Demos Shakarian
Encyclopedia
Demos Shakarian was a Christian businessman of Armenian
origin from Los Angeles who founded the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International (FGBMFI). His story and the story of FGBMFI is the subject of the book The Happiest People on Earth, written by John and Elizabeth Sherrill (Guideposts Magazine) and published in 1975.
. Demos Snr died while working on the construction of railroads in Nevada, and his young son Isaac became the head of the family. Isaac married Zarouhi Yessayian, and he became a prosperous dairy farmer. Demos Jnr entered the family business and their milk herd grew to become the largest in the world at the time. He married Rose Gabrielian in 1933.
was established to encourage more participation by men by providing a platform for businessmen to give religious testimonies. The plan was supported by Oral Roberts
, and under his leadership, the FGBMFI had chapters in 132 countries.
Richard Shakarian is now international president of FGBMFI.
should be understood literally, and could also occur today. In particular, he believed that God healed the sick and injured (including on one occasion his own cattle herd from tuberculosis), and that Christians filled with the Holy Spirit
received visions and promptings from God, including direct messages.
Shakarian considered that although God sometimes prompted him to pray for healings, he was primarily to be a "helper", as defined by I Corinthians 12:28.
He also believed that the rise of the Charismatic Movement
was a harbinger of the Second Coming
, and that there would be a persecution of Christians in America just before this occurred.
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
origin from Los Angeles who founded the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International (FGBMFI). His story and the story of FGBMFI is the subject of the book The Happiest People on Earth, written by John and Elizabeth Sherrill (Guideposts Magazine) and published in 1975.
Early life
Demos was named after his grandfather, who left Kara Kala in Armenia for America due to the 1855 prophecy of the Russian "Boy Prophet", Efim Gerasemovitch Klubniken, that an unspeakable tragedy was to soon come upon Armenia, and he was part of a large group of Pentecostal Christian Armenians moved to Los Angeles years before the Azusa Street RevivalAzusa Street Revival
The Azusa Street Revival was a historic Pentecostal revival meeting that took place in Los Angeles, California and is the origin of the Pentecostal movement. It was led by William J. Seymour, an African American preacher. It began with a meeting on April 14, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915...
. Demos Snr died while working on the construction of railroads in Nevada, and his young son Isaac became the head of the family. Isaac married Zarouhi Yessayian, and he became a prosperous dairy farmer. Demos Jnr entered the family business and their milk herd grew to become the largest in the world at the time. He married Rose Gabrielian in 1933.
Evangelistic campaigns
Shakarian used his organizational abilities to facilitate evangelistic campaigns, in particularly working with Charles S. Price. Other evangelists at his events included Tommy Hicks and William Branham.The Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International
Shakarian noted that his tent campaigns mainly attacted women, and Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship InternationalFull Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International
The Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International is a fellowship of lay businessmen. Its main purpose is to arouse interest in the gospel. Theologically, the organisation has its roots in Pentecostalism. It is currently active in 160 countries around the world...
was established to encourage more participation by men by providing a platform for businessmen to give religious testimonies. The plan was supported by Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts
Granville "Oral" Roberts was an American Pentecostal televangelist and a Christian charismatic. He founded the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University....
, and under his leadership, the FGBMFI had chapters in 132 countries.
Richard Shakarian is now international president of FGBMFI.
Beliefs
Shakarian was a third-generation Pentecostal, and he believed in the "Full Gospel", that all the supernatural events in the New TestamentNew Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
should be understood literally, and could also occur today. In particular, he believed that God healed the sick and injured (including on one occasion his own cattle herd from tuberculosis), and that Christians filled with the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
received visions and promptings from God, including direct messages.
Shakarian considered that although God sometimes prompted him to pray for healings, he was primarily to be a "helper", as defined by I Corinthians 12:28.
He also believed that the rise of the Charismatic Movement
Charismatic movement
The term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
was a harbinger of the Second Coming
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
, and that there would be a persecution of Christians in America just before this occurred.