Book Description
Genuine Gold: The Cautiously Charismatic Story of the Early Christian and Missionary Alliance documents the supernatural heritage of the early Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA)-welcoming the supernatural with discernment-and calls the denomination to embrace again the charismatic dimensions of the Holy Spirit today and to return to its originally close relation to the Pentecostal-charismatic movement.Author Paul L. King, C&MA historian and theologian, shows how the early C&MA, a robustly evangelical movement, embraced many practices and doctrines of the new Pentecostal movement following the famous Azusa Street Revival of 1906. Yet in following decades, the C&MA distanced itself from the Pentecostal and later charismatic movements. The reasons? Partly because the C&MA insisted on a non-exclusive view of speaking in tongues and on discernment-distinguishing the gold of genuine manifestations of the Holy Spirit from the spurious. But also because the C&MA allied itself increasingly with non-Pentecostal evangelicalism. Genuine Gold urges the C&MA to rekindle the flame of spiritual renewal through its carefully documented history of the Alliance's early vibrancy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent book.
A great history of the Alliance and its connection with early Pentacostalism and eventual split with the Assemblies of God over evidential tongues and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Very thorough and well documented.

REQUIRED READING FOR ALLIANCE AND ASSEMBLIES OF GOD LEADERS
Being a former A/G minister now in the Alliance this book was wonderful.We are a pentecostal/charismatic Alliance church and Dr. Kings work has completely re-affirmed this direction.

The Alliance has affirmed the gifts and person of the Holy Spirit, without the "intial phsycial evidence" doctrine.Amen.

Read it if you are A/G read it if you're Alliance.

Also a great discussion of the people who left the Alliance for the A/G and people who later left the A/G to join or come back to the Alliance.

A GREAT corrective for Edith L. Blumhofer's history of the A/G as regards the Alliance.

An exciting book on the C&MA
I heard Paul King speak at a conference and I was impressed by what he said.I purchaced his book "Genunine Gold" and found it to be the most exciting book about the C&MA I have ever read.My admiration for Dr. A. B. Simpson, the founder of the C&MA, skyrocketed.I believe this book should be required reading for every minister and worker in the C&MA. It is well researched and documented.If you want to learn about the exciting Spirit-filled ministry of the early C&MA this is a must read book.

Discernment or Drift? The C&MA and the Holy Spirit
Genuine Gold: The Cautiously Charismatic Story of the Early Christian and Missionary Alliance documents the supernatural heritage of the early Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) -- welcoming the supernatural with discernment -- and calls the denomination to embrace again the charismatic dimensions of the Holy Spirit today and to return to its originally close relation to the Pentecostal-charismatic movement.

Author Paul L. King, C&MA historian and theologian, shows how the early C&MA, a robustly evangelical movement, embraced many practices and doctrines of the new Pentecostal movement following the famous Azusa Street Revival of 1906.

Yet in following decades, the C&MA distanced itself from the Pentecostal and later charismatic movements. The reasons? Partly because the C&MA insisted on a non-exclusive view of speaking in tongues and on discernment -- distinguishing the gold of genuine manifestations of the Holy Spirit from the spurious. But also because the C&MA allied itself increasingly with non-Pentecostal evangelicalism.

Genuine Gold urges the C&MA to reverse its drift and to rekindle the flame of spiritual renewal through its carefully documented history of the Alliance's early vibrancy.

It is meticulous (hundreds of end-notes and thoroughly indexed), meaty, and of high merit in historical reporting and theological analysis.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

History of an Important Foreign Missions Movement and a Confused Denomination
All for Jesus, is an important defining piece for a movement that stretches back to the late 19th century.

The Christian and Missionary Alliance was never intended to be a denomination.A.B. Simpson made it very clear that he believed that the Kingdom did not need another denomination, what was needed was a cross-denominational movement that focused on Foreign Missions cooperatively.Around this movement grew many independent Churches who wanted some form of central organization.

The Missions Movement was the Missionary Alliance.The organization of Independent Churches was the Christian Alliance.They were intended to be separate and maintain the cross-denominational, almost inter-denominational flavor of the foreign missions movement.

Over time the C&MA did indeed become more and more of a denomination tied to an emphasis on foreign missions.Despite the fact that it began more and more to walk like a duck, quack like a duck and go remarkably well with orange sauce, the views of the founder remained woven in the hierarchy and so the duck was kept in the closet .... but newspapers were spread and corn meal slipped under the door regularly to keep the duck healthy.

The duck came out of its closet in the 1970's.The C&MA was ready to admit what it was functioning as for years; namely a denomination.Any good denomination ought to have a history, and this book, All for Jesus was the result.

It is a good work with a very good narrative through the years of the wonderful accomplishments through the C&MA.Good pictures and illustrations will be found.

The C&MA often struggles compared to other denominations for a sense of identity.Typically that identity includes unique doctrinal emphasis or a specific focus or purpose organizationally.

Doctrinally, the distinctive of the C&MA is the four-fold Gospel or Christ as Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King.Unfortunately the emphasis of Christ as Healer and Sanctifier has diminished greatly over the years and the 4-Legged table upon which the C&MA once rested has 2 short legs and wobbles quite a bit.This has been true since the 1930's when a large exodus of C&MA people and Churches went over to the Assemblies of God.In recoil against that movement, the C&MA now claims to be neutral to that which smacks of the Charismatic.In practice, those elements of healing and sanctification that were part of the C&MA heritage are not really highly present anymore and to the extent that they are, they are a shadow of what they once were.

The C&MA has thrown in it's lot to a great extent with the Church Growth movement out of Fuller Seminary and sought for growth without always clearly defining what their distinctives are.

All For Jesus helps to fill this vacuum with a very well laid out history of Missionary work and the spread of the denomination oversees which has all but eclipsed the growth of the mother church back in North America.

If the C&MA has any one predominant identifying factor, it is the emphasis on Foreign Missions.

This is an excellent work and worth reading for anyone associated with the C&MA or indeed just in the general evangelical community who wants to see and understand the roots of foreign missions.

The C&MA still remains at a crossroads as it continues to figure out who they are and where they are going.Knowing where they've been is essential to this process.I wish them well and I recommend this book as an excellent resource for many.

A Readable Study of the Alliance's History
Niklaus and friends do a great job especially with the foundational period of the Alliance, probably because that was such a fascinating time.The Alliance started to "settle in" in the 1920s, and from then on,the tale can get dry with the exception (of course) of some of the greatmissionary stories, particularly those from the war years.Those who knowthe Alliance today and study this history may have some questions: whyaren't many (if not most) Alliance churches still emphasizing divinehealing like we used to?The Alliance used to have healing homes; Alliancefellowships used to hold healing services.By and large we don't do thesethings today -- but cannot God also miraculously heal today like he didthen?I am grateful that my church does anoint with oil and pray overmembers who seek God's miraculous touch after communion, but as adenomination we've lost the focus on this that we once had (actually thiswas addressed by a recent Alliance Life article).

Yet this is not evenreally a quibble with the book.What you will come away with when you readthis is this feeling:Praise God for the incredible work He has done andis doing. ... Read more