Sister Aimee: The Life of Aimee Semple McPherson [Paperback]

Daniel Mark Epstein (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Harvest Book | Publication Date: June 27, 1994

Sister Aimee was a scamp in school, a young widow in China, and a neurotic housewife in Rhode Island, but when the Lord spoke to her, she accepted her ministry and began preaching. This book “fills a significant gap in the history of revivalism” (New York Times Book Review). Photographs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A sensational biography of the celebrated early 20th-century evangelist.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Once considered the premier evangelist and faith healer of her day, Sister Aimee built a church in Los Angeles called The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. A mixture of evangelism and the cult of personality, the church is today valued at over $300 million. Upon her death in 1944, recounts her biographer, poet and novelist Epstein, "Eulogies in the world press were lengthy, impassioned and full of praise. In death people did not hesitate to compare her to John Knox, John Wesley, Martin Luther, or Dwight Moody." Yet modern histories of Christianity do not even mention her or her church. A sympathetic biographer who occasionally juxtaposes a personal and academic tone, Epstein is often reluctant to fault McPherson for poor judgment or zealotry. Still, his labor is exhaustive; the extensive notes, bibliography, and index he has produced should prove useful to students of early 20th-century Christianity, particularly as it flourished on the West Coast. Recommended for women's studies and religion collections.
- Sandra Collins, SLIS, Univ. of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (June 27, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156000938
• ISBN-13: 978-0156000932
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my all-time favorites, April 8, 1999

By 

John Cavanaugh (Worcester, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sister Aimee: The Life of Aimee Semple McPherson (Paperback)

If a biography can have the beauty of a painting, this one does. It does not stand off from a safe academic distance from its subject, as if the author's heart could not possibly be touched or fascinated by the drama of his subject's story, but through its words the author conveys his own wonder at Sister Aimee's remarkable life. He does so with caution, since his own religious perspective differs from her, but nevertheless the heart of the author comes through, stirring the reader to greater amazement at one who in this often frightening century prayed for miracles, and received them in wondrous abundance. Epstein does not minimize the personal troubles of Sister Aimee's life, though he does defend her integrity re serious charges of scandal (in my view, persuasively). If you have ever contemplated writing a biography, this book provides a model of biography-writing at its finest.

I assume that Mr. Epstein is Jewish, and so am especially thankful for what his book may signify as a contribution to greater understanding between Christians and Jews (though that is not the focus of his book).

I look forward to future works by this author.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Aimee You Never Knew..., September 20, 2000

By 

Alan Ross (Paris, Kentucky United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sister Aimee: The Life of Aimee Semple McPherson (Paperback)

For those who are quick to dismiss Aimee Semple Mcpherson as the prototypical religious huckster this book will give you much pause to think. Although Epstein doesn't attempt to minimize her mortal weaknesses and often a naivete which frequently had her at odds with the more worldly he also shows the tirelessly devoted humanitarian who pushed herself to the point of breakdown. The book helps one to appreciate the multifacted, sometimes subtle and sometimes dominating personality she possessed, a woman who can command admiration for her spiritual gifts despite the feet of clay.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An engrossing and balanced look at a controversial character, July 10, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sister Aimee: The Life of Aimee Semple McPherson (Hardcover)

Epstein could have written a very skeptical biography of this powerful woman: her rollercoaster life certainly gave him enough ambiguous material. Instead, he's written a balanced and engaging account, describing both the power and attraction of her spiritual talents and the engulfing loneliness of her personal life. A fascinating and very readable book.