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International Church of the Foursquare Gospel

by António Martins, 27 July 1999

About the flag

About the flag

There was a Pentecostal church founded in Los Angeles by Canadian-born evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, called the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. This flag was located at a Brazilian site, a branch of the church. Translated from the site:

THE FOURSQUARE GOSPEL is compared to a jewel of unusual beauty and uses the symbolism in different colors:

Violet stands for the resplendent purple of the coming of the king (Jesus Christ).
Light blue stands for the divine cure.
Yellow stands for the sparkling gold of the baptism in the Holy Ghost.
Red stands for bright scarlet of salvation of the soul.

Missing from the explanation is the black canton charged with a red cross coupee on a white rectangle (vertical arms extending to the black background), over all a small black square with a thick sans serif "4" on it. I guess this is the logo of this International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.
António Martins, 27 July 1999

The flag is used in all of the 76 autonomous national Foursquare Gospel church organizations worldwide. When a church can afford to buy or make one, it is displayed in the sanctuary of the church/chapel.

Concerning the black canton: In this I am making an educated guess only..... the founder of the denomination was a Canadian, from a Salvation Army background. Black was the common 19th Century color for clergy and religious. Foursquare actually had black uniforms for its pastors [male and female] up until the 1970's [last I heard, a few national churches still use part of the uniform]. Why, black doesn't show dirt; and black doesn't make a competitive fashion statement. Perhaps the black canton represents the ordained ministry.

Not guessing now: Charged with a red cross: the historical Christian symbol for Christ's sacrificial death.

Small black square with "4": "Foursquare" was a common term in Canada in the 19th Century, denoting solidity and stability, trustworthiness. The "4" within a square symbolises the four cardinal doctrines of the denomination: "Foursquare Gospel = that Christ Jesus is the Saviour, Healer, Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, and Soon Coming King." On printed materials the square is usually white with a black 4. Alternately, the four liturgical symbols [Cross, Dove, Eucharist Cup, and Crown] for the cardinal Christological doctrine is placed in a square with no "4". Either is now commonplace as a Foursquare Gospel logo.
Rev. Bruce Redner, 17 November 2005