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was - On September 26, 1944, McPherson went to Oakland, California,
for a series of revivals, planning to preach her popular "Story of My
Life" sermon - When McPherson's son went to her hotel room at 10:00
the next morning, he found her unconscious with pills and a half-empty
bottle of capsules nearby - She had been taking sleeping pills following
numerous health problems-including "tropical fever" - Among the pills
found in the hotel room was the drug Seconal, a strong sedative which
had not been prescribed for her - It was unknown how she obtained
them - The actual cause of death still officially listed as unknown -
There was some conjecture of suicide but most sources generally
agree the overdose was accidental as put forth in the coroner's report
Early Life: The battle between fundamentalists and modernists escalated after World War I, with many modernists
seeking less conservative religious faiths. Fundamentalists generally believed their religious faith should influence
every aspect of their lives. McPherson [infiltrated the Christian Church and pretended to support fundamental
values] sought to eradicate modernism and secularism in homes, churches, schools and communities and developed
a strong following in what McPherson termed "the Foursquare Gospel" by blending contemporary culture with
religious teachings. -- International Church of the Foursquare Gospel: Wearied by constant traveling and having
nowhere to raise a family, McPherson had settled in Los Angeles, where she maintained both a home and a church.
McPherson believed that by creating a church in Los Angeles, her audience would come to her from all over the
country. This, she felt, would allow her to plant seeds of Gospel and tourists would take it home to their
communities, still reaching the masses. For several years she continued to travel and raise money for the
construction of a large, domed church building in the Echo Park area of Los Angeles. The church would be named
Angelus Temple. Raising more money than she had hoped, McPherson altered the original plans, and built a
"megachurch" that would draw many followers throughout the years. The church was dedicated on January 1, 1923.
The auditorium had a seating capacity of 5,300 people and was filled three times each day, seven days a week. At
first, McPherson preached every service, often in a dramatic scene she put together to attract audiences. Eventually,
the church evolved into its own denomination and became known as the International Church of the Foursquare
Gospel. The new denomination focused on the nature of Christ's character, that he was Savior, baptizer with the
Holy Spirit, healer and coming King. There were four main beliefs: the first being Christ's ability to transform
individuals' lives through the act of salvation; the second focused on a holy baptism; the third was divine healing;
and the fourth was gospel-oriented heed to the premillennial return of Jesus Christ. -- In August 1925 and away
from Los Angeles, McPherson decided to charter a plane so she would not miss giving her Sunday sermon. Aware
of the opportunity for publicity, she arranged for at least two thousand followers and members of the press to be
present at the airport. The plane failed after takeoff and the landing gear collapsed, sending the nose of the plane
into the ground. McPherson boarded another plane and used the experience as the narrative of an illustrated Sunday
sermon called "The Heavenly Airplane." The stage in Angelus Temple was set up with two miniature planes and a
skyline that looked like Los Angeles. In this sermon, McPherson described how the first plane had the devil for the
pilot, sin for the engine and temptation as the propeller. The other plane, however, was piloted by Jesus and would
lead one to the Holy City (the skyline shown on stage). The temple was filled beyond capacity. On one occasion,
she described being pulled over by a police officer, calling the sermon "Arrested for Speeding." McPherson
employed a small group of artists, electricians, decorators and carpenters who built the sets for each Sunday's
service. Religious music was played by an orchestra. Biographer Matthew Avery Sutton wrote, "McPherson found
no contradiction between her rejection of Hollywood values for her use of show business techniques. She would not
hesitate to use the devil's tools to tear down the devil's house." Collections were taken at every meeting, often with
the admonishment, "no coins, please." -- Because Pentecostalism was not popular in the U.S. during the 1920s,
McPherson avoided the label. She did, however, make demonstrations of speaking-in-tongues and faith healing in
sermons. She kept a museum of crutches, wheelchairs and other paraphernalia. As evidence of her early influence
by the Salvation Army, McPherson adopted a theme of "lighthouses" for the satellite churches, referring to the
parent church as the "Salvation Navy." This was the beginning of McPherson working to plant Foursquare Gospel
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