News 

Dr. George O. Wood

Assemblies of God General Superintendent George O. Wood has released a statement regarding the comments made by Dr. John MacArthur of Grace to You ministry during the Strange Fire Conference held recently at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California.

MacArthur, who believes the miraculous gifts of the Spirit ceased with the close of the Apostolic Era, strongly expressed his opinion during the conference that the charismatic (which includes Pentecostal) movement is not of God and dishonors the Holy Spirit.

Wood responded to MacArthur's widely publicized statements with a statement of his own, citing several Scriptures for the basis of Pentecostal and charismatic beliefs concerning the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He also observed that over the past 100 years, the overall movement has been a vital force in world evangelism.

"On behalf of the 66 million adherents and 360,000+ churches in the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, I thank God that the faith and life of the Acts 2 church are still being believed and experienced today," Wood stated in his release.

Wood also expressed his hope that MacArthur, and those with similar beliefs, would come to recognize the contributions the Pentecostal and charismatic movements are making in world evangelism. He added a prayer that God would continue to bless MacArthur's efforts to share Christ's gospel with the world.

To read Dr. Wood's entire statement, click here.