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Peter A Vandever | PentecostalTheology.com
AA Allen was a mighty man of the Spirit but what he did believe about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He was a little different than his peers to say the least.
Link Hudson [10/06/2015 6:15 AM]
I recall hearing a sermon from Allen on YouTube in which he expressed doubt as to whether someone who smoked could be saved.
Peter A Vandever [10/06/2015 6:38 AM]
AA Allen had his problems with bondages….. just like the legalistic Pentecostals did.
Stan Wayne [10/06/2015 6:42 AM]
The guy was an alcoholic to his death and was pulled over DWI on a highway and found with uncounted offering money strewn all over the trunk of his car amidst the alcohol containers.
Peter A Vandever [10/06/2015 6:46 AM]
I cover that in the article 🙂
Stan Wayne [10/06/2015 6:50 AM]
Just read it – like the electricity analogy / there is no way Allen’s death by acute alcohol poisoning in a binge in a hotel room glorified God
Peter – you are a zealous soul / if your Word program does not have spell check I would be glad to spell check your writing / it’s more effective in perfect English 😉
Donald George [10/06/2015 8:18 AM]
I suppose all this was in the papers & on the news back then, but I don’t remember it.
Stan Wayne [10/06/2015 8:54 AM]
I encourage reading the sources of the article – there are many lessons – I feel sorry for the man, his wife and his many confused adherents
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AA_Allen
Luchen Bailey [10/06/2015 9:06 AM]
A. A. Allen, is a good example how a minister can become so engrossed and busy with what he is doing that he loses touch with the Lord, by neglecting his prayer life. I well remember him in his early days of ministry and the sad report about his death.
Let this be a reminder to all of us that our prayer life with Christ will keep us from making the same mistake.
Peyton Gurley [10/06/2015 9:07 AM]
It’s those “legalistic” Pentecostals that to this day still have power like A.A. Allen had.
Peter A Vandever [10/06/2015 11:41 AM]
I attend a faith church in Manila, Phils
Peyton Gurley [10/06/2015 12:06 PM]
Like word of faith?
Link Hudson [10/06/2015 2:48 PM]
It’s good to keep Matthew 7 in mind. People will come to Jesus saying “Lord, lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils…” Matthew 12 indicates that Satan does not cast out Satan. So it may be that these people are doing real miracles in his name, not demonic miracles, but are still rejected. Even the ‘children of’ the Pharisees apparently had some success casting out demons apart from the name of Jesus prior to or contemporary with Jesus’ ministry. Jesus surprised them with His great authority over demons.
The name of Jesus has power.
It’s helpful to realize that if a man does miracles, prophesies, etc. that doesn’t guarantee that he’s righteous or 100% correct. In John 6, we see that Jesus said one fo the 12 was the devil, a reference to who would betray him. But Jesus told Judas to heal, cleanse lepers, and raise the dead. And Judas helped himself to the money in the box, too.
Balaam normally resorted to divination. But he could hear Yahweh and prophesied some true prophecies. Caiaphas prophesied while plotting the death of Jesus.
There can also be demonic counterfeits to miracles. Egyptian magicians could imitate some miracles using the dark arts, but not all. There was a limit to their power.
Some clergymen, particularly those who don’t think these gifts are for today, teach that miracles authenticated the messenger. So those teachings are floating around. But we all need to be so committed to the true Gospel that if someone raises the dead and then tries to lead us astray from the Gospel, that we won’t follow. In the Old Testament, if a prophet prophesied a sign that came to pass and then told the people to worship other gods, they should not listen.
If someone does miracles, prophesies, speaks in tongues, etc., and gets off in their doctrine, we shouldn’t accept their doctrine. Other members of the body of Christ should correct them. If they have powerful gifts in operation, but fall into sin, we need to correct them as well, in a spirit of meekness.
Peter A Vandever [10/06/2015 3:13 PM]
he context is did they do the will of God, not did they have personal morality. Doing God’s will does not mean you have perfect theology either (William Branham)
Link Hudson [10/06/2015 5:14 PM]
Elijah complained that the people had ‘torn down your altars’. Was he complaining about pre-temple altars or the ‘high places’ outside of the temple where people were offering sacrifices to the LORD after the temple was constructed. I wonder if Elijah had some weak points in his theology.
Link Hudson [10/06/2015 5:14 PM]
Peter A Vandever, I don’t think of Summerall as WOF. He was A/G. I think of him as a Pentecostal if you have to put a label on him.
Peter A Vandever [10/06/2015 5:15 PM]
ALot since he was on the other side of the Cross 🙂
John Kissinger [10/19/2015 2:47 PM]
AA Allen was another mighty preacher who ended up in #SIN and so would many others who do not practice the way of holiness!
Charles Page [10/19/2015 2:53 PM]
seems that many who practice holiness end up in sin!!!
Scotty Searan
All I can I was as a very young child in that meeting in 1957 where a child with 26 deformities was healed.
I was also privilege to be In some of his later crusades before his death.
I will say this that in the last 5 years of his ministry he became what we WOF He began to focus on Prosperity and less on miracles and healings. Even though I was 18 when he died, I was a dedicated follower of A.A. Allen. He was my Hero. That was who I wanted to be like.
Yes the stories about his drinking was well known and published in papers
But my Dad also preached that a person could not receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and smoke and drink. My dad also believe a woman did not have the real Holy Ghost and wear makeup, jewelry and slacks.
Joseph D. Absher
Thank you
and thank you Jesus!
Varnel Watson
Much needs to be said about Alan’s ministry and its avid success. How old were you in 1957? Must be a colorful memory to have
Scotty Searan
Very young 5 years old. But being raised in Pentecost all my life.
I can’t remember everything about that night.
But I remember we were on the 3rd row right in the middle. Daddy let me set on the outside.
I saw two feet grow on a Baby.
I saw a tongue go back in his mouth.
I heard the child say mama who had never spoken.
I saw a child run across the platform after the Lord put feet on that child.
I saw two people come up out of wheel chairs and shout not holding on to anything and Brother Allen did not touch them.
We had a dear family friend that I knew that the Drs. Had given him up to die, because He attended the church we attended. He had less than 30 days to live.
He was rolled in on a stretcher under oxygen and he got up and ran around the auditorium without Bro. Allen praying for him. This man I know lived 15 years
But there was one thing I saw in that service that I never saw again. WHEN THAT MAN CAME RUNNING BY MY DAD AND STOPPED AND HUGGED MY DAD. MY DAD SHOUTED AND DANCED IN THE SPIRIT THAT NIGHT. I never saw it again
This is not a made up story. I was there
I can remember back to when I was two years old getting clawed by an old Rhode Island Red Rooster.
3 years old getting my arm hung in a wringer washing machine.
Yes I have heard Bro Schambach tell the story>
I have read his written account of it.
But I have told you what I remember
Scotty Searan
IN West Memphis Arkansas in 1961, We were just coming under the Bigtop. I looked over and I saw Bro. allen at the Book table straightening things out I reckon. I ask my daddy to give me a dollar so I could give it to Bro. Allen.
I went up to Bro. Allen and I told him Hhow much I loved to hear him preach. I offered him the dollar, but He refused and he reached over a patted the top of my head and told me to give it in the altar. I started to walk away, hurt because he would not take my dollar, he called me back and explained it to me, that he did not want people to think they were buying a blessing and he did not want to touch the glory. Then he stood up and reached a got two books and He asked me if I liked to sing, I said yes. He gave me one of his songbooks and God’s Man of Faith and Power. book. I did give my dollar in the offering. I got more than I bargained for or was expecting.
Varnel Watson
Scotty these are precious memories indeed. I was recently in a small high school auditorium where Allen regularly preached when visited. They say Spirit was so strong the power was regularly felt in close by Pentecostal churches, people would leave service and go hear him instead 🙂 Made some pay-check-preachers mad of course His prophetic words remind me of Branham Whats your take on the 7 prophecies? How many would you say have been fulfilled already http://www.pentecostaltheology.com/7-final-visions-of-william-branham-for-the-last-days-1933/
Scotty Searan
There is five already fulfilled. But it is amazing how explicit and vivid the details.
Some will think that William Branhann was a Fanatic/legalist by his statements in Vision Five.
Some have even said He was in the flesh at this part of the vision. But I believe it was from God and what was showed to WILLIAM bRANHAM was what God considered sin, back then and now. I am not apologetic for that statement.
i seem to believe that is the backslidden church who has decked herself out with riches and are following another Jesus and this woman will come out of the backslidden church and carry the church further down the path of Apostasy.. The woman has always had the power to sway man. Ahab/Jezebel and Samson/Delilah. The woman has abused through Satan the liberty that the gospel of Jesus Christ has given them.
I am not a male chauvinist, but I sincerely that if the Pentecostal would have been more like the Baptist in letting women preach and pastor we would be much stronger today spiritually. We are larger numerically because we followed perversion, because it seemed acceptable.
I stand on what I believe. I believe it is scriptural.
Varnel Watson
Walter Polasik kingdom-now is following another Jesus