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There was something of a
revival of Old School influence at Princeton, during the Nineteenth Century.
This Old School accepted the warmth of the revival fires, so long as the
fires didn't give out any new light. They tried to counter all advancement
and understanding of the Bible and spiritual things, which had been coming
from the New England Schools of the Prophets. They went back to the
Reformation Confessions, using the harden interpretation of the Seventeenth
Century Swiss reactionary, Turretin. They combined
Reformation theology of sola scripture with Scottish common sense
philosophy. The Bible was to be studied just like nature, except the data for
the study of the Bible was the Scriptures. Theology was just like scientific
theories. They were to explain the "facts" of the Bible. They sum up
the facts in the Bible, which are apparent even to the natural mind. That is
why the Fundamentalists expect unsaved people to be subject to Scriptures.
There is something of this going on right now among us. Some brothers say
they are looking for the "principles" of the Bible. These
principles are suppose to underlie the teachings of the Bible. But maybe they
really mean, they are starting to see the spiritual dimension, which does
underlie everything in the Bible: "Love the Lord with all your might;
and treat your neighbor as yourself." This is better than doctrine!
Better than fathoming all the prophesies. Anyway, this Princeton school
developed the "inerrancy" doctrine concerning the original
manuscripts of the Scriptures; but that doesn't help us since we don't have
the original manuscripts, so we are back to relying on the Holy Spirit. Closely connected with the
Fundamentalist movement was Dispensationalism,
which was being developed in England by John Nelson Darby. This was a super
theology, which was determined to "rightly divide" the Scriptures,
into the correct Dispensations. If a Scripture gives you trouble, put it back
there in one of those Dispensations; or put it out there in the future in
that Dispensation. They could go through the Bible like a machine rightly
dividing it, and get whatever kind of Bible they wanted for the present day. Dispensationalism was popularized in America by C. I. Scofield, who published a Bible with notes on Darby's
Dispensations integrated into the "authorized" King James Bible, and
a generation of Americans grew up believing that was the old-time gospel.
Darby hated the idea of a visible Church. He didn't reckon that there was a
false church and a true church. It was all false. He was at the other pole
from Brother Sowders, who believed there would be a glorious restored church
on earth before Jesus returned. Darby allowed that the Church was a
contingency, on account of the fact that the Jews had rejected Jesus. So
prophetic time was placed on hold between the sixty ninth and the seventieth
week of Daniel; and the clock wouldn't start again until the Jews were back
in Palestine with their own country. Jesus was coming back to and for the
natural Jews. Darby, you see, stood the special revelation given to the
apostle Paul on its head: he said that whenever the Bible referred to Israel
it always means natural Israel. (He was so dogmatic with this that he
disfellowshipped anyone who believed differently. He would even disfellowship anyone who wouldn't disfellowship
those who believed differently about this. Something of this caustic and
divisive spirit has entered into Fundamentalism generally, and that spirit
gets on those who read Fundamentalist books, or listen to them on the radio.)
But what about all the Christians who are waiting for Jesus? Well, those who
would join Darby's exclusive wing of the Plymouth Brethren were a righteous
remnant who could be "raptured" any
moment from the wicked world; and they wouldn't have to go through the great
tribulation coming on the world. So Darby discovered that there were really
two second comings taught in the Bible: one secret for the raptured church; and one public coming for the Jews. Darby's prophetic teaching
proved to be more popular than his exclusive wing of the Plymouth Brethren.
Dwight L. Moody, or the people around him, were very influential in spreading
these teachings, and they became the official teachings of the Moody Bible
Institute, along with the Dallas Theological Seminary, which inherited Scofield's ministry, as well as Bob Jones University, and
Columbia Bible College. Most of the Fundamentalist Bible schools, and later
Pentecostal Bible Schools would teach some type of Dispensationalism.
These teachings were very influential at the Convention on Higher Life, in
Keswick, England, the place where American and British evangelicals met to
discuss prophesy and new issues in evangelical theology. The evangelicals at
Keswick really had their eye on the world, and how bad and apostate it was
getting. It was at Keswick in which the "rapture" really became
part of the evangelical program. They were missionary minded. The only thing
that was in the way of the coming of Jesus was preaching the gospel to the
whole world; and getting the Jews back to Palestine. They weren't surprised
to see the tongues breaking out among the wild Holiness people who held the
erroneous doctrine of sanctification, but tongues and other gifts were for
"back then" in the early church. Parham incorporated some of
the Keswick teachings in the early Pentecostal theology, so that is
originally how these came to be so influential among the Pentecostals, though
there were other Pentecostal leaders such as W. H. Durham, and others
influenced by A.B. Simpson who founded the Christian and Missionary Alliance,
that were exposed to these teachings through the Keswick Conventions. There
are a lot of variations on these teachings, which are generally propagated by
annotated Bibles like Scofield; and Dake's Bible has been popular among the Pentecostals
because he was a Pentecostal. Hal Lindsay, a Oneness Pentecostal, has
popularized the rapture with books like the Late Great Planet Earth.
The reason that you probably don't know much about this history is that Dispensationalism is fundamentally ahistorical
-- that is, non historical. It claims to be scientific or philosophical; so
every Dispensational teacher has to pretend that the doctrine fell right out
of heaven to him as he was reading the Scriptures, and seeing exactly how
they fit. So he doesn't want to tell you about his own teachers, or the books
that he has read. The system is so elaborate, and every teacher has his own
way of making the Scriptures teach his particular brand of Dispensationalism, but behind it all is the strange
genius of John Nelson Darby. You can't prove any of them wrong, because they
will just make the system more elaborate to accommodate any problem. But
don't worry, you don't have to understand the system as long as you "sit
under" some preacher who teaches the right system. After Brother Sowders
passing there was more influence from these teachings, and they really
affected the brothers among us who were reading books, and going to the Bible
Schools. The Encleopedia of American Religions
states that the Pymouth Brethren had a considerable
influence in our own movement. Of course, they were talking to certain people
at a certain time, and got a really distorted view. Almost all the original
Fundamentalist and Dispensationalists had Calvinistic roots, which meant that
they believed you had to sin a little bit every day. So they rejected the
Holiness people because they believed in instantaneous sanctification. Some
of them even rejected Holiness in general to the extent that it was concern
with living a righteous life. They were influenced by Charles G. Finney, who
talked about reform of society, and the Holy Ghost was to empower one for
service. This type of thinking was influential at the British Keswick
Convention. They challenged the American Holiness teaching on sanctification,
using the doctrine of the atonement. The blood was suppose to be applied when
one was converted; therefore there was no need for a separate sanctification
experience. Conversion was a "finished work". W. H. Durham of
Chicago, one of the earliest Pentecostal pioneers, introduced the
"finished work" teaching to the Pentecostals. He said that you
didn't need to get sanctified before you got the baptism of the Holy Ghost
with speaking in tongues. This divided the Pentecostals into "second
work" and "finished work" camps. Parham, and all the
Pentecostal churches which were organized before Azuza
Street stayed with the "second work" theology. They were saved,
sanctified, filled with the Holy Ghost, and in the right church to be saved.
Some were prayed up, filled up, and ready to go up. The severest critics of the
Pentecostal Revival were the ones closest to the Pentecostal, but who didn't
accept evidence of tongues. These were the non-Pentecostal Holiness brethren.
They couldn't criticize us for the way we had church, because they had church
the same way we did. They shouted, got sanctified, blessed, and glorified.
They believed in the emotions, but they didn't believe it had a supernatural
source, and because they didn't believe in the supernatural, they didn't
believe in healings either. They did believe in spirits, because they taught
that the tongues were of the devil, as were all other miracles and
supernatural healings. If these supernatural phenomena were real, they had to
have an occult source. Despite the bitterness of the Holiness people towards
the Pentecostals, they didn't actually persecute Pentecostals. I believe they
really were more sanctified than the other churches. The worst persecution
probably came from more mainline churches such as the Baptist, especially in
places where deacons and ministers were really connected with the community.
The Pentecostals were associated with the lower classes, but they had
teachings which were challenging the validity of the self-satisfied in the
respectable churches, and they were getting some of their best people. Often
these leaders of the community would organize mobs or hire gangs to disrupt
the Pentecostal service, burn their churches, and beat them up. Brother
Whitlow tells of the time when he and his wife were awaken from bed, and at
the door were the leaders of the community with two pillow cases full of
feathers and a bucket of tar, and behind them was a large mob and a wagon to
haul their furnishings away. Brother Bob Shelton's face became deformed from
beatings that he would get. Often, the Klan would get active because colored
and white folks were going to the same meetings. Dear Brother Bob Shelton
and a brother were holding a meeting over in Missouri, and they were begging
God to send a revival. They had the place rented and equipped for the
meeting. Nobody would come out. The devil had sent rumors ahead of it that
they were this, and they were that, stealing your wife, etc. Of course,
Brother Bob was as honest as the days are long. He prayed for God to send a
revival, and send a crowd. Here came some hoodlums and met him at the door
one night. Jumped on Bro. Bob and beat the very life out of him almost; and
poor Sis. Lizzie, his wife, was on her knees, crying out to God to help Bro.
Bob, "Strengthen Bob! Don't let Bob fail, Lord! Don't let Bob get mad.
Don't let Bob do this ... , and don't let Bob do that..." This other
fellow didn't have a scratch. It wouldn't have done if he had. Bro. Bob could
stand it. It was told all over town that Bro. Bob was a man who could stand
it. A man in western Kentucky beat his face into a jelly with brass knuckles,
and Sister Lizzie was right at the side of him. And I saw Bro. Bob right in
my house kneeling down over this man that beat him, asking God to save him.
And it came from his heart. He had love -- real love for that man. He was the
apostle, thank God, that started this thing, away back there. He was a true
blue, as sure as you live. And in this town where he was praying for a
revival, God let these hoodlums jump on him and beat him up. It was told all
over town that so and so preacher got beat up. Here the people were out the
next night, and they just filled the house to an overflowing. They were
standing outside. They came to see that preacher that was all beat up. Bro.
Bob came back, and got in the pulpit that night with his face all swelled up
and blue. He couldn't hardly see out of his eyes. He threw his head back, and
the power of God struck him, and he began to preach. People fell all over the
house with conviction, and got saved and baptized with the Holy Ghost. Orders from heaven If the Pentecostals were
being criticized by the traditional churches because they believed in the
restoration of the miraculous powers of the New Testament Church, things such
as speaking in tongues, miraculous healings, and casting out demons, the
Pentecostals themselves would get disturbed by the things going on in the
body of Christ. This was a people who God actually talks too, as he did
Abraham, Moses, and Paul. It is not unusual among the dedicated people of
this Way to hear from the Lord in an audible voice, to see visions, for their
spirit or soul to leave their body, to get visits from angels, or even to see
the Lord himself. Brother Sowders was one of the first to have some of these
experiences. On three occasions, he was transported from his body for
conversations with the Lord. I have had experiences
with God. The first time I was caught away was when I was tarrying for the
Holy Ghost. I went up, up, until I entered into a place. Whatever place it
was I don't know. When I was there, I knew everything there, but I did not
know one thing down here. But, I knew exactly when I was leaving; and when I
was coming back through space I knew exactly when I entered into this body;
and I knew exactly that it was cold laying on the floor in the winter time,
and it was cold when I entered back into it. I know by that: without the soul
in the body, this body is a lump of flesh. The next time I was
caught away against a beautiful ceiling. It was just marble. I was pressed
against it so hard my head was to one side, laying over against it. That was
when Jesus talked to me and gave me a chance to talk to him. He told me the
time had come for me to go into the ministry. He wanted me to sell out and
go. I had been studying for two years -- lying on my back and studying day
and night, praying and reading my Bible. Awake, and not able to sleep, I
would thank God that I couldn't sleep. I was so hungry to study the things of
God. When he said it was time for me to get ready to go I said, "What
about Bertha?" (That was my wife.) He said, "I will have Bertha
ready when I get you ready." His voice wasn't tender. He just spoke so
positive. I said, "What about my nets?" See, I was a big fisherman.
He said, "Time is too short to bother about nets." Every time he
spoke to me he cut me off. "Where shall I go, Lord. I want to be led of
you. I don't want to go around blindfolded, but I want to know what I am
doing. If I go into the work I want to be led of you, going where you want me
to go." Some of the things he told me I said, "Shall I tell others
this, Lord?" "No!" "Lord, what about your coming?";
and he told me. "Shall I tell the people?" "Tell nobody!"
And let me tell you one thing. That is one thing I never did tell. I tell you
the Lord pinned that into me so tight; so perfect; and I won't tell anyone.
He made me forget it for awhile, and recently it has come back to me. With experiences like this,
you can understand why Brother Sowders expected to be with the Lord
immediately after leaving this world. Sometimes, men would distort what he
was saying. Like one who started to Elco. Got off of train at Ullen,
Illinois; and he began to inquire for Elco. It was
only 6 miles across the country from there. A man said, "What are you
going to Elco for?" He said, "I am going
to camp meeting." "Why", he said, "That fellow Sowders
over there is preaching he is going to live forever. Are you going over there
fooling around with him?" He said, "When is the next train out from
here?" But a voice said to him,"What! Are
you going to leave? Why don't you go over and see for yourself; or, are you
going to listen to this man?" He came and sat in the back of the
tabernacle. I remember seeing him. And when he got in that tabernacle I was
already teaching and preaching the word of God on living forever. Right when
he came in. And that man understood what I was talking about. Sure, I am
going to live forever. I am not preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ if I
don't preach live forever. The Lord has certainly came
close to his people. Brother Sowders was led by visions and dreams, and also
by impressions. The sheep know the Spirit, and they learn the voice of their
Shepherd. They even know how to distinguish between phenomena which are from
the Lord, and similar phenomena which are not. Someone says that there are
two classes of people who God talks directly to. One class usually end up in
the insane asylums. The other class are here among us. This is a people who
do not belong to this world. These experiences do give authority. Brother
Sowders had the authority which he had because he knew the Lord, knew what he
had told him. Of course these things intimidate the wordly
minded, and they persecuted Brother Sowders a great deal; and they intimidate
the worldly minded among us, who would rather lean on the teachings and
theology of the Fundamentalist than on the arm of the living Lord. They even
criticize people for having dreams; and, especially, if someone has a more
unusual experience. Some men feel so powerful and secure they don't fear God.
They don't walk very close to God, so they are more afraid of flesh, which
they can see, than God who they can't. If you are
really afraid of God, you will have no fear of man. Brother Sowders was
afraid of God. Yes, indeed. Staying out of
organization It would be good to compare
Brother Sowders ministry to what was happening in the rest of the Pentecostal
movement. Parham begin by teaching that the Pentecostals should not organize,
and for several years, he didn't organize the movement which he led. In
March, 1906, however, between the time that Seymour had left for Los Angeles
and the outbreak of the revival there, Parham announced an organization of
the new movement. He would hold the office of "Projector" of the
new movement, and under him would be Field Directors. W. Faye Carothers, who
Brother Clyde Patton talks about in Chapter 12 of his recent book, was
Parham's first appointment over the movement in the state of Texas. The Azuza Revival, however, got underway before the new
organization could reach Los Angeles. It was not long, however, before
Seymour and others at the Azuza Street Revival
begin to follow Parham's example. The following is related by the author of How
Pentecost Came To Azuza Street. "The truth must be
told. 'Azuza' began to fail the Lord, also, early
in her history. God showed me one day that they were going to organize...Sure
enough the very next day ... I found a sign outside 'Azuza'..."
Bartleman open a new work at the corner of 8th and
Maple. True to his convictions, he refused to create an organization, or even
to give the place a name. It was simply known as "8th and Maple". |
