White Horse Inn Aimee Semple McPherson: Celebrity, Mystery, and the Rise of Pentecostalism
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Oct 11, 2026 
Robert Godfrey, church historian and theologian, explores the extraordinary life of Aimee Semple McPherson. They revisit her mysterious 1926 disappearance, dramatic sermons, radio fame, and the rise of the Foursquare Gospel Church. The conversation also examines celebrity ministry, Pentecostalism’s diversity, spiritual authority, and the tension between spectacle and the ordinary life of Christian community.
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How McPherson Built Angelus Temple
- Aimee Semple McPherson moved from missionary tragedy to astonishing evangelistic success in Los Angeles.
- Within five years, she built Angelus Temple, seating 5,500 and filling it three times each Sunday, while using radio as an intimate preaching medium.
The Disappearance That Never Got Solved
- McPherson disappeared while swimming in 1926, then returned five weeks later claiming kidnappers held her in the Mexican desert.
- Her unworn shoes and inexplicably dry clothing undermined the story, but no alternative explanation has ever been proven.
When Movements Outgrow Their Founders
- McPherson exemplified American Christianity’s tendency toward powerful personalities and relatively weak institutions.
- Her movement grew from 22,000 members at her death to more than a million worldwide after less dominant leaders succeeded her.