CHOICES
The Foursquare church traces its heritage to the legacy of its founder, Aimee Semple
McPherson.
Although she created the church, the newer generation of Foursquare leaders wish to jettison her
image in order to update the appearance of the church. They believe that she is from an era that
is
long gone and not relevant to the generation of today. In many respects, they are correct. Her
death was in 1944, and those in the church today that remember her from 1920 - 1944 are the
seniors in the church. They have been, and are now, relinquishing their positions in the church to
a
younger generation who know nothing about Aimee Semple McPherson and the events that
brought about the founding of their church and probably don't really care to know anything about
who she really was. Unfortunately, some criticism can be pointed at the older generation also, as
the Aimee Semple McPherson that they all adored, is most likely the person that they wished her
to be and not necessarily the person that she actually was.
Aimee Semple McPherson was loved, adored, admired and elevated to a position of popularity
that can only be compared to that which is given by modern teens to the pop stars. The tragedy is
that in both cases, the adoration and position was and is given to that which is not known and
seen only from a distance. The devotion is given, not in relation to the reality of who the person
or persons actually are, but what people perceive them to be or wish them to be. That is the case
with Aimee Semple McPherson. To the adherent, she was a saint beyond peer, her every word or
action replete with spiritual insight and power. To others she was a show person, self-centered
and
transparently out for fame, position and control. Was she the sweetest and greatest female
evangelist in history, worthy of fame and legend, such as is told about Joan of Arc, ready to join
the ranks of the Apostle Paul? Or was she more like Jim and Tammy Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart
and the cohorts of fakes on TBN?
WHOLESOME, SANITIZED and
SENTIMENTAL RELIGIOUS VERSION
INTRODUCTION to THIS IS
THAT by Aimee Semple McPherson
Rev. Jack Hayford
SISTER AIMEE'S LEGACY
Daniel Mark Epstein, biographer of Aimee Semple McPherson and author of SISTER
AIMEE
An address given May 5, 2000 at the Foursquare Gospel Convention in
Hawaii
AIMEE: A SHORT
BIOGRAPHY
Don Taylor, 1998
Off-site article at: http://www.libertyharbor.org/aimee.htm - Liberty Harbor Foursuare Church
website
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SECULAR, PROFANE and
WORLDLY CARNAL VERSION
MILTON BERLE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Milton Berle and Frank Haskel,
New York, Delacorte Press, 1974
Chapter 11 (part) and Chapter 12 (part), year 1930
THE BIG LIE
Zak Turango, Elsinore Magazine, July 1-15, 2000
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MAJOR ISSUES
It might be convenient to ignore or forget the negative aspects and deal only with the positive, in
relation to Aimee Semple McPherson, but that begs the issue. Her troubles were not just of the
moment, but were issues and events that encompassed the entire span of her ministry. Although
she was a person of great ability, personal charm and presence, she had two glaring deficiencies
in her character that are glossed over by her supporters today and were ignored by her followers
in her time. She was obsessed with personal glorification and she chose to engage in acts of
immoral behavior.
The troubles encountered by Aimee Semple McPherson are not unique to the Pentecostal and
charismatic movement, although the majority of high profile failures in the ministry, in recent
years, have been attached to that particular group. There are very good reasons for that, not the
least of which is revealed in Aimee Semple McPherson's preoccupation with the attainment of
her own self-glorification, coupled with a doctrine of continuing revelation. The combination is
deadly, as an individual places themselves in the forefront and then claims authority by virtue of
a God given fiat. Acceptance of that type of individual by adherents places the faithful in a
position by which they remove from their spiritual minds any thought about, or ability to discern
deception on the part of the leader. If the leader is assumed to be anointed by God, and
continuing revelation is accepted as doctrine, then anything that the leader says, by means of a
revelation, cannot be denied even if it contradicts Scripture, because the definition of a
revelation is that which was previously unknown. Within the boundaries of that belief, anything
that a leader claims to have been told by God must be believed, and cannot be questioned,
because there is no foundation by which to judge. The Scripture has no authority in relation to
new revelation.
In relation to Aimee Semple McPherson, how does she stand in relation to who she claimed to
be?
- She claimed to be a healer. Who did she heal?
From the beginning of her ministry in 1915 until her death in 1944 there is not one verifiable,
documented instance that she was able to heal any person. She never restored a missing arm or
leg. She never healed a missing eye or cured the ravages of leprosy. She was unable to heal the
congenitally deformed or mentally disabled. The same as with the current crop of miracle
healers roaming the world, she could only heal the invisible and unverifiable. It's certainly safer
and more convenient that way. The room and museum of discarded wheelchairs and crutches
proved nothing as there was never any documentation regarding the reality of the diseases or
disabilities of the persons that it was claimed used them, nor was there any documentation or
follow-up done on their condition in relation to those claimed diseases and disabilities
subsequent to the claims of healing.
- She claimed to be a pastor, anointed and called of God.
She established her own church, and installed herself as the pastor. In that accomplishment, she
denied the authority of the Scripture which she claimed to believe. She established herself as the
authority over the Biblical regulations regarding the position of a pastor, or overseer, and
mandated her own rules and regulations that were not challenged by her adherents. All the
claims and references to women in authoritative positions as noted in the Old Testament have no
bearing on the situation. Additionally, the spin placed on the idea that all persons are one in
Christ (Romans 12:5; Galatians 3:28), so a woman is allowed to be a pastor, are to no avail as
the Bible is clear on the subject. The same Apostle Paul who taught that all Christians are one in
Christ, also states the rules and regulations for a pastor and overseer, and shows that the teaching
of one in Christ has nothing to do with the position of a pastor and overseer in relation to
gender.
Most would point to 1 Timothy 2:11-12 as the key verses prohibiting women from being pastors
and they are important. But the major statements are found in 1 Timothy 3:1-13.
The portion of Scripture is addressed to those who would aspire to the office of an overseer, and
those persons are noted as being of a certain gender:
- 3:1 - "...and MAN that aspires..."
- 3:1 - "...it is a fine work HE aspires to do."
- 3:2 - "...husband of one wife..."
- 3:4 - "HE must be one..."
- 3:5 - "...but if a MAN..."
- 3:7 - "And HE must have a good reputation..."
- 3:7 - "...so that HE will not fall into reproach"
- 3:8 - "Deacons likewise must be MEN..."
- 3:10 - "These MEN must also first be tested..."
- 3:12 - "Deacons must be HUSBANDS of one wife..."
Unless Aimee Semple McPherson could claim that she was a man, or that she was a husband
and had a wife, she fails the test of her claim of authority to be a pastor. It can be asserted that
Aimee Semple McPherson established herself as a pastor and person in authority, but that office
was not approved by, or established by God in relation to herself.
The portion of Scripture is addressed to those who would aspire to the office of an overseer, and
those persons are noted as being of a certain character:
- 3:2 - "...above reproach...husband of one
wife...temperate...prudent...respectable...hospitable...able to teach..."
- 3:3 - "...not addicted to wine...(not) pugnacious...gentle...peaceable...free from the love of
money."
- 3:4 - "...manages his own household well...keeping children under control with
dignity..."
- 3:5 - "...not a new convert...not conceited...(not) fall into condemnation..."
- 3:6 - "...must have a good reputation with those outside the church..."
- 3:7 - "...must be men of dignity...not double-tongued...(not: addicted to much win...(not)
fond
of sordid gain..."
- 3:8 - "...holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience."
- 3:9 - "...must also first be tested...serve as deacons in they are beyond reproach."
- Aimee Semple McPherson did not do well regarding her claims, but there are several other
areas in which Aimee Semple McPherson fails the critical tests to be a pastor or
overseer:
First: As a Christian, and especially as a minister or evangelist, she represented Jesus
Christ in relation to His church, and that relationship is mirrored in the life of a Christian in the
institution of marriage. Her marriages to Harold Stuart McPherson and David Hutton were not in
accord with Biblical principles, since both did not believe the same gospel as she. She became
unequally yoked with the men based only on her physical feeling for them, ignoring the spiritual
consequences and Biblical prohibitions.
Second: Her virtual abandonment of Harold Stuart McPherson, and responsibility to her
family in that relationship, was not in accord with Biblical principles because she was incapable
of managing her own household well. She might have claimed a higher calling, but that does not
justify her actions, because she did not conduct herself in an exemplary manner in what she
might have claimed was a lower calling. She did not have her own personal life under control
prior to embarking on the evangelical trail in which she attempted to tell others about the evils in
their lives, when she had great evils in her own.
Third: She was not tested prior to entering the ministry. She was not challenged as to the
lack of Biblical basis for her aspirations. She entered the ministry under her own authority, not
placing herself in a position of accountability to any group or authority. Her service in the church
after the birth of her son, was under great mental duress, apparently unnoticed and unquestioned
by others. Her service was an attempt to overcome the depression and fear that had come into
her life, rather than a time of service in which she would prove that she had the necessary
character, qualities and abilities requisite to the job.
Fourth: As a result of the divorces from her husbands, she comes under condemnation
for the manner in which she had treated her marriages, because she had not conducted herself
in the proper manner as a godly wife.
Fifth: She was double-tongued, in that she spoke a lie with impunity, not in private or in
secret but for the entire world to hear. She lied about the circumstances surrounding her alleged
abduction by kidnappers and subsequent escape. It is a lie that she maintained until her
death.
Sixth: She did not give proper honor to her parents, was not peaceable, gentle or free
from being pugnacious, because she argued furiously with her mother over the operation of the
church, even to the point of striking her mother in the face and breaking her nose.
Seventh: She was not beyond reproach, did not maintain her dignity or hold to the faith
with a clear conscience, because she was a fornicator.
The difficulty that the Foursquare church faces in relation to Aimee Semple McPherson, is that
she has already built the house, and modern day adherents are trying to find a way to provide a
foundation for the structure that already exists. By doing so, they embrace three major false
beliefs:
- BELIEF IN CONTINUING REVELATION FROM GOD. This is a belief that there is
continuing direct revelation from God, in the way of visions, dreams, direct words and words of
wisdom. To embrace a belief in continuing revelation invariably leads to confusion regarding
those revelations that are contradictory and ultimately to the inclusion of false and heretical
doctrines that are given as revelations.
- BELIEF THAT THE GIFT OF TONGUES IS A PRIVATE COMMUNICATION
LANGUAGE WITH GOD AND THAT IT IS A SIGN OF SPIRITUALITY OR
CONFIRMATION OF THE PERSON BEING A CHRISTIAN. The gift of tongues was the gift
to speak a known language for use in transmitting the gospel message to persons who spoke that
particular language. In all cases when it was used, it was required that a translator be present and
that only one person could use the gift at one time. Tongues were never used in the New
Testament as a confirmation to believers, but as a confirmation to unbelievers of the reality of
what they were being told. The apostle Paul considered the gift of tongues to be the least of the
gifts, but charismatic believers fervently seek after it and place it at the top as the most favored
and desirable. By turning the value of the gift upside down, they show that the gift is sought, not
because of its spiritual value, but because of its display and exhibitionist qualities, and the
subsequent claims to spirituality and prestige that are made when a person demonstrates what is
said to be the gift.
- BELIEF THAT THEY CAN IGNORE THE BIBLICAL PROHIBITIONS AGAINST
FEMALE PASTORS. By attempting to provide support for their belief in the Old Testament and
by twisting the New Testament to say what they wish it to, they then ignore the direct prohibition
made by the apostle Paul. Like Aimee Semple McPherson before them, they deny the authority
of
the Bible that they claim to believe. They continue attempting to lay a foundation for the house
that has already been built, and in the process the teach great error and mislead many for a
lifetime.
In spite of the errors in doctrine that are found in the Foursquare church, one must not make a
blanket assumption or claim that the church does not teach a salvation message or that adherents
are not Christians. Christians are such because they believe the salvation message that is taught
in the Bible, and that salvation message is taught in the Foursquare church. Salvation can and is
found in the Foursquare church. The difficulties occur from the additions and misrepresentations
of those areas of belief that surround the gospel message. In those areas there is great confusion,
and in that confusion, eventually, the salvation message suffers as is found in the excesses of the
charismatic movement today. As a result of accepting the fundamental error of continuing
revelation, the Foursquare church is being pulled farther away from its roots, even those shallow
roots of Aimee Semple McPherson, and into the more extremist positions of the current
charismatic movement . The mainline Foursquare institution is undergoing a radical
transformation at the highest level and as that transformation progresses, adherents will be
taught to pursue whatever is the latest in the supposed manifestation of the Holy Spirit and
resulting gifts, and in that pursuit, the gospel message will be slowly left behind, as the next
emotional movement and experience, and the next, and the next, will supplant the foundation of
the Word of God.
FOURSQUARE BELIEFS
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FOURSQUARE DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
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View on Women in Leadership in Church Offices
We believe that God calls both men and women equally into the ministry. The International
Church of the Foursquare Gospel was founded by a woman, Aimee Semple McPherson. The
Foursquare Church has continually been blessed by the ministry of men and women. (See next
article)
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THE ORDINATION OF WOMEN IN THE CHURCH AS PASTORS
WOMEN IN
ORDAINED LEADERSHIP MINISTRY - [article off site]
http://www.foursquare.org/about/women_brochure.cfm
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WHY DO WE CALL OURSELVES "FOURSQUARE?"
by Jack Hayford and Daniel Brown
END OF ARTICLE
by Gary A. Hand
On Doctrine
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