Pentecostals and Nonviolence

Reclaiming a Heritage

Paul Alexander

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781498253253
• eBook ISBN: 9781621899136
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion, Politics & State

Pentecostals and Nonviolence explores how a distinctly Pentecostal-charismatic peace witness might be reinvigorated and sustained in the twenty-first century. To do so, the book examines the nature of the early Pentecostal commitment to nonviolence, and investigates the possibilities that might emerge from Pentecostals and Anabaptists entering into conversation and worship with each other. Contributors engage the arguments surrounding the heritage of Pentecostal pacifism in the United States and then move toward exploring nonviolence and peacemaking as crucial for contemporary Christianity as a whole. Ranging from theology, testimony, and pastoral ministry to interchurch relations, activism, and protest, this diverse collection of essays challenge and invite the whole church to the task of peacemaking while exploring the distinctive, and often neglected, contributions from the Pentecostal-charismatic tradition.

Part I

Early Twentieth-Century Pentecostal Pacifism

1

The Extent of Early Pentecostal Pacifism

Jay Beaman

In World War I, a very small number of men were counted as religious objectors. A large proportion of these were drawn from the historic peace churches, especially the Mennonites, Amish, and Hutterites, with a large representation from the Quakers. Yet, a small new sect called Pentecostals also represented themselves to each other and to the government as pacifists to war on the basis of their interpretation of the Bible as they understood it “in the latter days.” They believed that their calling was to love all people and give witness in all the world, by the power of the Spirit. Like their immediate predecessors in the holiness movement, for some Pentecostals “radical holiness” called for pacifistic abstention from combat.1

Early Pentecostal leaders used a rhetoric which portrayed the whole movement as pacifist. Evidence for this can be found in most Pentecostal groups from around the time of World War I. Moreover, evidence can be found in most locations where Pentecostals were located around the United States at that time, especially in the South and Appalachia, and in European countries where Pentecostalism was evident. It is also apparent that when called to arms by their government, Pentecostals in large numbers attempted to respond to the state in ways that were informed by their unique emerging faith. There is evidence of both the fairly extensive practice of pacifism by early Pentecostals and the trouble it caused them with their governments.

While the early Pentecostal Movement did not require pacifism from its members, most early Pentecostal groups left evidence of their official pacifist beliefs. There were open differences of opinion, but pacifist belief characterized the movement. Later literary witness to such beliefs remains as tacit evidence of the support for pacifism by the key leaders in each group represented.2 Moreover, recent availability of World War I draft registration cards gives us some idea of the actual practice of early Pentecostals at the time of World War I. Although most Pentecostal groups have altered their original pacifism, even recently, some groups retained vestiges of earlier beliefs.

Most pacifist statements originated at the time of World War I because of a need for Pentecostal men to know how to respond to the war. As a result, many groups in existence at that time formulated their beliefs in relation to World War I.

Evidences of Pacifism in Various Pentecostal Groups

On April 28th, 1917, due to the entry of the United States into World War I, the Executive and General Presbytery of the Assemblies of God passed a resolution which was to remain their “official” position on war until 1967. This detailed statement became a model after which others fashioned their statements. The text in full read:

Resolution Concerning the Attitude of the General Council of the Assemblies of God Toward any Military Service which Involves the Actual Participation in the Destruction of Human Life.

While recognizing Human Government as of Divine ordination and affirming our unswerving loyalty to the Government of the United States, nevertheless we are constrained to define our position with reference to the taking of human life.

WHEREAS, in the Constitutional Resolution adopted at the Hot Springs General Council, April 1–10, 1914, we plainly declare the Holy Inspired Scriptures to be the all-sufficient rule of faith and practice, and

WHEREAS the Scriptures deal plainly with the obligations and relations of humanity, setting forth the principles of “Peace on earth, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14); and

WHEREAS we, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, believe in implicit obedience to the Divine commands and precepts which instruct us to “Follow peace with all men,” (Heb. 12:14); “Thou shall not kill,” (Exod. 20:13); “Resist not evil,” (Matt. 5:39); “Love your enemies,” (Matt. 5:44); etc. and

WHEREAS these and other Scriptures have always been accepted and interpreted by our churches as prohibiting Christians from shedding blood or taking human life;

THEREFORE we, as a body of Christians, while purposing to fulfill all the obligations of loyal citizenship, are nevertheless constrained to declare we cannot conscientiously participate in war and armed resistance which involves the actual destruction of human life, since this is contrary to our view of the clear teachings of the inspired Word of God, which is the sole basis of our faith.3

While the statement was absolute in tone, there was no attempt to enforce it upon every member of the denomination even where there was disagreement.4 The Assemblies of God was the prototype of the groups who believed in a two-staged conversion process and other groups followed. Of these, six denominations give clear evidence of pacifist history.5 These six are represented in Table. 1.1.

Table 1.1: Two-Staged Conversion Process Pentecostal Denominations with History of Pacifism

Assemblies of God (Pacifist until 1967) Calvary Pentecostal Church Church of God of the Union Assembly Filipino Assemblies of the First-Born General Assembly and Church of the First Born Latin-American Council of Christian Churches

Four other denominations in the two-staged group left the matter of military service to the individual’s conscience. The statement in each case, and the fact that the issue of military service was directly addressed in a statement of belief, was structured in such a way that it appeared to be a replacement for an earlier pacifist statement. The change is similar to the change made by the Assemblies of God in 1967, which today allows the individual to choose. The four denominations allowing individual choice are: the Christ Faith Mission, the Full Gospel Church Association, the General Council of the Assemblies of God, the Christian Church of North America, and the Latin-American Council of the Pentecostal Church of God. The latter denomination does not allow political participation.6

The Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee, was perhaps emblematic of former Holiness churches who turned Pentecostal and added a third blessing to the second, resulting in a three-stage process of conversion. In 1917, the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) adopted a position “against members going to war,” seventh in a list of mostly prohibitions against drinking liquor, using tobacco, wearing gold jewelry, belonging to lodges, and swearing. An official prohibition “against members going to war,” ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Part I: Early Twentieth-Century Pentecostal Pacifism
• Part II: Pentecostal Peacemaking in the Twenty-first Century
• Part III: Emerging Anabaptist/Pentecostal Conversations
• Bibliography of Resources for Further Study