Why would a popular and accomplished preacher fake her own kidnapping? This is the tale of Aimee Semple McPherson, a trailblazing evangelist who founded the Foursquare Church and achieved incredible success. But everything changed in June 1926, when she stumbled out of the desert in Douglas, Arizona telling an unlikely story of being held captive for six weeks. Thank you so much for listening to Dark City! We would love to hear from you. To rate and submit a review on the Apple Podcasts app, scroll down to the “Ratings and Review” section of the show page where you’ll see a “Tap to Rate” section under which you can select the number of stars for your rating. Underneath written reviews from other listeners, you will find a link to "Write a Review”. Tap that link and submit your comments on the screen that appears. Spotify currently allows you to rate podcasts, but not write text reviews. To rate in the Spotify app, navigate to the top of the show page. Under the podcast cover and title, tap the three dots on the far right next to the gear icon. Tap the “Rate Show” option on the menu that appears and tap the number of stars for your ratings. Listening to us on another platform and can’t find the option to rate and review the show? Send us an email at
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[email protected] 🐇 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, M. A. (2009). Aimee Semple McPherson and the resurrection of Christian America. Harvard University Press. Have ideas or suggestion? We would love to hear from you! Send us a text via this link. 👏 Special thanks to our talented partners: Paolo Sbrighi for Musical Composition ( instagram.com/paulosbrighi/ ) Mario Cintra for Logo Design ( instagram.com/alacarala/ )
