This week in Christian history: McPherson dies, Gutenberg Bible, Whitefield’s final sermon

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Sunday, September 27, 2020

Aimee Semple McPherson died – Sept. 27, 1944

Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944), a popular yet controversial Pentecostal evangelist. | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when controversial Pentecostal preacher Aimee Semple McPherson died at age 53 in Oakland, California, from an accidental overdose of barbiturates.

McPherson, the charismatic founder of the Los Angeles-based Foursquare Church, was known for her flamboyant worship services and claims of faith-healing powers.

She was found dead by her son, Rolf, according to a Los Angeles Times news article from the day after which said her death was initially ruled a heart attack.

“Mrs. McPherson had been in the public eye for more than a quarter-century and the center of her activities was Los Angeles,” reported the Times in 1944.

“Throughout her spectacular career she seized the trappings of the theatrical world — huge bouquets, klieg lights, a radio station, a Prayer Tower in which followers had maintained a continuous vigil, day and night for more than 20 years — as an aid in battle to save souls.”