Many in the African American Church were dismayed and offended when the son of Jimmy Swaggert, Donnie Swaggert, released a video where he stated that the time had come for somebody to hold the Black Church accountable. Done at the height of the recent presidential election, Pastor Donnie took it upon himself to scold the Black Church on its support of the Democratic candidate.

What is odd indeed is that the denomination that Donnie Swaggert belongs to, Assemblies of God, has a most interesting history which why this is such an hypocritical story.

In a pivotal moment in the history of Pentecostalism, a group of White Christian preachers gathered in Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1914, to establish a new denomination that would eventually become one of the largest and most influential Pentecostal movements in the world. This gathering led to the formal birth of the Assemblies of God (AG), but its creation was marked by a controversial and divisive split from the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), a primarily African American Pentecostal denomination led by Bishop Charles Harrison Mason.

At the time, the Pentecostal movement, which had emerged in the early 20th century, was a rapidly growing force within Christianity, known for its emphasis on baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, divine healing, and other charismatic experiences. The movement drew in followers from a wide range of racial and ethnic backgrounds, but its earliest organizational structures were often deeply intertwined with the racial dynamics of American society.

The Split from the Church of God in Christ

The origins of the Assemblies of God are rooted in the early struggles within the Pentecostal movement. One of the key events in the denomination’s founding was the withdrawal of several White preachers from the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), an organization that was predominantly African American and led by Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, one of the most respected Black leaders in the Pentecostal movement.

Mason had been a prominent figure in the early Pentecostal revivals that swept through the United States, including the famed Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles, which was often regarded as the birthplace of modern Pentecostalism. However, the interracial nature of the Pentecostal movement caused significant tension, particularly in the southern United States, where racial segregation was legally enforced and deeply entrenched in social norms.

By the early 1910s, several White preachers began to feel uncomfortable with the leadership of Mason and the growing prominence of COGIC. Their dissatisfaction was largely based on the racial dynamics of the church; as the denomination became more influential under Mason’s leadership, tensions around race began to surface. Some White leaders felt it was inappropriate for a Black man to lead a national Pentecostal body, despite Mason’s spiritual authority and achievements. This group of preachers ultimately decided to form their own separate organization, leading to the creation of the Assemblies of God.

E. N. Bell and the Leadership of the Assemblies of God

Central to the creation of the Assemblies of God was E. N. Bell, a White Pentecostal leader from Arkansas, who became one of the first general superintendents of the new denomination. Bell’s leadership was instrumental in shaping the early theology and structure of the Assemblies of God, and he worked to establish a distinct Pentecostal identity that would separate it from other factions, including the Church of God in Christ.

Bell’s role was vital in organizing the 1914 Hot Springs meeting, where he and other key leaders signed the initial documents that would form the foundation of the Assemblies of God. Despite the group’s claims of religious independence and doctrinal purity, the creation of the Assemblies of God cannot be separated from the racial dynamics of the time. For many involved in the split, the formation of a White-led Pentecostal organization was a way to assert control over the movement, particularly in the South, where racial hierarchies were strictly maintained.

While Bell and his colleagues were undoubtedly motivated by religious convictions, their decision to break from the Church of God in Christ was also undeniably shaped by the racial prejudices that permeated American society at the time. As a result, the early Assemblies of God developed into a denomination that was explicitly segregated along racial lines. White preachers like Bell took leadership of the denomination, while African Americans were largely excluded from positions of authority, despite the critical role Black Pentecostals, including Mason, had played in the movement’s origins.

The Legacy of the Split

The creation of the Assemblies of God marked a significant moment in the history of American Christianity, particularly within the Pentecostal movement. The denomination quickly grew, attracting large numbers of White Pentecostal Christians across the country, especially in the Midwest and the South. Over time, the Assemblies of God expanded internationally, becoming one of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the world, with millions of members in countries across the globe.

However, the painful split from the Church of God in Christ left a lasting legacy of racial division within the Pentecostal movement. It set the stage for decades of exclusion and marginalization of African American Pentecostals in predominantly White Pentecostal denominations, including the Assemblies of God.

In the decades that followed, the Assemblies of God would make slow but significant progress toward racial reconciliation. By the mid-20th century, African Americans were increasingly welcomed into the denomination, and by the 1970s, the Assemblies of God began making efforts to address racial inequalities within its leadership structures. Today, the Assemblies of God is a more racially diverse denomination, with both African American and Latino leaders playing prominent roles.

A Reflection on the History

While the Assemblies of God has grown and changed significantly over the past century, its founding story remains a stark reminder of the racial tensions that have historically shaped American Christianity. The decision to separate from the Church of God in Christ, largely motivated by racial prejudices, remains a difficult chapter in the history of the Pentecostal movement.

However, the Assemblies of God has made efforts in recent years to address its past, with leaders acknowledging the harm caused by its exclusionary practices. The denomination’s ongoing work in racial reconciliation highlights the broader struggles of American Christianity to confront its history of racism and division.

As Pentecostalism continues to grow globally, the legacy of Hot Springs, Arkansas, serves as both a cautionary tale and a call to build a more inclusive and united church, one that honors the contributions of all believers, regardless of race or ethnicity, and works toward healing the divisions of the past.

The creation of the Assemblies of God in 1914 serves as a powerful reminder of the complexities of faith, race, and leadership in America—a story that continues to shape the church and the wider world today.