What do you think?
Rate this book
Assemblies of God: A Popular History
Book by Blumhofer, Edith L.
160 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1985
21 people want to read
About the author
Edith L. Blumhofer
28 books2 followersDr. Edith Lydia Blumhofer was a Harvard-educated historian, whose work focused on the history of Christianity in post-Civil War America, who focused much of her work on American Pentecostalism.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 6, 2016
This is a well researched, readable history of the Assemblies of God movement. Blumhofer is certainly qualified for the task. A Ph.D in American Religious History from Harvard, she also grew up in an AG home. She reports on the development of the movement from the viewpoint of an insider.
The book is a little out of date, published 30 years ago. It is mostly objective. Blumhofer betrays a few of her bents toward traditionalism late in the book, as the final chapter 'The Recent Past' scratches the surface of some issues which were hot buttons in the 80's. The author kind of deposits her two cents alongside her reporting, which up to that point was highly objective.
I enjoyed this book. I've read most of this history before, but it was interesting to get re-acquainted with some stories I hadn't reflected on in about 15 years. Things that stood out: The AG has always been driven by an independent streak, particularly on the local level. They have shunned doctrinal statements and tightly guarded local church sovereignty. The early years were really marked by experience being the operative determiner of doctrine, but as the years passed, the movement became more aligned with conservative evangelicalism on major issues of doctrine. Finally, the idea of "separation" has always been big for the AG. This separation has historically manifested in being socially conservative and revealing the holiness movement roots from the early days.
Things in the AG have drastically changed since Blumhofer published this history. As the movement has grown, it has become more diverse. Local sovereignty remains a major mark of the affiliating churches. But doctrinal alignment has waned a bit. Growth has created a splintering effect, as churches have sought to return to cultural engagement, struggled with defining pentecostal distinctives, and wrestled with influence from modern evangelicalism.
The book is a little out of date, published 30 years ago. It is mostly objective. Blumhofer betrays a few of her bents toward traditionalism late in the book, as the final chapter 'The Recent Past' scratches the surface of some issues which were hot buttons in the 80's. The author kind of deposits her two cents alongside her reporting, which up to that point was highly objective.
I enjoyed this book. I've read most of this history before, but it was interesting to get re-acquainted with some stories I hadn't reflected on in about 15 years. Things that stood out: The AG has always been driven by an independent streak, particularly on the local level. They have shunned doctrinal statements and tightly guarded local church sovereignty. The early years were really marked by experience being the operative determiner of doctrine, but as the years passed, the movement became more aligned with conservative evangelicalism on major issues of doctrine. Finally, the idea of "separation" has always been big for the AG. This separation has historically manifested in being socially conservative and revealing the holiness movement roots from the early days.
Things in the AG have drastically changed since Blumhofer published this history. As the movement has grown, it has become more diverse. Local sovereignty remains a major mark of the affiliating churches. But doctrinal alignment has waned a bit. Growth has created a splintering effect, as churches have sought to return to cultural engagement, struggled with defining pentecostal distinctives, and wrestled with influence from modern evangelicalism.
June 3, 2015
Not my first choice of book to read but I now have a better understanding of the history behind the A/G churches. Very informative.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews