From Encounter Journal, Summer 2009, Vol. 6

Paul Alexander, Peace to War: Shifting Allegiances in the Assemblies of God
The C. Henry Smith Series 9 (Telford, PA: Cascadia Publishing House, 2009) 426 pages

Reviewed by Dr. Martin William Mittelstadt, Associate Professor of New Testament Evangel University, Springfield, Missouri

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“Military service is incompatible with the gospel of Jesus Christ … a Christian cannot fully follow the teachings of his Lord and Master if he engages in armed conflict”¹ This declaration represents the uncompromising attitude of the General Council of the Assemblies of God (AG) during the emergence of WWII. However, it also appears in a polemic context amidst shifting allegiances from an absolutist and Bible-supported pacifist position adopted in 1917 to an essentially uncontested pro-combatant position in 1967. In Peace to War, Paul Alexander not only sets out to tell this story but also tenders a passionate plea for Pentecostals to revisit their pacifist heritage.... [click here to read more]