I recently wrote a paper for my Peace and Religion class on the  evolution of the Assemblies of God's stance on war over the last century. The main text for my research was a book called Peace to War: Shifting Allegiances in the Assemblies of God by Paul Alexander.

This is the second book I have read by Alexander, and I am definitely impressed at his insightful, yet professionally objective approach to examining the doctrine of his denomination. To summarize the book and my paper in a few sentences: essentially, Pentecostalism was completely pacifist in the early days of the AG. They maintained that stance through both World Wars and then amended their doctrine in the late 1960s. Combining just war theory with American Civil Religion, the AG has since embraced military service and has earned a reputation for being pro-war and extremely patriotic.

Alexander indirectly suggests that the AG has watered down their doctrine and their values to conform to the world around them. I would agree, and I would apply those sentiments to the greater Church as a whole. I closed my paper with this quote from Alexander because it thoughtfully asks the cliche, but always critical question: "What would Jesus do?"

“Which way- pacifist or bellicist, peacemaking or warmaking- fits the ethos of Pentecostalism? The answer depends on how one understands Pentecostalism and Christianity, and this book will show that it largely depends on Jesus’ teachings and how much one conforms to American and broader religious society. If Pentecostalism is essentially the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to make disciples of all nations, and Jesus is authoritative on the war/killing question, then nonviolence fits perfectly (as it actually did historically). If Pentecostalism is the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to make disciples of all nations, but the defense of America and the existence of warfare in the Hebrew Scriptures are authoritative on the war/killing question, then warmaking it is (as is currently the case in the American Assemblies of God).”