poloma and Green have succeeded in crafting a readable, and indeed enjoyable, narrative that is at the same time precise in its insights, being grounded as it is in a rich array of survey and interview data. Novice and expert alike can learn what Assemblies of God pastors and congregants believe as well as what they actually do or do not do to act on their beliefs. This multimethod book, based on both surveys and field research, contributes to a growing sociological literature on Pentecostalism. They probe the countervailing forces that characterize this vibrant denomination, examining how the priestly and the prophetic are intermingled, and how traditional religious orientations are melded with evangelical impulses.


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Those wishing to understand current developments in the Assemblies of God, and in American Pentecostalism at large, owe it to themselves to read this volume with care. Poloma and Green have their finger on the pulse of a rapidly changing facet of American religion. Bartkowski, author of The Promise Keepers: