AN EVANGELIST

Hokitika Guardian, 14 November 1928, Page 2

AN EVANGELIST

AtRS AIMEE M’PHERSON. MISSION IN LONDON. LONDON, October 5. Airs Aimee fjemple M’Pherson, American evangelist; 1 has had u remarkable advertisement for her approhehing mission iiiri the Albert Hall. Sensational denunciations have been madfe regarding herrtnethods. She is whai;is known in America as a “hot Gosjrbller.'’ Before: she arrived in England a petition 1 < was sent to the Home Secretary, Asking him to forbid her landing, but Sir William JoynsonHicks announced that he would take no silcb notion, the matter rested entirely iyith the immigration Landing authorities. Mrs McPherson apparently cpme into England without any fuss' and she has, been staying in a Yarmouth hotel with friends. The entry in the hotel register was the name of her Hpst and hostess and the words ‘‘.and party.” Since her arrival the evangefipt has had opportunity of reading candid opinions ..about herself. An American evangelist already in this country (the Rev. W. E. Pietseli) gives an extract from a book written by Mrs McPhersbn. ' He explains that it is from an early edition of “ This is That,” but the words have bee>n eliminated from later editions of the hook. It reads:— : “Then I looked and, behold, a new creation, as. of. a beautiful woman. I beheld her coming from the west and

walking towards the east. Slie approached. I beheld her white raiment dazzling as the snow in the sunshine. Her movements were gracious and tender. Her voice was mellow and lull of sweet fragrance. I smelled the fragrance of her garments as sweet lilies grown in the valleys and the Rose of Sharon. Her eyes beheld no guile but they were as tender as a doe’s eyes. Her lips were pure and dropped as the honeycomb. No foolishness, no criticism marred-.their sweetness. No fleslily words. Her ears were kept for His alone, her lover, her bridegroom, her king. As she drew nigh I gazed with amazement into her face and saw that it was myself. 1 heard the voice of the Master speaking up to me saving, ‘This is my beloved’ (only the spirit can inherit spiritual life).” . The good lady evidently has a good conceit of herself. BUSINESS ACUMEN. Mrs McPherson has been invited t England by the Klim Four Square Cospel Alliance, of Brixton. and the intern tion is that she shall conduct a nnssioi at the Albert Hall and elsewhere. “ Presumably on the principle that r labourer is worthy of his hire,” say the “Daily Mail,” “Mrs McPl.erso. will not only receive remuneration foi her preaching efforts, hut will als' share in any profits that may resuh from the collections, etc. which a I way? form a big part of those missions.

“ In addition to being notorious a 1 a ‘hot gospeller,’ as the people of tin United States describe evangelists o her type, Mrs McPherson is als.

famed’for her business acumen in connexion with her so-called religious efforts. Her methods may apparently he described as winning converts on salary and commission.” “ A JAZZ RELIGION.” The Rev. A. 11. Carter, minister of Hounslow Undenominational Church, who has personal knowledge ot -Mrs McPherson’s activities in Los Angeles, asked the Home Secretary not to allow her in this country. He said : “ I felt it my duty as a minister o the Christian Church to acquaint tin Home Secretary with the character an methods of Mrs McPherson. I ban sent him authoritative statements l> divines in the United States with r< gard to this woman, 'and have aske. him to order her exclusion horn tin country as an undesirable alien!” Writing in the “ Bible M :inoss," warning against Four Square 0"sp« fhetter known as “ UePhersonisni Mr.l’ietsch describes it as “ a jazz re ligion and runs contemporary with oi jazz age in the United Slates. Man musical students regard j;v:z ns lii l Bolshevism of music. an<l many true Christians regard .MePhersouism as Bolshevism in our Christian churches. A KIDNAPPING INCIDENT. Naturally many incidents in Hi" life of Airs McPherson have been recalled. In A fay of IB’-’fi, if is said, she went bathing at Ocean Park, ( alilorma. and when she came out of the watoi a man and a woman, according to her own story, induced her to walk acioss

tho sands to a motor-car to pray for a dying child. Then, she says, a spongi was pressed over her lace and she lost conscimisnes. When she awoke sin was in n wretched hovel in .Mexico where she was held to ransom. Everyone thought she was drowuei ami funeral services were held in tin church ;it l.os Angeles, which she eon ducts. Then, on June *J 11 h . she nnuh a dramatic reappearance, declarin' that she had escaped-from the bandit who had captured her, ami had run until she was exhausted. There werstrange rumours in connexion with thi episode and eventually she was at rested on a conspiracy charge, it l.eiii; alleged that instead of being kidm ppe. lie was actually staying in a cot tag 11 (’a rmcl-hy-the-Sea. i.lie whole o! America became in • nsely iulerelscd in the case, am :n;>! kah'e levcbt icus with regard t irmrl were promised when the Rubin rosci'iitor suddenly drooped the pro ceilings and Airs McPherson was re eased. COM i i AT* I X(. THE DKYII- - all interview ill Norwich she re unirked : “ It has been said that I am goim to drive the devil out of England, am not going to drive the devil out o England, for nobody could. I am ,g.is going to preach the gospel, and any hotly who accepts my preachings he comes the enemy of the devil and s he falls hack. “English people should rememhe that 1. am head of a great church

We have .‘IOO Four- Square Churches throughout America and more than !’()!).000 members. 1 have a ministerial college where a thousand young men are being trained to be pastors. My own church at Los Angeles has 14,000 members ,and I guess it is the biggest individual church in all the world. Over here there are 100 1* our-Square churches, which shows they are on the move and getting busy. H 1 do good with my preaching, and save some people from sin, that is all 1 want.