Assemblies of God
Assemblies of God ( World Assemblies of God Fellowship ) is a Pentecostal denomination based in Springfield, Missouri .
history
The Assemblies of God was formed in April 1914 during an international meeting of Pentecostal church leaders, clergymen, evangelists and missionaries in Hot Springs .
The conference, called General Council of the Assemblies of God, was convened by Eudorus N. Bell to determine fundamental positions of the Pentecostal movement. This included, among other things, a standard of doctrine of the faith, guidelines for cooperation and the clarification of questions relating to mission, education and the creation of an own church administration. Structures should be conducive to the maintenance and expansion of the Pentecostal movement.
Over 500 groups joined in the course of the year. In October 1916, St. Louis broke with the Oneness Pentecostals , who rejected the Trinity . Over the years, further offshoots emerged in various countries. In 1988 the World Assemblies of God Fellowship was founded as an umbrella organization.
With over 12,100 churches in the United States and 236,022 churches in 191 other countries - according to their own information - the Assemblies of God are today the largest Pentecostal denomination worldwide.
theology
Assemblies of God are trinitarian , with the unorthodox Christology widespread among US Pentecostals in particular giving rise to a doctrinal formula. The developing Statement of Fundamental Truths is basically considered to be evangelical , but has special features, such as a commitment to divine healing or speaking in tongues as an expression of baptism with the Holy Spirit .
The association maintains a theological seminary in Springfield , the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary . The seminary was initially known as the Assemblies of God Graduate School , but was given its current name in 1984.
Influence on politics
Members of the Church have political influence particularly in Africa and South America. The Ethiopian Defense Minister Lemma Megersa and the former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama are members of the local branches of the Assemblies of God.
Politicians close to the AoG often, but not exclusively, represent right-wing religious positions. The conservative Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison , also a member of the AoG, criticizes this: “ The Bible is not a policy handbook, and I get very worried when people try to treat it like one ” (German: “The Bible is not a political handbook and I am very worried if it is treated as such. ”).
In Central America, the Camino Cristiano Nicaragüense founded by the AoG televangelist Guillermo Osorno and the Costa Rican Partido Restauración Nacional founded by the AoG pastor Carlos Avendaño Calvo are smaller opposition parties with a Christian fundamentalist program. In Brazil in particular, the church called Assembleias de Deus has a significant influence. The two right-wing parties Patriota and the Partido Social Cristão , led by the Assembleias de Deus clergyman Everaldo Pereira , known as Pastor Everaldo , are both involved in the government coalition of Jair Bolsonaro . The opposition politician Marina Silva , who advocates environmental protection, a liberal drug policy and the rights of the indigenous peoples and also a member of the AoG, was criticized by the church leadership for her liberal stance.
Sarah Palin was a member of the Church until 2002.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Randall Herbert Balmer: Assemblies of God . In: Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism . Baylor University Press, Waco 2004, ISBN 1-932792-04-X , pp. 37 (English).
- ^ A b c Edith Blumhofer: Assemblies of God . In: Hans Dieter Betz u. a. (Ed.): Religion in the past and present . Concise dictionary for theology and religious studies. 4th edition. tape 8 , no. 1 . UTB, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-8252-8401-5 , Sp. 845 .
- ↑ Assemblies of God World Missions Research Office: AGWM Current Facts and Highlights (2007)
- ^ Randall Herbert Balmer: Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (Springfield, Missouri) . In: Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism . Baylor University Press, Waco 2004, ISBN 1-932792-04-X , pp. 37 (English).
- ↑ Nick Bryant: Scott Morrison: So Who the Bloody Hell Are You? . In: The Monthly , February 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
- ↑ Pastor Silas Malafaia critica Marina Silva e vira destaque no Twitter ( Portuguese ) 28. September 2010. Retrieved on 1 August 2012 found.
