ASSEMBLIES OF GOD
This Week in AG History -- July 4, 1942
"We have a responsibility to be more than Americans. We are called to be Christian Americans." --Wesley Steelberg
How should Assemblies of God young people in the United States view their nation in relation to both their faith and other countries?
National Youth Director Wesley Steelberg, speaking at the National Young People’s Conference on July 4, 1941, addressed this pressing issue. In a message titled “The Stars and Stripes of Calvary,” Steelberg encouraged young people to place their primary allegiance in Christ. He said, “First of all we belong to the Lord. We are citizens of heaven.”
Should Christians pledge allegiance to their nation and its symbols? According to Steelberg, adoption of national symbols is “a custom probably almost as old as humanity.” He acknowledged that Americans are proud of their flag: “We salute it, and we pledge allegiance to it. We raise it as an ensign of liberty, and we rejoice in what it represents.” In the face of the march of totalitarianism, Steelberg stated, “we hold more precious and valuable our liberty and freedom.”
However, he warned, “we have a responsibility to be more than Americans. We are called to be Christian Americans.” As Christian Americans, Steelberg encouraged every Assemblies of God young person to metaphorically wave his or her own flag, reflecting allegiance to the heavenly king. According to Steelberg, every Christian should declare, “Christ is my standard, my banner of love!”
Read Wesley Steelberg’s sermon, "The Stars and Stripes of Calvary," which was published on pages 1, 4 and 5 in the July 4, 1942, issue of the Pentecostal Evangel.
Also featured in this issue:
• "A Shelter in Tribulation Days," by Stanley H. Frodsham
• "Revival in Norway," by Mrs. A. R. Gesswein
• "How to Help Your Pastor," by Theodore Cuyler
And many more!
Click here to read this issue now.
Pentecostal Evangel archived editions courtesy of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.
What to Read Next
This Week in AG History -- Dec. 2, 1916
Pastor Eddie Driver, a lawyer and then Baptist minister, later became a leader in the Pentecostal movement, and established the first Church of God in Christ in the western United States.
This Week in AG History -- Nov. 29, 1930
Topeka and Azusa Street are well-known for the origins of the Pentecostal movement, but they weren't the only places where the Holy Spirit was evident.
Center for Holy Lands Studies Launches Free Resource Center
Free video resources designed to enhance viewers’ understanding of Scripture, and include a number of videos filmed in the lands of the Bible, are now available on the Center for Holy Lands website.
This Week in AG History -- Nov. 21, 1914
Daniel Charles Owen (D.C.O.) Opperman may not be a familiar name, but his short-term Bible schools played a significant role in training many future early leaders of the Assemblies of God.
