One of the reasons I began this blog is to uphold the legacy of Bishop Robert Clarence Lawson and to give his doctrine in his own words or as recorded by close associates. Bishop Lawson is a man of tremendous importance in the Pentecostal world. Many, many organizations either descended directly from his bishopric or bear his influence. Great and influential people, including the late Apostle Arturo Skinner (viz. his biography) and the late Frederick "Rev. Ike" Eikerenkoetter (who lived for a time at "Beloved Refuge" on 133rd St.) were formatively impressed by his ministry. Churches and organizations up and down the East Coast unknowingly carry some of the Lawson legacy. Most unfortunately, those who are most directly descended from Lawson or the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith often know little about their illustrious founder, who is today the subject of serious religious study.
Today, many of the people that knew the bishop have passed on, but there are many that are still around but are unknown to the public. One bishop in Fechtig, South Carolina, for instance, recounted the trail that Bishop Lawson and others in his school (e.g., Maurice Hutner and Lymus Johnson) blazed across the South, in places where Pentecost was unknown until the mid-20th century. A church mother in Greenville, S.C., tells of how Bishop Lawson, one of the great radio preachers of his time, "fought" regularly over the air with Bishop S.C. Johnson, Father Divine, and Bishop C.M. "Daddy" Grace. Here and there, fragments remains of the life, work, and influence of this man of whom Bishop G.T. Haywood said on his dying bed that it was his day.
This blog has heretofore featured segments of the Lawsonian outlook. However, we shall now examine Lawson's doctrine in thematic series. The first: Women Preachers.
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