In The Full Gospel in Zion, Alan J. Clark explores the dynamic history of Pentecostalism in Utah. Although the story of Pentecostalism now spans the globe, there is no previous study of its growth and development among the mountains and valleys of the Beehive State. This book recovers and reveals the identities of the earliest Pentecostal pioneers across the state and places the founding churches within the historical narrative of Utah religion in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
Utah Pentecostals faced difficulties establishing churches and congregations in a region dominated by a Latter-day Saint majority. Pentecostals found that they shared surprising similarities in belief but faced unexpected obstacles in evangelism, as Latter-day Saints did not respond as other Christians did to the Pentecostal message. Clark draws from interviews conducted with church leaders and congregants and from the rich documentary record to show Utah Pentecostals’ perseverance in creating a strong foothold in Utah. His work offers a new look at the diversity and richness of Utah’s religious history.
Clark provides us with a fascinating look at Pentecostalism within the unique culture of Latter-day Saints. I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand not only the histories and varieties of Pentecostalisms in Utah, but also their relationship to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Cecil M. Robeck Jr., coeditor of The Cambridge Companion to Pentecostalism
By capturing the context of Mormon/Pentecostal interactions in Utah since the early twentieth century, Clark offers a much-needed boost and corrective. This kind of comparative religious history promises to open doors to fill that void.
James Goff, Appalachian State University
About the Author
Alan J. Clark holds a doctorate degree from the Religion Department at Claremont Graduate University, with emphases in North American religious history, global Pentecostalism, and the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. A Brief History of the Assemblies of God in Utah
2. Underneath the Radar: Less Represented and Independent Pentecostal Denominations in Utah
3. Struggling on the Fringes: The Latino Assemblies of God and the Asamblea Apostólica de la Fe en Cristo Jesús in Utah
4. “Taking Us Higher”: Church of God in Christ History in Utah
5. “Laborers Are Needed in These Western States”: Pentecostal Woman Evangelists in Utah
6. Growing Pains: The Struggles of Pentecostal Church Growth in Utah
7. Meet the Mormons
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
