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The Tradition

Religious Beliefs and Healthcare Decisions

By Edith L. Blumhofer

he Assemblies of God is a Pentecostal denomina- Ttion that includes some 12,000 congregations nationwide. It claims well over one million members and counts nearly two and a half million worshipers in its churches in any given week. Founded in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 1914, its headquarters since 1918 have been in Springfield, Missouri.1 Contents As Pentecostals, Assemblies of God members trace The Individual and the 6 their history to a revival that began in Kansas in Patient-Caregiver Relationship 1901 and flowered in Los Angeles between 1906 and 1908. Marked by a conviction that the end of the Family, Sexuality, and Procreation 7 world was upon them, participants in this revival Genetics 8 believed they were part of an end-times restoration Organ and Tissue Transplantation 9 of the power of , complete with the signs and wonders that had followed Christ Mental Health 9 and the apostles. Many accepted the name “Apostolic Death and Dying 10 Faith Movement” and claimed that the New Testament gifts of the Spirit were restored among Special Concerns 11 them. They spoke in tongues, interpreted tongues, prophesied, exercised gifts of healing, and reveled in intense religious experiences, but their greatest passion was . Since they thought Christ was about to return, they felt they had an urgent call to save the world.2 The burst of spiritual energy that animated thousands of ordinary men and women in this turn- of-the-century revival ultimately shaped a handful of new denominations as well as many less structured Part of the “Religious Traditions and Healthcare Decisions” handbook series published by the Park Ridge Center Edith L. Blumhofer is Professor of History and Director of the for the Study of Health, Faith, and Ethics Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals at Wheaton College.

THE PARK RIDGE CENTER associations, but its first result was a confusing imminent physical return of Christ to “rapture” array of options—and abuses. A radical empha- the . sis on faith beckoned some to set out, with no visible means of support, to evangelize the world; a stress on spiritual gifts led to the use of DIVINE HEALING tongues and their interpretation to obtain divine guidance on whom to marry or where to live; Belief in divine healing characterized early enthusiasm for the power of the Spirit con- Pentecostals, who regarded it as integral to the vinced some that formal education inevitably gospel. The Assemblies of God was strongly quenched the Spirit. To respond to such ten- influenced by an array of people who had dencies and to provide a degree of order while embraced the notion of divine healing under the preserving congregational autonomy and uncompromising teaching of a fiery turn-of-the- “freedom” in the Spirit, several hundred century preacher named John Alexander Dowie. Pentecostals—most, but not all, white—heeded A Scotsman by birth and education, Dowie the summons to a “general council” for began his career in , then migrated to Pentecostals. There they organized the the in the 1880s and settled in Assemblies of God. They knew they needed sta- Chicago during the 1890s. He organized the bility, but they prized independence from “dead Christian in 1895 and attracted denominations” so fiercely that they called their such a large following that in 1901 he unveiled new association a “fellowship” rather than a plans for a utopian community called Zion City. church or a denomination, and they did not Located twenty-five miles north of Chicago on bother to articulate a statement of faith. Lake Michigan, Dowie’s Zion became home to That statement came two years later, when some 6,000 of his followers. Dowie’s efforts a “revelation” about the disrupted revolved around healing. He prayed for the American and permanently frac- sick; bullied the medical profession; and sternly tured relationships among emerging clusters of denounced all medicines, pork products, tobac- churches. In the throes of a mass exodus by co, and alcohol. No medicine could be pur- those who rejected orthodox views on the Trinity chased in Zion; no one could smoke within its and accepted rebaptism to manifest their new boundaries; no physician could practice. Dowie opinion, the Assemblies of God in 1916 crafted refused to pray for anyone who did not manifest a Statement of Fundamental Truths. This docu- faith by discarding medicine. He welcomed the ment met the needs of the moment with a long ill to large homes he called faith homes. There section on the doctrinal issues at stake in the (without their medicines) they received instruc- current controversy, though it did not offer tion in divine healing, ate a healthful diet, and statements on the full range of Christian doc- were buoyed by the earnest prayers of Dowie trine. That came only in the 1960s, as the and his associates. The communal aspect of Assemblies of God assumed an ever larger role Zion City life disintegrated in 1907 amid eco- in the post-World-War II evangelical community. nomic woes and allegations of improprieties on Despite its omissions, the 1916 Statement of Dowie’s part. This disintegration coincided with Fundamental Truths included clear language the appearance in Chicago of the first on the four points that are often regarded as Pentecostal evangelists, who easily attracted the denomination’s four cardinal doctrines: some of Dowie’s staunchest adherents, men and humankind’s need for salvation by faith in women accustomed to stating their beliefs in no Christ; divine healing as “in the atonement”; uncertain terms and then acting upon them. holiness—or —as God’s call for Some of these followers had been tarred and believers; and the premillennial and always feathered in American towns when they pro-

2 THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD TRADITION: RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND HEALTHCARE DECISIONS claimed Dowie’s gospel of physical healing. members—thrilled to the They brought their no-nonsense message of miracles and preaching of , Jack faith for healing—and their adamant rejection of Coe, A. A. Allen, and Kathryn Kuhlman. The medicine and doctors—into the Assemblies of concentrated and sustained efforts of healing God.3 evangelists after World War II led some to dub The insistence that healing was “in the atone- an interrelated cluster of ministries a salvation- ment” meant that Pentecostals believed Christ’s healing revival.7 This heritage of fervent prayer death had purchased physical healing as well as for miracles, of dependence on prayer as the spiritual redemption. They quoted familiar preferred source of healing, and of nagging guilt words from Isaiah 53: “By his stripes we are about lack of faith or the presence of hidden sin healed.” They took healing “by faith” just as when prayer does not bring a miracle, are part they appropriated the forgiveness of sins, and of the contemporary legacy of many members of then they acted upon their conviction. They the Assemblies of God. A constituency attuned accounted for those whom their prayers did not to seeing and feeling direct evidences of the heal by explaining that either sin or lack of faith supernatural nurtures a preference for miracles precluded healing. Early Pentecostals thought even as its leaders wrestle with modern com- that the whole community of believers had plexities in the light of a heritage that often responsibility to pray for the sick, while pastors prefers to discount historical development and and church leaders had a special responsibility— attempt a restoration of apostolic Christianity. following the instructions in James 5—to anoint Dowie was not the only source of a radical the sick with oil and offer prayer for healing. rejection of medicines and doctors. Another But actual healing was up to the believer, who sizable part of the first Assemblies of God con- was responsible to appropriate it by faith, unhin- stituency came from a split in the Christian dered by known sin or unbelief.4 Alliance whose leader, A. B. Early Pentecostal publications record many Simpson, staunchly supported the message of testimonies to physical healing in response to healing in the atonement. Simpson did not the prayers of local communities of believers. absolutely condemn medicines, but he urged his But they also indicate that Pentecostals acted on followers to relinquish doctors in favor of prayer their belief that some people possessed special as a better way. He taught “divine health,” “gifts of healing” by seeking out such people which held that “quickened the mor- and requesting their prayers. Some with these tal body” as well as saved the soul, and argued “gifts” offered prayer cloths for those who could that its physical advantages stood available to not attend services, but any evangelist who was the well and the sick. Other Assemblies of perceived to exercise gifts of healing could God adherents had been part of the Holiness count on a steady stream of health seekers solic- Movement, which often embraced the same iting his or her special prayers. Prayer was message of divine healing. The consensus in sometimes accompanied by the laying on of the first generation might be stated something hands and anointing with oil. Throughout the like this: When one was taken ill, the proper twentieth century, a changing group of highly response was searching the heart to determine public figures have claimed these gifts, and that no sin stood in the way of one’s prayers. hopeful believers have flocked from one to the Believing prayer on the part of the individual other in search of healing.5 Evangelist Aimee and a supportive community followed, often Semple McPherson was famous in the 1920s for including anointing with oil by one’s pastor or the “stretcher days” she included in her large another religious leader. Doctors, medicines, city-wide campaigns.6 After World War II, and traditional hospitals were simply not Pentecostals—including many Assemblies of God options, but “anointed handkerchiefs” from

THE PARK RIDGE CENTER 3 people who claimed the gift of healing were.8 drum during the ‘20s, ‘30s, and ‘40s by recount- Teaching about divine healing in the atonement ing her own addiction to morphine, her healing gave this view a theological base while economic in response to the prayers of John Alexander realities made it a practical response. The insis- Dowie, and her cynicism about modern medi- tence that healing was in the atonement and cine. Her writings and evangelistic efforts kept offered to all in response to believing prayer her opinions before the Assemblies of God made it available to any and all without ritual constituency at least until World War II.13 The or price. The same “whosoever will” that Assemblies of God still offers some of her undergirded their Arminian gospel sounded books, as it does books compiled from the ser- from Assemblies of God pulpits when the sub- mons of another stalwart foe of medicine, the ject was healing. outspoken British Pentecostal evangelist Smith In The Pentecostal Evangel, a weekly publica- Wigglesworth, whose work has surged in popu- tion of the Assemblies of God, poems like “Jesus larity in the past decade. Meanwhile, at the same my Health” offered devotional encouragement time that such people thundered against the to the ill.9 Pentecostals found it necessary fre- medical profession, Assemblies of God members quently to denounce Mary Baker Eddy, since her organized to to the sick in hospitals in followers also refused medical aid and seemed to various ways—often with evangelistic motive. skeptical outsiders to resemble Pentecostals.10 They worked in the same way in military hospi- The question of medical precautions for the tals, and among lepers and other gravely ill on growing number of Assemblies of God mission- the mission field.14 aries led to the first unofficial easing of the It is important to recognize this legacy, for its popular “hard line” on medicine. Though not vestiges persist, strengthened in recent decades all took advantage of the opportunity, evidence at the popular level by tendencies in parts of the suggests that were quietly told that independent charismatic renewal. Pentecostals taking malaria pills was a decision they could of all denominational labels and none still flock make for themselves. In the 1920s, the govern- to those who claim the ability to lengthen legs ment of the Belgian Congo refused a party of or exorcise the “demon” of cancer.15 While the Assemblies of God missionaries permission to Assemblies of God distanced itself officially in travel unless they took malaria pills. They wait- the 1960s from what was known as the ed three months for advice from Assemblies of Salvation-Healing Revival, the impulses that God headquarters. When it came, it reflected shaped that movement continue to thrive. The the hard-nosed common sense of one of the use of signs and wonders for evangelism remains denomination’s founders: trust God and take attractive, and utterance gifts like prophecy and your medicine.11 tongues still appeal to those intent on giving and The 1920s also brought increased awareness receiving personal guidance, while “spiritual of the relationship among sanitary conditions, mapping,” territorial demons, and “dream read- diet, and health. In May 1926, The Pentecostal ings” show that the Pentecostal and charismatic Evangel reported on the Indianapolis Faith movements’ creative impulses still flourish.16 Hospital, started in 1924 on the model of a faith Apprehending an Assemblies of God “posi- home by Assemblies of God Pastor Earl Clark. tion” or “view” on medical and ethical choices The hospital was next door to the Four-Fold is complicated by this history, as well as Gospel Tabernacle. There the faithful tended Assemblies of God polity. For most of its histo- the sick (without medicines), prayed for their ry, the Assemblies of God resisted acknowledg- healing, and travailed in prayer for their souls.12 ing itself as a denomination. Rather, it regarded A gifted physician who joined the Assemblies itself as a fellowship of ordained ministers and of God, Lilian Yeomans, beat the anti-medicine other authorized (credentialed) workers who

4 THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD TRADITION: RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND HEALTHCARE DECISIONS presided over churches that had considerable of Fundamental Truths, with its affirmation autonomy within guidelines provided by a of divine healing as an “integral part” of their General Council. This Council organized its Christian faith. Since the 1970s, the denomina- members into geographic districts that largely tion’s highest legislative body has issued occa- follow state lines and later added regional sional Position Papers that seek to clarify for districts to accommodate its sizable Hispanic the constituency a proper response to the most membership. compelling modern religious, social, and ethical Adding to the diversity is the fact that issues. While these statements have official Assemblies of God congregations embrace standing and must be affirmed by ministers widely different worship styles. Some stress and other credentialed workers, their actual experience and nurture emotional release, influence among a constituency that values a while others embrace a conservative style that substantial degree of independence for the local focuses on preaching rather than on individual church is difficult to assess. The headquarters expression. The Church Growth Movement also offers “Perspectives” on complex questions, has considerable appeal, as has contemporary brief statements providing guidance rooted in worship. perceived consensus but without official sanc- The majority of Assemblies of God adherents tion of the General Presbytery, the highest gather in small congregations, some of which Assemblies of God legislative body. Taken are more “plugged in” to denominational pro- together, these statements document a clear grams than are others. Although in recent move away from the views on health and decades the denomination has found ways to healing that characterized the first generation. demand doctrinal conformity—especially on Several factors have influenced this shift. as “uniform, initial, imme- The constituency is more educated, and after diate” evidence of the of the Holy World War II a tradition of clergy education Spirit—it remains difficult to describe a “typical” beyond Assemblies of God institutions undoubt- Assemblies of God congregation, and impossible edly played a role in accelerating change. Ethics to state conclusively that Assemblies of God is a relatively new discipline in the Assemblies members adhere to all the same views regarding of God college curriculum, where it remains healthcare decisions. Ministers (and any who more conspicuous for its absence than for its hold denominational credentials, e.g., evangel- influence. An end-times movement that settles ists, missionaries) are required to uphold official in for the long term eventually turns its atten- statements, but the rank and file may choose to tion to this-worldly questions, and the experi- be guided or not by those statements. This real- ences of history force it to wrestle with issues ity is further complicated by the fact that only that once seemed to have easy answers. Such slightly more than half of those who attend has been the case with the Assemblies of God. Assemblies of God churches bother to join. Affirming the turn of its members to the The Assemblies of God places negligible empha- medical world for healing solves some problems sis on and it often attracts a mobile but also creates new dilemmas. In recent constituency. While there are many ways of decades, the Assemblies of God has addressed— identifying different subcultures within the formally and informally—a growing list of Assemblies of God, here it is probably most ethical questions posed by advances in modern useful to note two major streams: those who medicine. It approaches all of them from firm, are fourth- and fifth-generation Assemblies of biblically based convictions about the sanctity God adherents, and those who have recently of human life and the sufficiency of scripture as embraced the denomination’s emphases. the guide for all of life’s choices. The following Both streams have in common the Statement guiding principles underlie Assemblies of God

THE PARK RIDGE CENTER 5 understandings of health and healing: • God gives life, and God takes life. • God is in control; assertions of personal • Humankind is created by God and bears autonomy rebel against God’s sovereignty. God’s image. • God offers forgiveness and reconciliation, but • God values human life. God never condones sin. • All human life is sacred.

THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE PATIENT-CAREGIVER RELATIONSHIP

growing number of Assemblies of God procedures. All Assemblies of God adherents— Amembers are healthcare professionals. caregivers and patients—are always encouraged to A handful hold degrees from prestigious medical evangelize, and so the concern of either for the schools, and since the 1950s, soul of the other may become evident in any (formerly Evangel College), the Assemblies of relationship. The Assemblies of God teaches God liberal arts institution in Springfield, that one can be absolutely certain of one’s salva- Missouri, has offered a popular nursing pro- tion and that one who has trusted Christ need gram. Unlike Lilian Yeomans, for whom healing not fear death. Adherents believe that God’s will entailed relinquishing a medical practice, these overrules, that prayer is effective, and that salva- modern Assemblies of God healers and care- tion is ultimately more important than healing. givers find no inherent conflict between God and medicine. Some even hold Assemblies of God credentials. As has been the case on other CLINICAL ISSUES issues, the concerns of Assemblies of God mis- sionaries helped force reconsideration of health Self-determination, informed consent, and care at home. After considerable resistance—and truth-telling before it dealt with the relationship between The denomination encourages physicians to dis- divine healing and medicine at home—the cuss with patients the choices and circumstances Assemblies of God approved a fully equipped of medical treatments so that patients can be hospital in Calcutta. It has since vastly expand- informed and involved. Patients whose immedi- ed its medical presence abroad. ate families do not share their religious beliefs The Assemblies of God teaches that human may value the counsel of fellow believers over beings are created by God in His image. It holds that of family members. They may also respond that Christians should emulate Christ’s love and more readily to the advice of an evangelical physi- concern for suffering humanity and espouses an cian than to the opinions of someone who does ethic that values self-denial in service to others. not speak their language of religious conviction. Caregivers serve others as ministers or servants of Christ, extending His compassion to those in need. Anticipating difficult treatment decisions When Assemblies of God adherents are The Assemblies of God urges its members to patients, the denomination’s teaching encourages think about care decisions before they become them to look to God as Source of healing while critically ill and to seek the counsel of spiritual they comply with the medical advice they are leaders, Christian physicians, and family in offered. When possible, adherents are encour- anticipating decisions. (See also “Forgoing life- aged to seek out Christian physicians and to pray sustaining treatment,” below.) and counsel with them before beginning medical

6 THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD TRADITION: RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND HEALTHCARE DECISIONS FAMILY, SEXUALITY, AND PROCREATION

he Assemblies of God strongly endorses CLINICAL ISSUES Tthe nuclear family and affirms the sanctity of marriage. It supports with enthusiasm the New reproductive technologies views and programs of the popular speaker and If a couple is unable to have children, the author, James Dobson, and his “Focus on the religious community prays for a miracle. Family.” The denomination rejects sexual activ- The couple may also opt for fertility treatments. ity outside of marriage and actively discourages While the denomination has no specific stance divorce and remarriage. Assemblies of God on artificial insemination by donors, its mem- churches often sponsor marriage enrichment bers are always encouraged to evaluate decisions opportunities. in the context of the sanctity of family and the Assemblies of God leaders responded to the understanding that life is a gift from God. growing cultural awareness of homosexuality While procedures using spousal ovum and with a Position Paper, Homosexuality and the sperm might be acceptable, artificial insemina- , which summarizes the denomination’s tion by another donor might pose problems. views on the subject. The denomination holds that homosexual behavior is a sin and that Contraception growing public acceptance of—or tolerance for— Birth control is widely practiced to postpone homosexuals is a symptom of a broader “spiritu- or space the births of children. Abortion is al disorder” that poses a threat to the traditional absolutely rejected as a form of birth control, family, the government, and the church. The as is the aborting of a physically abnormal fetus paper argues that homosexual behavior runs (see “Abortion and the status of the fetus,” contrary to God’s created order for relationships, below). but also that, like other sins, homosexual behavior can be forgiven and the offender Prenatal diagnosis and treatment reconciled. Assemblies of God members regard the embryo The Assemblies of God issued its Position as a human being from conception. While they Paper on homosexuality in 2001 amid cultural do not object to prenatal diagnosis and treat- changes that made clarification of the denomi- ment of the fetus, they do not believe that nation’s historic stance seem urgent. While anyone has the right to take the life of any labeling homosexual behavior “sinful,” the unborn child. Assemblies of God seeks to help the penitent toward “deliverance” from the homosexual lifestyle. It urges members not to hate or fear Abortion and the status of the fetus homosexuals, but instructs them not to condone Abortion is another health-related issue that homosexual behavior. And it advises members agitated the culture sufficiently to elicit a to enlist the help of professional counselors and Position Paper from Assemblies of God leader- pastors as well as the support of appropriate ship. The main points of A Biblical Position on Christian organizations in the struggle to help Abortion are as follows: The Assemblies of God homosexuals abandon their past and embrace unequivocally opposes abortion, calling it the traditional relationships that adherents “immoral” and “a sin.” In the following quota- believe the Bible teaches. tions from the document, note the repetition of “The Bible recognizes . . . ,” a reminder of the denomination’s firm commitment to the verbal inspiration of Scripture:

THE PARK RIDGE CENTER 7 1. The Bible recognizes that a woman is with child Position Papers offers no direct guidance beyond even in the first stages of pregnancy. . . . urging prayer and the advice of a prolife physician. The Assemblies of God finds many ways to 2. The Bible recognizes that God is active in the encourage adherents to act on the abortion creative process of forming new life. To abort a issue as involved citizens, and local churches pregnancy is to abort the work God is doing. . . . often act on behalf of the unborn. Their leaders hope that Assemblies of God members will pray about America’s moral decline and find public 3. The Bible recognizes that God has plans for the forums that allow them to present biblical moral unborn child. Only He knows the potential of this instruction. They urge adherents to counsel new life. . . . pregnant women about the alternative of adop- tion. For many years, the Assemblies of God has acted on this view by supporting the 4. The Bible recognizes that God is sovereign in Highlands Child Placement Services and all things, including the quality of life of the Maternity Home, a facility in Kansas City, unborn child. . . . Missouri. The denomination also encourages its members to support prolife legislation, to The last point addresses directly the matter of alert their elected representatives to their views, aborting deformed fetuses, an action denomina- and to oppose any legislation that threatens the tional leaders reject. When pregnancy threatens “moral fiber” of American society. the life of the mother, on the other hand, the

GENETICS

he Assemblies of God has strong reserva- body and soul.” While the denomination’s Ttions about cloning. It urges members Perspective paper, Genetic Alteration and to remember “the God-given individuality of Cloning, offers guarded approval of the cloning human life” and warns them: “Any attempt to of animals—as long as animals are not mistreat- procreate human life outside of God’s parame- ed—it firmly rejects any mixing of human and ters is an attempt to usurp God’s greatest act of animal cells. creation, that of human life possessing both

8 THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD TRADITION: RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND HEALTHCARE DECISIONS ORGAN AND TISSUE TRANSPLANTATION

ith assurance that “our mortal body” does effective Christian service on the part of the Wnot inherit the kingdom of God and that recipient. A Perspective titled Organ Donation at death “we have no more need of the fallen imagines the potential impact if Christian mortal bodies we now bear,” the Assemblies donors stipulated that the organs be delivered of God supports organ donation, offering some with a hand-written letter of testimony to their novel rationales. Not surprisingly, one of these faith. The same document states clearly that it is evangelistic: if the organ goes to one who is is not sinful to refuse to donate one’s organs. not yet “,” that individual may gain The choice is left to the individual, who is “time and opportunity to accept Christ.” If the encouraged to state a preference before a organ goes to a fellow believer, it may enable crisis arrives.

MENTAL HEALTH

ince World War II, the Assemblies of God to seek the assistance of competent mental Shas sponsored a growing emphasis on coun- health professionals. seling and psychology. Its seminary and its While the denomination has no official stance undergraduate colleges offer courses that train on specific clinical procedures that may be used its workers to address from a clinical standpoint in mental institutions, it always encourages situations that earlier Pentecostals would have participation of family and spiritual leaders in deemed spiritual rather than mental problems. decisions about treatment and encourages the Although the denomination has no official pro- patient’s input insofar as possible. nouncement on mental health issues, its train- The denomination offers training for people ing of mental health professionals indicates its who plan to use counseling skills within the recognition of the need for available resources denomination as well as in the secular market- to counsel and treat the mentally ill. place. It prepares professionals to work in state Assemblies of God doctrine emphasizes and federal institutions, substance abuse clinics, human sinfulness and brokenness apart from juvenile centers, and hospitals and medical the saving work of Christ. It recognizes as well clinics as well as in counseling centers and the lingering effects of substance abuse and church-related settings. The focus of other addictions in the lives of many recent con- Assemblies of God mental health professionals verts. Just as the Assemblies of God endorses is to integrate biblical, theological, and psycho- medicine, so it embraces the healing arts of logical principles in a way that will stimulate therapy and treatment for the mentally troubled. self-understanding and healing. As with other forms of illness, the denomination prays for healing while encouraging adherents

THE PARK RIDGE CENTER 9 DEATH AND DYING

he Assemblies of God teaches that to be sets the boundaries of human life. Just as T“absent from the body” is to be “present God chooses the time of birth, God appoints with the Lord.” Death is the entrance to eternal a time for death. Thus, suicide, like abortion, life, and although parts of the end-times calen- is fundamentally “a violation of His prerogative” dar await future fulfillment, those who die go that ignores the “profound spiritual implica- immediately to heaven or to hell—to abundant tions” of the transition from life to death to life or to eternal punishment. life eternal. It unduly magnifies the self and There is no official consensus on determining rebels against the sovereignty of God. the moment of death, and opinions may differ The core emphasis on the sanctity of all about offering sustenance, especially when the human life and the conviction that only God— dying can no longer take food and drink by who gives life—has the right to take life away mouth. Members are urged to counsel with also undergird Assemblies of God opposition to their spiritual leaders and to make decisions euthanasia. In a Perspective called Euthanasia, prayerfully, recognizing that God is the source [sic] and Extraordinary Support to Sustain Life, and end of life and that the believer need not leaders urge the constituency to be aware of fear death. abuses that may follow openness to euthanasia. They hark back to their history: “Believing that supernatural healing is always possible, CLINICAL ISSUES no matter what the medical prognosis may be, members of the Assemblies of God are more Suicide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia inclined to pray for healing than to approve the Most basically, the Assemblies of God regards taking of life, even to avoid pain and suffering.” assisted suicide as an assault on the sanctity of And, since modern medicine can generally human life and as part of a larger “evil philoso- alleviate pain, they urge the faithful to phy” that devalues suffering people. In A remember that fear of pain does not justify Biblical Perspective on Assisted Suicide, a mercy killing. Position Paper, the denomination urges on In A Biblical Perspective on Assisted Suicide, its pastors their responsibility to “proclaim Assemblies of God leaders acknowledge the humankind’s dignity as God’s sovereign cre- mystery of suffering and urge effective medical ation,” “reassert God’s authority over life from care combined with emotional and spiritual conception to death,” and “affirm meaning and help, such as is often available through the hope for suffering humanity.” The belief in the hospice movement. They encourage members sanctity of human life is rooted in adherence to to work toward “changing people’s hearts” as a a doctrine of creation that makes God the cre- prerequisite to changing their views on the sanc- ator of humankind. Made in God’s image, peo- tity of life. For Assemblies of God members, ple are valuable to God who, in Christ, paid the the only way truly to set things right in this price for sin and purchased for His own those of world is to win souls to Christ, thus changing His creatures who trust in Him. Suicide—assist- their hearts. The denomination also encourages ed or not—manifests a penchant toward personal adherents to offer loving care and emotional autonomy rather than a recognition of God’s support as hospital chaplains, hospice workers, right to His purchased possession—or of the or nursing facility staff. And they advise the value God places on every human life. constituency to voice its commitment to moral The denomination is committed to the view values in the public arena, speaking out and that God rules human existence and that God electing officials who share their convictions

10 THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD TRADITION: RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND HEALTHCARE DECISIONS about the dignity of human life and presence of God rather than to fear death. The humankind’s dependence on God. Assemblies of God does not have an official stance on life support, and its leaders recognize Forgoing life-sustaining treatment that what one person chooses may not be appro- The Assemblies of God approaches the matter of priate for another. And so they simply leave the sustaining life with medical technology by decision to individuals, while urging members reminding adherents that each one has an to recall that questions of life and death rest “appointed time” to die. Denominational lead- ultimately with God, making it appropriate to ers encourage people to anticipate the question seek God’s will for specific situations. of life support and to draw up a living will that clearly declares the patient’s wishes. Patients Last rites, burial, and mourning customs are urged to make the decision about life- The Assemblies of God offers no last rites, sustaining treatment after prayer and consulta- although the family may welcome the presence tion with a Christian physician and a spiritual and prayers of its pastor. The denomination has leader. no stance on cremation; a small but increasing The basic issues here reflect tension between number of adherents opt for cremation over the valuing of human life and the Christian view burial. The Assemblies of God reminds adher- of death as entrance into heaven. Assemblies ents that they “sorrow not as others who have of God members have clear teaching on what no hope.” Throughout the funeral and burial, happens when a believer dies. They understand sadness is tempered by the hope of resurrection that to be “absent from the body” is to be “pres- and eternal life. ent with the Lord,” and so they are taught to affirm the joyous hope of eternal life in the

SPECIAL CONCERNS

or Assemblies of God members—especially not understand all that pertains to divine heal- F“old-timers”—concerns about modern ing. We still see through a glass darkly. We do healthcare issues start at the beginning with the not understand why some are healed and others use of medicine itself. The Statement of are not. . . . Scripture makes it clear, however, Fundamental Truths, section 12, reads: “Divine that our part is to preach the Word and expect healing is an integral part of the gospel. the signs to follow.” Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the In 2000, the denomination issued a Position atonement, and is the privilege of all believers Paper called Ministry to People With Disabilities: (Isaiah 53:4, 5; Matthew 8:16, 17; James 5:14- A Biblical Perspective, in which leaders articu- 16).” Not surprisingly, the denomination’s lated a theology that made room for both Position Paper on healing, Divine Healing: An supernatural miracles and compassionate out- Integral Part of the Gospel, declares this state- reach to the permanently disabled. They called ment “scripturally sound,” but it goes on to give the church to find ways to relate to people with the statement a gloss that those who wrote it in disabilities and to affirm their dignity before 1916 would likely not recognize. In the end, God. The denomination regards disabilities after a long, disconnected list of observations on as a reminder that we live in a sin-cursed world, specific verses from the Old and New and it urges congregations to open themselves Testaments that touch on healing, the writers to the disabled as people created in God’s admit: “In humility we recognize that we do image. While insisting that the greatest need of

THE PARK RIDGE CENTER 11 the disabled is salvation from sin, it calls assumptions upside down by describing those Assemblies of God members to set an “example who refuse medicine as “inconsistent in their of servanthood that [takes] ministry beyond application of faith.” This shift leads to an miracles.” attempt to combine the old with the new: For several generations, the vast majority of “The use of modern medicine by Christians is Assemblies of God members have enrolled in legitimate but must never be a substitute for healthcare plans and made use of doctors and trusting God. Whether we are healed through medicine. In one sense, the experiences of peo- the aid of medicine or supernaturally, the good ple who turned to medical help when they failed gift of healing is from the Father.” And so to find supernatural healing made it inevitable adherents are urged to pray while they consult that, sooner or later, Assemblies of God leaders physicians and take their medicines. And they would feel a need to offer guidance on the evi- are reminded that medical records can attest a dent disparity between profession and reality. miracle should God choose to act supernaturally. Denominational leaders now state plainly that A fundamental tension between the full appre- the use of medicine and physicians is compati- hension of salvation now and aspects of the ble with belief in divine healing. In fact, in the experience that await the eschaton is nowhere Perspective titled Modern Medicine and the more evident than in discussions of healing in Assemblies of God, they have turned old the atonement.

12 THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD TRADITION: RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND HEALTHCARE DECISIONS NOTES

1. For the history of the Assemblies of God, see Edith L. 13. See any of the following by Lilian Yeomans, all Blumhofer, Restoring the Faith: The Assemblies of published by Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, God, Pentecostalism and American Culture Mo.: Balm of Gilead (1936); The Great Physician: (Champaign and Chicago: The University of Illinois Divine Healing Diamonds (1961); Healing from Press, 1993). Heaven (1926); Health and Healing: The Royal Road to Healthville (1938). Also, see , 2. For the ethos of early Pentecostalism, see Grant A. Ever-Increasing Faith (1924). Wacker, Heaven Below (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2001); Edith L. Blumhofer, Pentecost 14. The denomination’s evangelistic work among the ill in My Soul (Springfield, Mo.: Gospel Publishing as part of its foreign missionary outreach goes back at House, 1989). least to the 1920s. See, for example, The Pentecostal Evangel, 9 April 1927, 10. 3. Edith L. Blumhofer, “The Christian Catholic Church and the Apostolic Faith,” in Cecil M. Robeck, ed., 15. Perhaps the best source for a general sense of how Charismatic Experiences in History (Peabody, Mass.: this contemporary religious scene operates may be Hendrickson, 1986). gained from Charisma, a glossy monthly magazine that is a mouthpiece of the charismatic renewal. In the 4. The most influential books on this subject for the 1980s and 1990s, the Toronto Airport Vineyard and formative years of the Assemblies of God came from the Brownsville Assembly of God in Pensacola, Fla., the 19th-century Baptist, A. J. Gordon, The Ministry were highly visible centers of the popular enthusiasm of Healing; 19th-century Christian and Missionary for emotion-packed mass meetings featuring healings Alliance founder A. B. Simpson, The Gospel of and other spiritual phenomena. Healing; and 20th-century healing evangelist F. F. Bosworth, Christ the Healer. 16. The denomination’s specific problems with the Salvation-Healing Revival had as much to do with 5. David E. Harrell, All Things Are Possible practice as with theology. Evangelists often lacked (Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press, 1979). accountability and made claims on the finances and loyalties of those who sought their prayers. Some 6. Edith L. Blumhofer, Aimee Semple McPherson: opted to emphasize a wide range of supernatural Everybody’s Sister (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993). services—exorcisms, words of knowledge, or dream readings. Their interest in spirits led them to identify 7. In addition to Harrell, All Things Are Possible, see territorial demons and generational curses, any of Gordon Lindsay, How You Can Be Healed (Dallas: which might cause disease. As their interests expand- Christ for the Nations, 1966); David E. Harrell, Oral ed, they preached deliverance as well as healing, with Roberts: An American Life (Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana an emphasis on the individual’s deliverance from University Press, 1985). Satanic oppression of any sort.

8. The Pentecostal Evangel, 29 August 1925, 9; 5 January 1929, 7.

9. 2 May 1925, 8.

10. 20 June 1925, 6.

11. For medical issues related to foreign missions, see Gary B. McGee, This Gospel Shall Be Preached (Springfield, Mo.: Gospel Publishing House, 1984).

12. 15 May 1926, 7; 6 November 1926, 12.

THE PARK RIDGE CENTER 13 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Assemblies of God Position Papers (available at www.ag.org/top/beliefs/position_papers/0000_index.cfm):

A Biblical Perspective on Assisted Suicide (1998)

A Biblical Perspective on Abortion (1985)

Divine Healing: An Integral Part of the Gospel (1974)

Homosexuality and the Bible (2001)

Ministry to People With Disabilities: A Biblical Perspective (2000)

Non-binding Assemblies of God Perspectives (available at www.ag.org/top/beliefs/contemporary_issues/issues_00_list.cfm):

Euthanasia, [sic] and Extraordinary Support to Sustain Life (1995)

Genetic Alteration and Cloning (1995)

Modern Medicine and the Assemblies of God (1995)

Organ Donation (1995)

Dedicated issues of The Pentecostal Evangel:

18 February 2001: “Healing Is for Today”

20 January 2002: “The Sanctity of Human Life”

14 THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD TRADITION: RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND HEALTHCARE DECISIONS

Introduction to the series

eligious beliefs provide meaning for people substitute for discussion of patients’ own reli- R confronting illness and seeking health, par- gious views on clinical issues. Rather, they ticularly during times of crisis. Increasingly, should be used to supplement information com- healthcare workers face the challenge of provid- ing directly from patients and families, and used ing appropriate care and services to people of dif- as a primary source only when such firsthand ferent religious backgrounds. Unfortunately, information is not available. many healthcare workers are unfamiliar with the We hope that these booklets will help practi- religious beliefs and moral positions of traditions tioners see that religious backgrounds and beliefs other than their own. This booklet is one of a play a part in the way patients deal with pain, ill- series that aims to provide accessible and practi- ness, and the decisions that arise in the course of cal information about the values and beliefs of treatment. Greater understanding of religious tra- different religious traditions. It should assist ditions on the part of care providers, we believe, nurses, physicians, chaplains, social workers, and will increase the quality of care received by the administrators in their decision making and care patient. giving. It can also serve as a reference for believ- ers who desire to learn more about their own tra- ditions. Each booklet gives an introduction to the his- tory of the tradition, including its perspectives on health and illness. Each also covers the tradi- tion’s positions on a variety of clinical issues, with attention to the points at which moral dilemmas often arise in the clinical setting. Final- ly, each booklet offers information on special concerns relevant to the particular tradition. The editors have tried to be succinct, objec- tive, and informative. Wherever possible, we have included the tradition’s positions as reflected in official statements by a governing or other formal body, or by reference to positions formulated by authorities within the tradition. Bear in mind that within any religious tradition, there may be more than one denomination or sect that holds THE PARK RIDGE CENTER views in opposition to mainstream positions, or FOR THE STUDY OF HEALTH, FAITH, AND ETHICS groups that maintain different emphases. 205 West Touhy Avenue ● Suite 203 ● Park Ridge, Illinois 60068-4202 The editors also recognize that the beliefs and values of individuals within a tradition may vary from the so-called official positions of their tradi- The Park Ridge Center explores and tion. In fact, some traditions leave moral deci- enhances the interaction of health, faith, sions about clinical issues to individual and ethics through research, education, and consultation to improve the lives of conscience. We would therefore caution the read- individuals and communities. er against generalizing too readily. The guidelines in these booklets should not © 2002 The Park Ridge Center. All rights reserved.

16 THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD TRADITION: RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND HEALTHCARE DECISIONS