Today we are talking with J. Stephen Conn, ordained Protestant minister and award winning author of the new highly acclaimed memoir, “Growing up Pentecostal.” Welcome to Reader Views J. Stephen.
Juanita: Thanks for joining us today Stephen. Your book “Growing up Pentecostal” has recently been released. Please give us a little background into your memoir.
J. Stephen: For many years there have been books out about growing up Catholic, Jewish, Amish, Fundamentalist, etc. But until now there has not been such a book for Pentecostals. I felt I was uniquely qualified to write it for two reasons. First, I grew up in the home of the General Overseer (CEO) of the Church of God, the world’s oldest Pentecostal denomination. This gave me an insider’s view of the church, both locally and globally, even as a child. Secondly, after spending more than 30 years as a Pentecostal minister, I was ordained in a mainline Protestant church and now consider myself a post-Pentecostal. This helps me to write with no hidden agenda to either criticize or defend the Pentecostal faith.
Juanita: What inspired you to write your book at this time?
J. Stephen: I have been planning to write this book and have collected materials for at least 20 years. Having recently retired, I felt the time was ripe. Enough years have passed since my involvement in the Pentecostal church to give me a good perspective. Also, 2006 marks the centennial of the Azusa Street Revival, generally regarded as the birth of modern-day Pentecostalism. It has been by far the fastest growing religious movement of the past century. My story focuses on growing up in the 1950s and early 1960s, the midway point. Much has been written about the earliest days of the Pentecostal movement, and new books are constantly coming out about Pentecostalism in the present day, but there are relatively few written records of the movement in the crucial transitional period of the mid-20th century.
Juanita: Why did Pentecostalism go through such a dramatic transition during the mid-20th century, and what can we learn by exploring this transition period?
J. Stephen: Until the early 1960s, Pentecostalism was confined almost entirely to the Classical Pentecostal denominations such as Church of God, Assemblies of God and Pentecostal Holiness. We felt we had exclusive access to the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The Charismatic renewal, in both mainline Protestant churches and the Catholic Church, changed all of that. Today there are millions of Spirit-filled Christians (Charismatics) who are Episcopalian, Methodist, Lutheran, Catholic, Baptist, etc. You might say that the Classical Pentecostals learned that they did not have an exclusive franchise on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This has forced those of the Holiness/Pentecostal tradition to rethink their former stand on some of their isolationist and legalistic attitudes. With only a few exceptions, the Classical Pentecostal churches have moderated their standards to reflect the new reality that God pours out His Spirit on whomever He chooses.
Juanita: Tell us about the life altering born-again experience you had at age seven.
J. Stephen: I experienced very few if any lifestyle changes as a born-again seven-year-old. Other than “original sin,” I had nothing to repent of, except for one lie I had told my first grade teacher. However, my new birth was life altering in the sense that all Evangelical Christians speak of their lives in terms of before and after the moment they accepted Jesus as their Saviour. That’s why I call my conversion – somewhat tongue in cheek – the turning point of my life.
Juanita: Through your ministry, you traveled throughout this country and to many others. How did these experiences contribute to the passion of your faith?
J. Stephen: Travel, which included meeting and visiting with people from many different religious traditions, broadened my faith. I mention in the Afterword of my book that I have been an ordained minister in three different denominations – two of them Pentecostal. People have often asked me if my theology changed over the years to cause me to leave one church and affiliate with another. I answer that my theology has not changed so much as it has expanded. I have discovered that God is much bigger than any one church body. The God I knew as a child lived in a tiny box. The better I get to know Him, the more I realize that God is far greater than my finite mind can comprehend.
Juanita: Can you elaborate a little further on how your discoveries led you to change your realization of God?
J. Stephen: Throughout my life, God has had a way of constantly surprising me. Every time I have thought I had Him figured out, He has shown me in some way that He was bigger than my theology. For example, in my book I tell how I was taught from childhood that a person who wore shorts or smoked tobacco could not be filled with the Holy Spirit. Then I met an Episcopalian who wore shorts, smoked a pipe, and also spoke in tongues and prayed for the sick to be healed, just like a Pentecostal. God has stepped outside my box like that a thousand times. Romans 11:34 asks the rhetorical question, “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who has been His counselor?”
Juanita: How has the Pentecostal religion changed since the days you remember from your childhood?
J. Stephen: It is well documented that Pentecostalism grew out of the Wesleyan Holiness movement, which gave birth to the Methodist church. Historically, most Pentecostals were Holiness first and then Pentecostal. As Holiness people the early Pentecostals often expressed their beliefs in the negative, defining their faith by the long list of things they did not do. We were extremely legalistic in our dress and behavioral codes. There are still many pockets of that kind of legalism, but today most Pentecostals are more positive and less rigid than they were when I was young. Also, many of today’s Pentecostals are more inclusive and accepting of other Christians.
Juanita: In the changing times that we live in, there seems to be a huge shift towards spirituality as opposed to religion. Do you think the power of fundamentalist religion is fading in light of the new spirituality movement?
J. Stephen: Fundamentalist religion is still very strong. Many Fundamentalists have minds like concrete – all mixed up and firmly set. To me there is no person who is more to be pitied than one who sincerely believes that he and his little group alone know God’s truth, and that everyone outside their group is lost and doomed to Hell. However, I do have a sense that far more people today are willing to question old beliefs and explore new ideas than was the case a generation or two ago.
Juanita: As a child, how did you deal with the ridicule from outsiders regarding your faith?
J. Stephen: I definitely thought of myself as part of a despised minority group, but I took it all in stride. On one level, I was even proud of it. To be “persecuted for righteousness sake” was considered a sign of God’s approval, and a guarantee of eternal blessings in Heaven.
Juanita: What were your happiest times when you were growing up Pentecostal?
J. Stephen: There were many happy times. First, I greatly enjoyed being part of a large family of twelve children. Stories of adventures with my siblings add a lot of spice and humor to my book. Although I speak truthfully about my uneasy relationship with a Father who was a very stern disciplinarian, I still felt very much loved.
On a broader level, the thing I enjoyed most about being a Pentecostal was the sense of belonging. As long as I was a true believer, and fully adhered to the church’s teachings and practices without question, I found myself embraced as part of a wonderful caring community.
Unfortunately, whether a person is Pentecostal or a part of any other fundamentalist sect, once he or she openly questions the faith or dares waver from the accepted practices, that person is often ostracized and shunned. I’ve seen this happen not only to Pentecostals, but also to those in many other religious groups, from Amish to Mormon.
Juanita: Did you ever wonder as a child what it may have been like growing up under different circumstances?
J. Stephen: Yes, I thought of that often – maybe too much. It especially concerned me in high school that I had friends from so many different denominations who were good people, but they sincerely thought I was lost and going to Hell because I didn’t belong to their particular church. Sadly, I felt the same about them. I was a true believer in the Pentecostal faith, but often wondered whether it was because of genuine conviction or due to my upbringing. I go into some detail about my search for true religion in chapter 19 of the book, “Banana Box Religion.”
Juanita: With all of the experiences you’ve had, and the long history of exploring theology, what does your faith look like today?
J. Stephen: I would say that my faith is strong, but my understanding is very limited. When I was 21, I felt I knew most of the answers. Now, at the age of 61, my faith can be boiled down to this: I believe there is one God, who for his own reasons, chooses to remain a mystery to the finite human mind. I also believe that He is a loving God, who watches over his children and orders our steps. However, He sees our lives in an eternal dimension, which is beyond our ability to fully comprehend.
Juanita: What do you miss the most from the old days of the mid-twentieth century?
J. Stephen: I miss the simpler life. I grew up without television, and rarely watch it today because TV is such a waste of time. We children were creative in our play and had adventures that most of today’s youth miss.
Juanita: Why do you think the world is a much more complicated place that it was back in the days of your childhood?
J. Stephen: Modern technology has changed everything, and much of it for the better. The first book I wrote, in the 1970s, was on an old manual typewriter. This one was composed on a word processor. I don’t want to go back. With modern technology, faster, more efficient transportation, etc. people in the 21st century have a greater ability than they once did to do either good or evil.
Juanita: What is the feedback from your other family members upon reading your book?
J. Stephen: My siblings have enjoyed reading the childhood adventures of which they were such an important part, and are glad that I have preserved a record of those times. Frankly, some feel I have revealed more family secrets than they would have if they had written the book. I tried to be honest but not critical.
Juanita: There is quite a bit of humor in “Growing up Pentecostal,” and I have heard that is a part of your distinct storytelling style. Please give us a little insight into your unique quality of perception.
J. Stephen: I suppose a good sense of humor comes with my gene pool. My parents, especially Dad, had a great sense of humor, and my Grandfather Conn had a reputation as one of the best storytellers in Atlanta, Georgia during his day. I consider my ability to see the funny side of things, and even to laugh at myself, one of the best gifts God has given me.
Juanita: That is a tremendous gift that is eloquently displayed in your book. Who would enjoy reading “Growing up Pentecostal”?
J. Stephen: “Growing up Pentecostal” is definitely not for Pentecostals only. The first three people to review the book have all been non-Pentecostals, and each of them has said the book is very interesting – even eye-opening – and an enjoyable read to a person of any religion, or no religion at all. Besides the Pentecostal part, there are many great stories of our large family. Those who enjoy nostalgia and memoirs will find a lot to interest them. Also, I have already received numerous calls and emails from people who grew up Pentecostal or in similar churches. They especially relate to the book and have thanked me for also telling “their” story.
Juanita: You have written a heart-felt, honest, and humorous look at the transition time of a major religion in this country. What would you like your readers to take with them after reading your “Growing up Pentecostal?”
J. Stephen: I had two audiences in mind when I wrote the book. One group is those who either are or have been Pentecostal. Many of these have already told me that the book was therapeutic for them because they have suffered under the abuses of legalism. My other audience is those who know little of Classical Pentecostalism, including my own grandchildren. I wanted to leave a record with them of the way things were. Hopefully it will help them better understand their ancestors, and appreciate more the life that they now have.
Juanita: Please tell your readers of your other endeavors and how they may contact you.
J. Stephen: I am recently retired from full-time pastoral ministry and am now devoting much of my energies to writing. I also still enjoy guest-speaking as the opportunities arise. My website is [http://www.growinguppentecostal.com], and readers may contact me at jstephenconn@yahoo.com.
Juanita: Thank you for joining us today J. Stephen. You have certainly opened our eyes to an aspect of religious history through your personal journey. Do you have any last thoughts for your readers?
J. Stephen: Thank you, Juanita. I’ve enjoyed the interview.
I am not a sociologist, a theologian or a historian, but a storyteller, although I endeavor to make my stories historically accurate. I have written with the perspective of a former insider who is no longer active in the Pentecostal church, although I still maintain many close ties to Pentecostal family and friends. My goal has been to simply tell, as honestly as possible, the story of how it was to grow up in that tradition in the mid-20th century. Some say they have received insight or inspiration from my book, and that is very gratifying. Whatever else readers may gain, I hope they also enjoy a fascinating story.
