Aimee Semple McPherson
A pioneering Pentecostal evangelist who used radio and theatrical spectacle to build a vast following and one of America's first megachurches.
1890–1944 (age 54)·Canadian-American celebrity evangelist·Birthday: October 9·The Lost Generation
Biography
Aimee Semple McPherson was a force of nature who transformed American evangelism into a media event. Driving a 'Gospel Car' across the country in the 1910s, she soon settled in Los Angeles and built the 5,300-seat Angelus Temple, which she filled nightly with a revolutionary blend of old-time religion and Broadway-style pageantry. She preached the 'Foursquare Gospel' in elaborate sermons featuring costumes, sets, and even spotlights. Sensing the power of the new medium, she launched one of the nation's first Christian radio stations, KFSG, broadcasting her sermons to millions. Her life was a whirlwind of fame, controversy, and mystery, including a highly publicized disappearance in 1926. More than a preacher, she was a savvy architect of modern evangelical culture, understanding the magnetic pull of personality and production.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Aimee was born in 1890, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Aimee Was Born
The biggest hits of 1890
Aimee's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1890Born
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1895Started school
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1903Became a teenager
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1906Could drive
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Could vote
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 21
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1920Turned 30
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1930Turned 40
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1940Turned 50
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1944Died at 54
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
Key Achievements
- She founded the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, a major Pentecostal denomination.
- She built and packed the Angelus Temple in Los Angeles, a pioneering megachurch, in 1923.
- She obtained one of the first broadcasting licenses for a religious station in the U.S., KFSG, in 1924.
- She performed one of the first documented faith healings at a large public meeting in the 20th century.
Did You Know?
She was once reported missing for 32 days in 1926, claiming she had been kidnapped, a story met with widespread skepticism.
She was ordained as a preacher by the Assemblies of God but later started her own denomination.
She was known to enter the Angelus Temple pulpit riding a motorcycle or dressed as a police officer for dramatic effect.
Her second husband, Harold McPherson, divorced her, citing desertion as she was wholly dedicated to her ministry.
“You cannot have faith and fear at the same time. They are opposites.”
