Quote:
Originally Posted by deadeye
One of the things that I have noticed is that some seem aghast at the fact that TF was refused access to the Historical Societys files.
Truth be told, if a man came in wanting access to my churches information so he could use it to smear our church....I would refuse the info too.
In fact I might be tempted to drop kick him out the front doors of the church.
Only tempted mind you....
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Deadeye you are dead wrong. The AOG opened up their archieves and the GC met him and shock his hand.
Told him anything he needed for any reason was available to him.
He did not tell the AOG why he was doing research.
For all they knew he was there to lable them a cult.
He told them he was a Professor doing research.
When He asked for files on EN Bell a very controversary figure in the AOG they did so without reservation.
They opened up a room and gave him complete access.
J.L. Hall the Director of the UPCI Historical center was not as open armed to Thomas Fudge.
What did they have to hide?
That later could be refuted if they had nothing to hide?
The last time he visted they denied him access.
Here is some info on EN Bell.
You will see the name of the first UPCI GC.
This is taken from the AOG website:
http://www.ag.org/enrichmentjournal/...048_enbell.cfm
E.N. Bell — A Voice of Restraint in an Era of Controversy
E.N. Bell, the first and fourth general chairman of the Assemblies of God.
by Richard A. Lewis
The history of the Assemblies of God is filled with individuals who shaped the fledgling organization into what it is today. One of these influential founding fathers was Eudorus Neander Bell (1866–1923). In citing even a few of his accomplishments, we discover just how invaluable he was. Recognizing the need to organize the revival and with only the initial support of H.A. Goss, Bell agreed to issue the “call” in his magazine, Word and Witness, for Pentecostals to convene in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Joining these two men in this endeavor were M.M. Pinson, A.P. Collins, and D.C.O. Opperman. This resulted in the formation of the Assemblies of God.
Bell was the first and fourth chairman (general superintendent) of the Fellowship. Between his terms as chairman, he served the young organization as general secretary and as a pastor. Bell was also the first editor of two organizational papers, the aforementioned Word and Witness and the Weekly Evangel, both precursors to the Pentecostal Evangel.
The first issue of the Weekly Evangel, a precursor to The Pentecostal Evangel.
If this were not enough to assure his status, E.N., as he preferred over Eudorus, wrote the first adult and intermediate Sunday school quarterlies. His popular question-and-answer column in the Evangel proved to be an influential as well as a moderating voice of reason in the early years of the Assemblies of God. Several districts were also organized under his direction as chairman. When the decision was made to write a Statement of Fundamental Truths, E.N. was a member of the five-man committee appointed to the task. He championed the autonomy of the local church and congregational church government. Bell also recommended Springfield, Missouri, to be the home of the Fellowship’s national headquarters.
Bell, and his twin brother, Endorus E., were born June 27, 1866, at Lake Butler, Florida. Their father George died when the boys were only 2 years old. E.N. and his family lived in the severest of poverty during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. He was converted at an early age and felt called to full-time ministry. Realizing the need for training, E.N. enrolled at Stetson Academy, and later Stetson University.
Many have struggled to make ends meet as they have worked their way through school, but few have overcome the challenges faced by E.N. Bell. He was forced to adopt a steady diet of hard, stale bread dipped in water when finances ran low. The dream of completing college would have ended for most when faced with such sacrifice. This did not prove to be the case for Bell. He graduated at age 30 from the Academy, enrolled and earned a B.A. from Stetson University. He attended Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville from 1900 to 1902, and received a bachelor of divinity degree from the University of Chicago the following year. Later he would seriously consider continuing his education at Oxford, believing it would be a wonderful “opportunity both for travel and for study abroad.” In considering all of his education, there is little doubt Bell was one of the most academically qualified persons of the early Pentecostal movement.
General Council, September 1919, on the steps of the Stone Church, Chicago, Illinois. Front row: J.R. Flower, S.A. Jamieson, E.N. Bell, J.W. Welch, J.T. Boddy, Stanley H. Frodsham, Ellis Banta. Second row: Frank Gray, J.R. Kline, John Goben, David H. McDowell, Robert A. Brown, Joseph Tunmore, F.A. Hale. Third row: Oliver P. Brann, E.R. Fitzgerald, E.N. Richey, John Coxe, D.W. Kerr, R.J. Craig, Orville Benham, A.P. Collins, T.K. Leonard.
....... I'm sure the reader will pick up on it.
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