Los Angeles, CA | Why would a popular and accomplished preacher fake her own kidnapping? This is the tale of Aimee Semple McPherson, a woman who accomplished groundbreaking evangelical success and founded the Foursquare Church, only to have her credibility forever questioned once she emerged in the desert town of Douglas, Arizona in June of 1926, telling an unlikely story of being held captive during the previous six weeks.
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🐇 Go ahead, down the rabbit hole you go… Here’s the complete list of sources for this episode:
-Aimee Semple McPherson dies suddenly in Oakland. (1944, September 28). Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-aimee-semple-mcpherson-19440928-story.html
-Grimley, N. (2014, November 25). The mysterious disappearance of a celebrity preacher. BBC Magazine. Retrieved January 9, 2025, from https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30148022
-King, G. (2013, June 17). The incredible disappearing evangelist. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-incredible-disappearing-evangelist-572829/
-Krist, G. (2018). The Mirage Factory: Illusion, imagination, and the invention of Los Angeles. Crown. Kindle Edition.
-McPherson, A. S. (1973). The story of my life. Word Books.
-Monrovia Daily News. (1926, June 4). Mrs. Kennedy will abandon ocean search. Monrovia, CA. https://www.newspapers.com/image/606324952/?match=1&terms=kidnap%20McKinley
-Monrovia Daily News. (1926, June 3). McPherson 4 questions. Newspapers.com. Retrieved August 29, 2025, from https://www.newspapers.com/article/monrovia-daily-news-mcpherson-4-question/179988527/
-PBS. (2007, April 2). Sister Aimee [Television documentary]. American Experience. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/sister/
-PBS. (n.d.). The Angelus Temple. American Experience. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/sister-angelus-temple/
-PBS. (n.d.). The Fight for Genesis. American Experience. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/sister-fight-genesis/
-Sutton,
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