Synopses & Reviews
The Assemblies of God (AG) is the ninth largest American and the world's largest Pentecostal denomination, with over 50 million followers worldwide. The AG embraces a worldview of miracles and mystery that makes“supernatural” experiences, such as speaking in tongues, healing, and prophecy, normal for Christian believers. Ever since it first organized in 1916, however, the “charismata” or “gifts of the Holy Spirit” have felt tension from institutional forces. 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 God—the hallmarks of Pentecostalism—continue 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 “godly love:” 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.
Review
“Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand American Pentecostalism. 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.”
“An insightful, empirically based analysis of how the Assemblies of God denomination is changing in response to modernity. This multimethod book, based on both surveys and field research, contributes to a growing sociological literature on Pentecostalism.”
“Poloma and Green have rendered a rich and compelling portrait of a complex faith. 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. 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.”
Review
"A valuable addition to religious studies" -D. A. Chekki,Choice
Review
"Poloma and Green offer an important observation on the different types of congregations emerging within the Assemblies of God."-Michael Wilkinson,Sociology of Religion
Review
"The authors successfully maintain a delicate balance between a plethora of statistics and readable narratives, making the work a primary source for a wide audience of scholars interested in this century-old American Pentecostal journey."-Geoffrey W. Sutton,Religious Studies Review
Review
"Herring offers queer history and geography new artifacts of a rural past and present...his work challenges scholars to excavate more of these histories, geographies, and cultural and political styles."-Mathias Detamore,Envrionment and Planning D: Society and Space
Review
"The book provides a meaningful and constructive feedback to the Assemblies of God."-Samuel Zalanga,Pneuma
Synopsis
An essential addition to any economics library, these five volumes present the contributions and writings of an influential and prolific scholar.
About the Author
Margaret M. Poloma is Professor Emeritus at the University of Akron. She is the author of many books, including
Main Street Mystics,and (with Ralph W. Hood, Jr.)
Blood and Fire: Godly Love in a Pentecostal Emerging Church (NYU Press, 2008).
John C. Green is distinguished professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Akron. He is the author of The Faith Factor: How Religion Influences the Vote, among other works.