A Religious History of Las Vegas
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UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-2003 Where sin abounds: A religious history of Las Vegas Stanley Allen Steward University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Steward, Stanley Allen, "Where sin abounds: A religious history of Las Vegas" (2003). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 2525. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/lcuf-579n This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WHERE SIN ABOUNDS A RELIGIOUS HISTORY OF LAS VEGAS by Stanley A. Steward Bachelor of Arts Point Loma College, San Diego 1974 Master of Divinity Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton 1977 Master of Theology Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton 1991 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree In History Department of History College of Liberal Arts Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2003 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3091814 Copyright 2003 by Steward, Stanley Allen All rights reserved. UMI UMI Microform 3091814 Copyright 2003 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Dissertation Approval The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas APRIL 30 ^20 03 The Dissertation prepared by STANLEY A. STEWARD Entitled WHERE SIN ABOUNDS: A RELIGIOUS HISTORY OF LAS VEGAS is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN HISTORY Examination Committee Chaiz P Examincman Committee Member D e a y v fthe Graduate College MeExamination CommittœMeExamination Member ion Committ 'üraduate ConegeEacvuty Representative 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Where Sin Abounds A Religious History of Las Vegas by Stanley A. Steward Dr. Vernon Mattson, Examination Committee Chair Professor of History University of Nevada, Las Vegas Las Vegas has long been stigmatized with the label of “Sin City.” While it is not difficult to understand how this image of Las Vegas came about, the power of this stereotype has masked one of the most interesting aspects of the local culture. It is a common assumption of many outsiders that Las Vegas is a spiritual wasteland devoid of any significant religious community and bereft of meaningful values or culture. But this is not the case. Las Vegas has a large, healthy, and expanding religious community. Within the religious milieu, there is a strong and rapidly expanding pentecostal dimension to the city’s profile of faith. This study will focus on the pentecostals in particular. Not only are they a rapidly growing part of the local religious community, but pentecostalism is growing as a national and international movement. Some religious sociologists and historians recognize a sea change among American Christians. Most III Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. traditional mainstream denominations are in decline, but pentecostals are growing in number and in influence. These pietistic-minded Christians have made impressive inroads in a culture that represents so much of what they reflect. There exists a paradoxical relationship between the Las Vegas Strip and pentecostalism. This dissertation will explore the interplay between one of the most intense religious subcultures in America and its most secular twentieth century city. IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................... iii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2 LAS VEGAS OLD-TIME RELIGION....................................................9 CHAPTER 3 BRUSH ARBOR BIRTHRIGHT............................ 25 CHAPTER 4 PENTECOST IN THEIR SOULS.......................................................44 CHAPTER 5 COMING INTO HOLINESS ................................................................ 71 CHAPTER 6 REVIVAL ON THE LAS VEGAS STRIP .......................................... 99 CHAPTER 7 THE RISE AND FALL OF CAMELOT........................................... 130 CHAPTERS PATCHWORK QUILT......................................................................161 Echoes of Faith .......................................................................................................... 162 Grapevine Fellowship ................................................................................................167 Cruz Olague ................................................................................................................ 172 Full Gospel Korean .................................................................................................... 177 CHAPTER 9 CONCLUSION....................................................................................184 NOTES ............................................................................................................................... 197 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................233 VITA .....................................................................................................................................244 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION When thinking of Las Vegas, images of gambling, casinos, showgirls, world-class entertainers and dazzling lights come to mind. Few people associate religion with “Sin City.” However, Las Vegas includes a vibrant religious community that has always existed on the shadow side of the neon. Nationally, pentecostalism has been the fastest growing religion of the twentieth century. A number of surveys concluded they grew from zero to hundreds of millions in just ninety years, and by 1990 the pentecostals had become one of the most prominent religious groups in Las Vegas. This study will concentrate on the dynamic relationship between Las Vegas pentecostals and the city's entertainment industry. A broad definition of pentecostals, charismatics, and evangelicals will be helpful in understanding the effects of pentecostalism in Las Vegas. On many points of doctrine, evangelicals and charismatics believe the same thing. They accept the full deity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth. His atoning work, and Jesus’ bodily resurrection. The Bible is considered to be the inerrant, infallible, inspired word of God and is absolutely authoritative. ’ Charismatics and evangelicals both Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 adhere to the reality of heaven and hell and maintain that salvation comes through Christ alone. According to their theology, the world’s only real hope lies in the promised return of Christ.^ Theirs is a fundamentally dualistic world view with the present age existing in a tension between the forces of good and evil. Another common characteristic includes an insistence upon a personal born- again experience. To be born again means to make a personal, conscious decision to renounce one’s old way of life and accept Jesus Christ as Lord. It is usually called “getting saved.” In addition, charismatics, and evangelicals share an emphasis on personal piety. The validity of one’s Christianity is measured by lifestyle and behavioral choices. There is an intangible but very powerful appeal to the personal and shared experience of many evangelicals and charismatics. It involves a passion for their religion and an enthusiasm that translates into a world-view and a powerful evangelistic zeal. Their faith is a profound personal reality and not simply a relative or contextual set of abstract beliefs. Their personal passion has generated an activist brand of Christianity. The only point distinguishing the two conservative Christian movements is the theology of the Holy Spirit. Charismatics emphasize the present-day operation of the Spirit in the life of the believer. Spirit baptism, as evidenced by speaking “in other tongues,” and the manifestation of spiritual gifts such as healing, miracles, and prophecy are also regarded as legitimate present-day activities of the Spirit. In contrast, most evangelicals do not believe such works of the Spirit are for today. Many evangelicals