- NĂ©e:
- Mollie Alma Bridwell
- Born:
- June 16, 1862, Kinniconick, Lewis county, Ky., U.S.
- Died:
- June 26, 1946, Zarephath, N.J. (aged 84)
- Founder:
- Pillar of Fire
Alma Bridwell White
-
Who was Alma Bridwell White?
Alma Bridwell White (1862â1946) was an American religious leader who founded the Methodist Pentecostal Union Church, which later split from mainstream Methodism in the early 20th century. White's powerful preaching and emotionalism led her to organize revival meetings aimed at restoring early Methodism's fervor.
In 1901, she established the Methodist Pentecostal Union Church in Denver, Colorado, and became an elder in 1902. Later, she founded the Pentecostal Union Herald, which was renamed the Pillar of Fire in 1904. White's church expanded rapidly, establishing schools and radio stations. In 1918, she became the first woman bishop of any Christian church when she was consecrated senior bishop of the Pillar of Fire.
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What religious group did Alma Bridwell White start?
Alma Bridwell White founded the Pillar of Fire, originally named the Methodist Pentecostal Union Church in 1901. This white Holiness church emerged from Methodist roots but split due to White's fervent evangelism and criticism of the Methodist hierarchy. In 1917, it was renamed Pillar of Fire, emphasizing holiness and sanctification, while generally adhering to Methodist teachings. White was ordained as bishop in the church in 1917. The church permitted women to hold any ministerial office and maintained schools and missions, notably in Liberia.
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What was unique about Alma Bridwell Whiteâs leadership role?
Alma Bridwell White distinguished herself as a religious leader through her founding and leadership of the Methodist Pentecostal Union Church, later named Pillar of Fire. White's leadership was unique because she was the first woman to become a bishop in any Christian church after being consecrated as senior bishop of the Pillar of Fire in 1918. Moreover, she founded the Pentecostal Union Church after facing opposition from Methodist officials due to her evangelistic fervor. White's church operated radio stations, established schools, and maintained a religious publishing program.
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How did Alma Bridwell Whiteâs beliefs influence her teachings?
Alma Bridwell White's teachings were heavily influenced by her beliefs. After an intense experience of personal sanctification in 1893, she organized revival meetings aimed at restoring the fervor and piety of primitive Methodism. White's zealous emotionalism and criticisms of the Methodist hierarchy led her to found the Methodist Pentecostal Union Church in 1901, which later became the Pillar of Fire. As senior bishop, White's firm opposition to more primitive forms of Pentecostalism shaped the church's identity. Her beliefs also led her to publish books such as The Ku Klux Klan in Prophecy (1925), where she outlined biblical sanctions for the Klan.
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What was Alma Bridwell Whiteâs impact on women in religious leadership?
Alma Bridwell White was a major force for women in religious leadership as the founder of the Methodist Pentecostal Union Church, which broke from mainstream Methodism in the early 20th century. White's powerful preaching and emotional zeal led her to organize revival meetings and criticize the Methodist hierarchy.
She founded her church in 1901 and was ordained an elder in 1902. In 1918, she became the first woman bishop of any Christian church when she was consecrated senior bishop of the Pillar of Fire. Her work paved the way for women's ordination and leadership roles in various Christian denominations.
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How is Alma Bridwell White viewed by historians today?
Alma Bridwell White (1862â1946) was an American religious leader who founded the Methodist Pentecostal Union Church, which later became the Pillar of Fire Alma Bridwell White. White's views and actions, particularly her support for the Ku Klux Klan in her book The Ku Klux Klan in Prophecy, have sparked considerable debate Alma Bridwell White.
Today, historians likely view White through a critical lens, acknowledging her role as a pioneering woman in religion while also scrutinizing her controversial associations and beliefs Alma Bridwell White.
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Alma Bridwell White (born June 16, 1862, Kinniconick, Lewis county, Ky., U.S.âdied June 26, 1946, Zarephath, N.J.) was an American religious leader who was a founder and major moving force in the evangelical Methodist Pentecostal Union Church, which split from mainstream Methodism in the early 20th century.
Alma Bridwell grew up in a dour family of little means. She studied at the Millersburg (Kentucky) Female College and in 1882 moved to Bannack, Montana Territory, where she taught school for a time. In 1887 she married Kent White, a Methodist seminarian. In a succession of small, out-of-the-way pastorates in Colorado, she led hymns and prayers and occasionally preached. Her tall, homely appearance and commanding voice proved of great effect, and she soon discovered the ability to move congregations to tears or to shouts of joy.
An intense experience of personal sanctification in March 1893 induced White to organize a series of revival meetings at which she attempted to recover the fervour and piety of primitive Methodism. Her zealous emotionalism, together with her outspoken criticisms of the decorous accommodations of the Methodist hierarchy, brought the wrath of conservative churchmen down on White and her husband, who was transferred to a still-less-desirable pastorate. She eventually persuaded him to resign altogether.
For a time the couple traveled and evangelized together in Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming, and in December 1901 White founded the Methodist Pentecostal Union Church in Denver, Colorado. She was ordained an elder of the new sect in March 1902, the same year she published Looking Back from Beulah, about the course of her life leading to the founding of her church. A short time later she founded the Pentecostal Union Herald, which in 1904 was renamed the Pillar of Fire. In 1907 the headquarters of the church was moved to Zarephath, New Jersey, where a tract of land had been donated by a follower, and the sect grew rapidly. From 1904 to 1905 White made the first of 29 evangelizing missions to Great Britain. Evangelists and missionaries of the sect adopted military uniforms similar to those of the Salvation Army. In 1917 the church changed its name to the Pillar of Fire, reflecting Whiteâs firm opposition to the rise of more primitive and undisciplined forms of Pentecostalism. In 1918 she was consecrated senior bishop of the Pillar of Fire, becoming the first woman bishop of any Christian church.
In addition to running a constant round of revivals, the church came to operate two radio stations (in Denver and in New Jersey), establish seven schools, including Alma White College (founded 1921) in Zarephath, and carry on a large religious publishing program.
Among Whiteâs own books were Demons and Tongues (1910), The New Testament Church (1911â12; two volumes), Restoration of Israel, the Hope of the World (1917), The Story of My Life (1919â30; five volumes), The Ku Klux Klan in Prophecy (1925), in which she outlined biblical sanctions for the Klan, Hymns and Poems (1931), and The Sword of the Spirit (1937). By 1936 the Pillar of Fire church owned property worth an estimated $4 million and had over 4,000 members in 46 congregations. On her death in 1946âher husband having left the church in 1909âshe was succeeded as senior bishop by her son, Ray Bridwell White, who died five months later.