A History of the Arkansas Assemblies of God 1908-1968

Religious freedom has played an important role in the nation and state. Because of the freedom guaranteed by the United States Constitution, a colorful array of denominations and sects have arisen. One group, the Pentecostals, have been called the \u27\u27Third force in Protestantism. Of this group the Assemblies of God are the largest, not only nationally and world-wide, but also in Arkansas. In fact, the Arkansas District of the Assemblies of God is the largest district per capital of any of the Assemblies of God Districts in the United States. For some reason a study on the Arkansas Assemblies of God has been neglected. Two main reasons have been advanced: on the one hand some of the early leaders would have frowned upon an attempt because they were against hero worship , and on the other hand there was an ardent expectation of Christ\u27s second coming and, therefore, no history was needed. there is no evidence that a systematic study of the Arkansas Assemblies of God has ever been attempted. Consequently, much of the history of the movement remains in the memory of a few old timers or scattered in materials often out of print. The present study has been concerned with the compiling of scattered materials on the Arkansas District of the Assemblies of God and the collecting of the materials into a readable, documentary account. The purpose of this paper has been not a plea for Pentecostals, but an account of the trends, issues, and policies of the Arkansas Assemblies of God. The study has concentrated on (1) the beginnings; (2) the dissent; (3) the organization of the district; and (4) the relation of the district to the central organization