 | Christian and Missionary Alliance: Encyclopedia II - Christian and Missionary Alliance - History of the denomination
Christian and Missionary Alliance - History of the denomination
Initially, the Christian and Missionary Alliance was not founded as a denomination. Dr. Albert B. Simpson was a Presbyterian clergyman motivated by the spiritual needs of the metropolitan multitudes in North America, as well as by those of the unevangelized peoples in other lands. He was compelled by a sense of urgency to take this message to all nations because of Jesus's statement in Matthew 24:14: This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (NIV translation)
During the beginning of the twentieth century, Simpson became closely involved with the growing Pentecostal movement, an offshoot of the Holiness movement. It became common for Pentecostal pastors and missionaries to receive their training at the Missionary Training Institute that Simpson founded. Consequently, Simpson and the C&MA had a great influence on Pentecostalism, in particular the Assemblies of God and the FourSquare Church. This influence included evangelical emphasis, C&MA doctrine, Simpson's hymns and books, and the use of the term 'Gospel Tabernacle,' which led to Pentecostal churches being known as 'Full Gospel Tabernacles.' Since Simpson was plagued by illness for much of his life, he added a very strong emphasis on divine healing.
Eventually, there developed severe division within the C&MA over issues surrounding Pentecostalism (such as speaking in tongues and charismatic worship styles). By 1912, this crisis was a catalyst for the emergence of the C&MA as an organized denomination, shifting more authority to the council and becoming more ecclesiastical. To ensure the survival of the C&MA in the face of division, Simpson put all property in the name of the C&MA. In the event of separation, all property would revert to C&MA [2]
After Simpson's death in 1919, the C&MA distanced itself from Pentecostalism, rejecting the premise that speaking in tongues necessarily indicates possession by the Holy Spirit, and instead focused on the deeper Christian life. [3]. By 1930, most local branches of the C&MA functioned as churches, but still did not view themselves as churches.
By 1965, the churches adopted a denominational function and established a formal statement of faith. This new mission society soon became a major evangelical movement. Today it is a growing missionary denomination committed to evangelism around the world through church planting.
Other related archives1887, Aiden Wilson Tozer, Albert Benjamin Simpson, Alliance University College, Assemblies of God, Calgary, Alberta, Canberra, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Christian denominations, Christian evangelicalism, Christianity, Crown College, Evangelical, FourSquare, High Priest, Holiness movement, Institut Biblique VIE, Jesus Christ, John Wesley, Kingdom, Leader of the Opposition, Nyack College, Nyack, New York, Presbyterian, Protestant, Protestantism, Ravi Zacharias, Redding, California, Simpson University, St. Bonifacius, Minnesota, Stephen Harper, Toccoa Falls College, Toccoa, Georgia, arose from the dead, born again, denomination, everlasting joy and bliss, existence forever in conscious torment, fell, image, inerrant, one God, only rule, revelation, salvation, sanctified, substitutional sacrifice, three persons, true God and true man, verbally inspired, virgin
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "History of the denomination", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
