Inside the House of Prayer: The House's Foundations - News about religious cults and sects

(...) The Rev. Arthur Allen Jr. founded the House of Prayer church about 1966. The nondenominational congregation has about 130 members. The church began by meeting in the homes of members, then rented a building on Huff Road. After that church burned, the group met in members' homes again before buying its current property at 1194 Hollywood Road in northwest Atlanta.

The church exudes an us-vs.-them attitude, both on racial and on religious issues. And everything theological is driven by the founding preacher's own authoritarian personality:

Allen, who did not attend seminary, has little use for formal training. "I don't have any examples of any apostles in the Bible going to seminary," he says. In calling him to preach, Allen believes, God gave him the authority to interpret Scripture. He likens himself to a judge in a courtroom: "He doesn't report to anyone under him. But he consults with different people." When a church member disagrees, Allen sees little room for debate. "There were followers of Jesus that didn't agree with him. They go their way and I go mine."
Echoing black nationalist groups like the Nation of Islam, Allen says there are moral differences between blacks and whites. "They want to be superior to everyone else," Allen says of whites. "I have found good in whites and blacks. But still blacks have never enslaved whites. They've never taken their right to vote. Blacks have never tried to deny whites."
In the pulpit and one-on-one, Allen frequently criticizes other churches, claiming that they're hypocrites, preaching against sin but not really fighting it. "They believe that you can serve God and you can serve Satan. We only believe you can serve one."

"They're not doing anything but raising money," he says. "Looks like they don't want to get out there and mix it up. It's soft living."
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