The Function of Myth and Remembrance Among Pentecostals in the Canadian Mid-West

CHAPTER FOUR THE FUNCTION OF MYTH AND REMEMBRANCE AMONG PENTECOSTALS IN THE CANADIAN MID-WEST Randall Holm Introduction In 1919 the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) was incorpo- rated as a religious denomination with Toronto as its epicentre. While its name was associated with national pretensions, in truth it was a regional entity with a jurisdiction that stopped short of moving further west than the Province of Ontario. In Western Canada, Pentecostalism followed a diff erent path with its own set of leaders and geographical centre. Th e fact that there were links between the two regions in pro- moting evangelists who traveled should not obfuscate the dangerous assumption of ‘Pentecostal homogeneity’ in the development of Canadian Pentecostalism. It was not until 1925, almost twenty years aft er the fi rst Pentecostal stirrings in Canada, that a conference held in Winnipeg merged the East and the West and the PAOC became a true national religious organization.1 Th is chapter examines the contribution of Canada’s Western origins for Pentecostalism, namely the city of Winnipeg. Our focus is the family of A.H. Argue beginning in the year 1907, an assessment of the fi rst Canadian Pentecostal fl agship church, Calvary Temple, the rstfi 1 Th e story has yet to be written how the divide between the East and West contin- ues to be an Achilles heel in the development of the PAOC. Th e divide is most clearly felt in the biennial General Conferences that are alternatively held in the West and East. Resolutions that are defeated in one region with a weighted number of credential holders from that region may be passed at the next General Conference when the credential ratio is reversed. Th e divide has been spread along theological, practical and ecclesiological lines. See the discussion on Divorce and Remarriage in, Holm, “A Paradigmatic Analysis of Authority within Pentecostalism.” 80 chapter four Canadian Pentecostal Bible training institute,2 and fi nally, some obser- vations about Pentecostal views of eschatology.3 The Place of Winnipeg in the Canadian Pentecostal Story Winnipeg, with its vast plains, is the geographical centre of Canada. In the early part of the twentieth century, next to Toronto and Montreal, Winnipeg quickly became the third largest city in Canada, a remarka- ble feat given its inhospitable climate. But while there is little one can do about weather, Winnipeg demonstrated its hospitability by welcom- ing immigration from a congested Europe seeking new land to till at aff ordable prices. Taking advantage of an expanding railway line, its central location vis á vis the rest of Canada, and its capacity for har- vesting large amounts of grain, the population of Manitoba increased between 1891 and 1921 from about 150,000 to 620,000.4 Yet Manitoba has never been for the faint-hearted. Its harsh winter not only guaran- tees a certain hardy disposition, but it prompts its citizens to ban together for the greater good. Perhaps in part this accounts for a sense of fair play and social consciousness that has defi ned Manitoba’s history. In 1919 Winnipeg was the scene of a general strike of more than 35,000 union employees and unorganized labourers in response to labour inequities. Winnipeg was also home to Reverend James Woodworth, who stepped out from behind his Methodist pulpit and helped organize the General Strike and other political social reform. In time, Woodworth’s work led to the formation of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), which was a precursor to the estab- lishment of Canada’s National Democratic Party (NDP).5 It should not surprise anyone that Pentecostalism in the West developed asymmet- rically from the East. 2 Th e school was initially known as Central Canadian Bible Institute (1925), later changed its name to Western Bible College (1931), until it fi nally closed its doors in 1950 and merged with Bethel Bible Institute in Saskatoon. Guenther, “Pentecostal Th eological Education,” 100–103. 3 Special mention should also be given to Frank Small. A Winnipeger and close friend of A.H. Argue, Small becomes signifi cantly instrumental in the beginnings of a strain of Pentecostalism that will develop under the nomenclature, Jesus Name or Oneness Pentecostalism. Largely an indigenous movement to Pentecostalism, Oneness reworks the orthodox understanding of the Trinity. For a detailed history of that development see the chapter by David Reed in this volume. 4 How Stuff Works, “History of Manitoba,” n.p., 5 See Gutkin and Gutkin, Profi les in Dissent, 251–298..

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