Historical and Theological Origins of Assemblies of God Pacifism -- 2

Hannah Whitall Smith was a Philadelphia Quaker whose writings had a significant impact on the American holiness movement and early Pentecostalism. She has been called the "spark which finally ignited the holiness revival movement in England and throughout the continent of Europe."(53) Her Quakerism, which was evident in her books, sermons, and correspondence, helped contribute to the pacifistic nature of the emerging Pentecostal movement because so many of the early Pentecostals read her writings. This can be seen from the success of her best-selling book, The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life, (54) which sold over two million copies by 1950 (55) and was quoted repeatedly in The Pentecostal Evangel. (56)

Her acceptance of Wesleyan perfectionism and her "prominent part in the spreading holiness revival"(57) did not dampen her Quaker peace testimony. She referred to her Quaker heritage in her books and quoted inspiring statements made by other Quakers. The Christian ‘s Secret of a Happy Life revealed that she was a Quaker and that her life was characterized by Quaker principles. She alluded to nonparticipation in war when she wrote, "Famine and fire and war may rage around [the child of God], but under its father’s tender care the child abides in utter unconcern and perfect rest."(58) She emphasized being obedient to God even when that obedience resulted in great difficulties.(59) She viewed all events as coming directly from God and desired that Christians should "receive everything directly from His hands, with no intervention of second causes."(60) This justified her pacifism and allowed her to insist that "We are not to avenge ourselves, because our Father has charged Himself with our defense." (61)

In the chapter entitled "Practical Results in Daily Use" she encouraged her readers to "walk through the world as Christ walked."(62) She elaborated upon this theme by explaining that Christians are soldiers for Christ and not soldiers of this world. Christians must "not resent injuries or unkindness, but must return good for evil, and turn the other cheek to the hand that smites us."(63)

Hannah Whitall Smith’s The God of All Comfort (64) revealed more of her Quaker theology and heritage. She quoted fellow Quakers (65) and taught her readers that "the Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace." (66) She emphasized the peace that was available in the midst of storms, turmoil, and enemies because the fight of the Christian is a fight of faith.(67)

"But you may ask, ‘Are we not to do any fighting ourselves?’ Of course we are to fight, but not in this fashion. We are to fight the ‘good fight of faith,’ as Paul exhorted Timothy; and "the fight of faith is not a fight of effort or struggle, but it is a fight of trusting." (68)

Smith employed stories from the Old Testament that showed how the followers of God did not have to fight their battles but only had to trust in God. She referred to Jehoshaphat as an example to follow, "He did not waste his time and his energies in trying to prepare engines of warfare or in arranging plans for a battle, but he at once ‘set himself to seek the Lord.’" (69)

She combined her concern for spirituality and the higher Christian life with practical concerns. She taught that when a Christian is offended and wants to get angry and retaliate they should instead follow her example.

"I look at Christ and think of what He would have done, and dwell upon the thought of His gentleness and meekness and His love for the offending one; and, as I look, I begin to want to be like Him and I ask in faith that I may be made a ‘partaker of his nature,’ and anger and revenge die out of my heart and I love my enemy and long to serve him." (70)

Holiness and Pentecostal people read and quoted Hannah Whitall Smith’s writings. The Quaker heritage of the Assemblies of God can be seen by the fact that she was quoted only one page after the Assemblies of God statement of 1917, "From the very beginning the movement has been characterized by Quaker principles."(71) That statement occurred on page six and on page seven there was an unrelated article in which Mrs. A. R. Flower cited a passage from Smith’s The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life:

Hannah Whitall Smith’s Quakerism clearly influenced the early Assemblies of God leaders as they studied and quoted her numerous works.

Similarities of Early Quakerism and Early Pentecostalism

Quaker pacifism has a pre-history. It did not appear ex nihilo to become the defining testimony of the Society of Friends. The roots of Quaker pacifism can be found in the Lollards (followers of John Wyclif) of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and English Anabaptists and Baptists of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The Lollards told the English parliament in 1395 that "Christ. . . taught for to love and to have mercy on his enemies and not for to slay them."(73) They also tacked their statement to the doors of Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral so that the entire city would know they were against war. However, like many Christian pacifistic groups that followed them, not all within their ranks agreed with the ethic of nonviolence. One of the Lollard leaders exhibited his militant tendencies by rebelling against the government in 1414.(74)

The English Anabaptists were "mostly obscure weavers or petty traders and craftsmen."(75) Their marginalized and low socio-economic status was a familiar situation for Christian pacifists and seems to provide a context from which an Anabaptist in 1575 testified, "Christ is the true expounder of the law, and saith, resist not, and gave us an example to follow his steps."(76) However, this same man evidenced within his own thought the tensions between loyalty to government and a consistent peace testimony. He assured the government that he was not against their ability to use the sword against evildoers and that their authority was ordained by God.(77) This recognition of divine authority for governing powers to kill evildoers as well as enemies of the state is what troubled the Assemblies of God so many years later and eventually led to their choice of patriotism over pacifism. It also sounded almost exactly like the initial proclamation of pacifism by the Assemblies of God, i.e. stressing loyalty to the government first but then insisting; nevertheless, that they could not participate in the destruction of human life.(78)

Another similarity between English Anabaptism and the early Pentecostals is the fact that both were separatists who severed ties with the established churches. The Anabaptists served as the foundation for the first free churches in England – the Congregationalist and Baptist denominations. The early Pentecostal movement consisted of people from many different denominations who had distanced themselves from their previous associations. These twentieth century separatists eventually formed thousands of Pentecostal and Charismatic denominations. (79)

The first English Baptist church was founded by a pacifist in 1609. John Smyth, who had left the Church of England and subsequently joined the Mennonites, (80) evidenced several themes that characterized the early Assemblies of God. First, he desired to be like the "primitive church, which was completely perfect [and] did not acknowledge the magistracy in its midst." This reference to the primitive church revealed hints of a restorationist motif that was so prevalent in early Pentecostalism. He carried it further by stating that members of the "the church of the new testament" led "unarmed and unweaponed li[ves]."(81) His pacifism was rooted in being like the New Testament church and this nonviolence was accompanied by a recognition that the government was "a necessary ordinance of God . . . for the punishing of the evil."(82) This loyalty to the existing government accompanied by restorationist and perfectionist pacifism reveals early roots of the Assemblies of God position.

Rufus Jones argued that Quaker pacifism was the product of a "slowly maturing spiritual movement"(83) and Peter Brock insisted that "the pacifist idea was not at that date [1650s] entirely a novelty in England."(84) Now that some of the precedents to Quaker pacifism have been examined and compared to early Assemblies of God pacifism, the development of the peace testimony within Quakerism itself is considered.

Radical. Early Quakerism and early Pentecostalism shared many similarities. Both were radical movements that broke away from the established and powerful churches in attempts to be more like the primitive church. (85) Quakers have been likened to radical Puritans and labeled as "far more radical than some historians would still admit." (86) It would not be too much of a leap to consider early Pentecostals "radical Evangelicals"(87) or radical Fundamentalists who "merely carried Biblical literalism – the bedrock of Fundamentalism – to its logical conclusion."(88) This antiestablishment attitude on their part allowed them to view war from the perspective of outsiders. They attacked America’s treatment of the native Americans and the "wrong to the black people." (89) As a minority within both Christianity and the world they could proclaim a radical message to both the religious and secular establishments. Being against the established powers meant that a superior way needed to be restored.

Restorationism. The early Quakers had a fanatical desire to restore New Testament Christianity after "a thousand years of Catholic apostasy" with their "intensely transforming religious awakening."(90) Compare this to the advertisement appearing in the 1908 magazine The Pentecost, "LOST - Somewhere between the days of Pentecost and Present time: real bible [sic] salvation. Search yourself and see if you have it." (91) Thus, the Quaker and Pentecostal views of history were very similar. The Quakers considered themselves to be a renewal movement that would bring new life to the kingdom of God because they were returning to the New Testament way. Joseph John Gurney, a nineteenth century Quaker, titled his book "Primitive Christianity" and wrote an entire essay "On the Discipline of the Primitive Christians and on that of the Society of Friends" in which he sought to show that the Quakers were the most like New Testament Christians." (92) An Assemblies of God historian titled his book. Suddenly. . . From Heaven: A History of the Assemblies of God (93) which encapsulated the view that "the church ended in Acts 28, went underground for 1900 years and then reemerged at Azusa Street."(94)

Defenders of the Poor. Both early Quakers and early Pentecostals were "socially disreputable" and represented the outcasts. Quakers "spoke out on behalf of the poorer sections of the population."(95) William Penn wrote that

Early Pentecostals proclaimed that war created situations in which "the poor must live on half rations. The sick must die. We cannot buy new clothes. We cannot buy good food. We cannot travel. Rent prices are criminally high."(97) They also declared that "the rich man’s dog gets more meat than the poor man’s family."(98) Frank Bartleman attacked "Wall Street interests, Pork Barrel administration," "human leeches," and "Dollar patriotism." The Quaker testimonies of simplicity and equality were heard when he said, "Think of Charlie Chaplin, the popular Movie Actor, getting around half million dollars and over, for one year’s salary, while millions are starving."(99)

Carl Brumback claimed that the Assemblies of God helped correct the problem of rich churches that neglected the poor and caused them to "get out of the race and join the ranks of the unchurched. A mute cry went up to the throne of God from the hearts of these ‘common people’ for a church where they could feel ‘at home.’" (100) Both the Quakers and the early Assemblies of God accepted the rejects of society and trumpeted their causes.

Evangelization. Quakers desired to evangelize everyone in the world, from the soldiers in the military to the peoples across the seas. From their earliest days Quakers proselytized among the soldiers and "found a sympathetic hearing and valuable support among both the army officers and rank and file." (101) This eventually resulted in the authorities being "alarm[ed] at the spread of Quakerism among the soldiers." (102) The Assemblies of God confirmed their desire to "Work Amongst the Soldiers" at the General Council in 1917.

This resulted in the adoption of a resolution that encouraged the Assemblies of God to "adopt every available means consistent with Scriptural teaching and example to cooperate with every approved agency for revivals among the soldiers." (104)

Early Quaker evangelism efforts compelled them to rent halls so they could spread their message to the masses. They also prophesied in the streets, "Early Quaker prophetic messages of judgment and confrontation were often given in a marketplace . . . ."(105) Some Quakers wanted to go to America in the 1670s so they could "convert Indians" (106)

The twentieth century Pentecostal movement began in a rented hall on Azusa Street in Los Angeles and Pentecostals were generally ready to preach on any street corner if an audience could be found. Missionary zeal was an integral aspect of the early Assemblies of God and related directly to why they claimed to be a pacifist church. The first reason provided to the Assemblies of God constituency as an explanation of the pacifist resolution in 1917 was that "from its very inception, the Pentecostal Movement has been a movement of evangelism, studiously avoiding any principles or actions which would thwart it in its great purpose." (107) Wars and killing were understood to be a hindrance to missions and evangelism was certainly more important than patriotism.(108)

Women Ministers. Another remarkable similarity between early Quakerism and the early Assemblies of God was their attitude toward women. Quakers allowed God to speak through any person who was willing and "the equality in ministry of all Friends, rich and poor, young and old, educated and unschooled, and especially women and men, was noticed by everyone in the l650s." (109) Margaret Fell wrote a tract in 1666 entitled "Women’s Speaking" which was a breakthrough and showed that the Quakers allowed women to write as well as preach.

In fact, Quaker women were allowed to be the heads of household, supervise business meetings, and publicly convey "the most revolutionary message that all daily life was equally part of God’s direct Call to each of his ‘saints.’" (110) Robert Barclay, in his 1678 An Apology for the True Christian Divinity, insisted "that every good Christian (not only men, but even women also) is a preacher."(111)

Joseph John Gurney penned an entire chapter entitled "On the Ministry of Women" in which he declared that "Friends believe it right, freely and equally, to allow the ministry of both sexes."(112) This was an excellent chapter that expounded on the manifold reasons why women have been and always will be used by the Spirit to speak words of exhortation and instruction to the church. He dealt with Paul’s prohibitions by showing that the apostle was talking about speech that was not "prompted by the immediate impulses of the Holy Spirit." (113)

Early Pentecostals also approved of women in ministry. In the first year of the Assemblies of God (1914), nearly one-third of ordained ministers were women." (114) They cited Peter in Acts 2 as he quoted from Joel, "your sons and your daughters will prophesy." This was used to show that women "could communicate religious truth under divine inspiration."(115) The first person to be baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues was Ms. Agnes Ozman and many of the pioneers of Pentecostalism were women.(116) There were frequent articles in The Pentecostal Evangel that were written by women in which they exhorted and encouraged the constituency. An example is "Daily Portion From the King’s Bounty" by Mrs. A. R. Flower who inspired women in ministry with poetry,

Both Quakers and the early Assemblies of God allowed the Spirit to use women to a greater degree than did the religious groups surrounding them. Both renewal movements broke with tradition and society as they elevated the status of the women in their assemblies. (118) Promoting women in ministry and pacifism were related endeavors. Arthur Sidney Booth-Clibborn believed that allowing women to minister would help the "unlawfulness of war for the Christian [to] become ever more evident."(119)