Assembly of God Church?

[Daisy4]

Hey FJers, I apologize in advance if this is off topic and will gladly move it to the chatter board if necessary.

 

Does anyone know anything about Assembly of God Chruches? My cousin just started dating a guy who goes to one and, maybe I'm a bit paranoid and sensitive, but I don't want her to get sucked into any fundie stuff!

 

Thanks in advance!!

[slh12280]

I went to one of those churches. It is pentecostal. When I went there was a lot of loud music, and emotional prayer. From what I understand, they tend to be very conservative.

[dawbs]

This is JUST my opinion...but if I made a list of church denominations I'm not interested in when/if I change churches, AOG is very high on that list.

It's very charasmatic/pentecostal/etc. (very emotional based). IME, their clergy is often under-educated. For lack of a better way to put it, they tend to be 'anti-intellectual'. They tend to be extremely conservative.

(I personally can't handle the speaking in tongues. I'll also admit a bias because we visited an AOG church somewhere in the south when I was a kid and when my sister passed out, they tried to cast demons out of her...well, the people who noticed tried, 95% of the congregation--even those looking right at us, didn't notice--to busy dancing around speaking in tongues)

(^to be fair, however, it has been a few years since I've been to an AOG church. And those I went to probably weren't quite 'mainstream')

[lilwriter85]

One of my teachers in high school was a Assembly of God minister and his church was very strict. They didn't celebrate/recognize Halloween. My teacher said he was against piercings of any kind and tattoos. I'm not sure all churches in the sect follow similar rules.

[Rachel333]

They can range from fundie-lite to fairly liberal. They do ordain women, and have been doing so for a while. They're pretty normal; I wouldn't worry. It does vary by church, though.

[clibbyjo]

That was the church my fundie sister started with, I believe my wedding shower was held there because she planned it!(I was in college and had no idea about any of it, it was her just beginning fundie days) The one she went to was no Halloween as well, and they were there while I was in college so I don;t remember much about it.

[Deleted12]

Bethel Church in Redding used to be AoG but they left. :P

[Guest Anonymous]

The ones I know believe in speaking in tongues (glossolalia), and the women I knew that belonged wear frumpers, don't cut their hair and don't wear make-up. I think they shun their fallen if they can't get them back in the flock.

[FJismyheadship]

I go to one and I actually love it. Maybe its just because of my friend that goes there, but I like it. They truly have a place for everyone, and I have never seen anyone be discriminated against.

I admit, the tounges thing kinda gets me... I think theres only one or two people though that do it. Interesting stuff happens there.... last night a man who had been deaf for twenty years was healed, for reals. Freaky, but amazing.

I don't know about all AOG's... I know I like MINE, but not every church is the same, even among the different denominations. What one AOG does another may not. So yeahs.

[Daisy4]

Interesting stuff! It's good to know that they vary in strictness. I'm pretty sure my cousin's favorite holiday is Halloween so I wonder how not celebrating it will go over with her!

Thanks!

[Shirley MacLaine]

I went to Assembly of God school in Texas for awhile. Very into tongues, healing and teary altar calls. Curriculum at the school was A Beka bullshit.

I was very young, but the children were kind of intense to outsiders. One girl in my class was Catholic and my family was kind of solo-Pentecostal with social appearances at the Methodist church. And we were both seen as super ~exotic~, haha.

[maybeizfundie]

I've had varied experiences with AoG.

The first one I attended was utter crazyness. They had gotten into the Brownsville Revival big time, and so it wasn't just tongues. It was hyena-laughing, rolling on the floor, screaming, etc.

The one we attended for 18 months recently was very different. Occasionally speaking in tongues. And the pastor was very energetic, but otherwise they were reasonably calm and laid back. Extremely welcoming, down-to-earth country people. We loved them and they loved us.

Neither of the churches had any real clothing restrictions, most of the women wore pants, and the women were very much involved in the leadership of the church. Homeschooling was *not* the norm, and while there was some interest in Josh Harris's "I kissed dating goodbye", it was nothing like the courtship of much more conservative fundamentalists.

Both churches were also socially and politically conservative, but not militant about it, nor hateful to people who disagreed.

[MissSeptember]

I grew up in an AoG church, fundie-lite. It really does vary church-to-church.

My church also did not celebrate Halloween, did not go to the movies, did not listen to most music, did not believe in dating, no dancing (except in the spirit!), no alcohol whatsoever, we had church/prayer services 4 nights a week. We rented a bus and took a roadtrip from the Northeast all the way down to the Brownsville revival, so yeah lots of speaking in tongues, laying on of hands, anointing with oil, shaking, laughing, visions, slain in the spirit, miraculous healings, loooong prayer times at the altar. I was a "rebel" because I listened to Christian rock and I eventually went to a Christian college instead of an AoG college. They have great children's programs that were pretty intense when I was a kid in the 80's/90's. By middle school I had read the whole Bible and memorized countless chapters and AoG doctrinal statements. We did Bible Quiz where we were supposed to memorize entire books of the Bible and compete against other AoG churches. The leadership was uneducated, and this was in the northeast where everyone is pretty highly educated. Our church was pushing and sending kids off to unaccredited Bible schools for 2 years of Bible study with credits that wouldn't even transfer to other Christian Bible colleges.

AoG can be pretty harmless, but it is easy to get sucked further and further in (as with anything). Your cousin will probably be fine. :)

[loveandwar]

Just like any other denomination, A/G churches vary. Some are super conservative, frumpers, no makeup, etc. But many are more liberal, blue jeans, rock music, female pastors, dancing, etc. It really depends on the pastor of the church.

[Terrie]

While individual churches may vary, AoG is one to be wary of. Some of it is fairly mainstream, but with speaking in tongues and such, and some is Jesus Camp. While the main ruling body of the AoG rejects the Jesus Camp-type ideas in theory, but local control of churches means that, in practice, watch out!

[Stacie]

Hey FJers, I apologize in advance if this is off topic and will gladly move it to the chatter board if necessary.

Does anyone know anything about Assembly of God Chruches? My cousin just started dating a guy who goes to one and, maybe I'm a bit paranoid and sensitive, but I don't want her to get sucked into any fundie stuff!

Thanks in advance!!

A couple from the barn where I board my horse (he's a police officer who uses his horse for special events, state fair, etc) belong to AOG. Very nice, down to earth fun couple. He's also an Elvis impersonator....and sings in church, so I'm betting if there are some strict/no fun allowed branches of this church, theirs isn't one of them.

[OddLittleBird]

I attended several different ones growing up, in different cities/states (during the Toronto blessing/Brownsville revival phase). At the time, it was extremely competitive, charismatic and rife with abuse of religious authority, in and out of the pulpit.

Shorts lengths at church and camp were measured, swearing was a huge no-no, they held bonfire sessions for "secular" books and music, people were encouraged to literally leave their "idols" at the alter (for one teen, that meant her childhood teddy bear :? ), and pushed for speaking "in tongues" as evidence of true salvation.

These days, though, since more churches seem to be aware of the image they project, I imagine the casting demons out of children and fervent, emotional, all-night prayer services are played down a lot or non-existent. At least that's what I'd like to hope. If you've ever watched the documentary "Jesus Camp", you pretty much have my childhood experience with the AoG. :doh:

[blisterine]

i don"t know much about assembly of god. i do remember that kate gosselin belonged to aog in the early episodes.

some of my daughter-in-law's friends go to assembly of god, they remind me of lyndsie- tons of cosmetics, hair products, vera bradley bags out the ying-yang. my husband calls aog members "gap christians"- they look like they shop at the gap.

[Black Aliss]

I was raised AoG. I left the church as soon as I got away from home at age 17. Even after years of therapy I haven't been able to watch "Jesus Camp" all the way through. Too many triggers. Add in the level of hypocrisy, especially sexual hypocrisy, that seems to be rampant in the church leadership.

From what I understand, the church has loosened up on some things, like makeup and movies (both were strictly forbidden WIWAK), but tightened its grip in other ways, especially in dictating the political candidates that members should vote for. They've gone from being a fringe denomination drawing their membership mostly from the lower socio-economic demographic, to attracting people in the upper income brackets, and having some serious political clout.

ETA: An earlier post about the sexual hypocrisy in my small town AOG: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=43&hilit=aog&start=20#p1029

[Kitty]

I have no actual experience with AoG, but because of this thread I looked it up. I found the "Teen Girl Ministries", and one of their youth group units or whatever is "Hot Topics." Which include abusive relationships, premarital sex, and Twilight. Yes, the shitty book series written by Stephenie Meyer.

Amazingly, it's not even about the blatant sexism and abuse in the series- it's about turning Twilight into an idol, ie, being a squealing fangirl for Edward/Jacob/Tyler's Van instead of Jesus.

I was a member of ex-Christian.net for a while, a lot of people came from AoG and nicknamed it "Ass of God." From what I hear, it seems fitting.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

They are very conservative and legalistic. Not as scary as some Independent Fundamentalist Baptists at least.