Apology and Correction: Missionary Baptist Church Claim
One of our partners has just informed us that a critical fact has been uncovered that partially overturns statements about William Branham being ordained into the Pentecostal Baptist Church of God sect. Branham, as many are aware, claimed that Roy E. Davis ordained him into the "Missionary Baptist Church". We disagreed, citing government documents and newspaper articles confirming Davis was a pastor of the "Pentecostal Baptist Church of God". As we have stated in the past, should any of our research be found incorrect, we would publish an apology and a correction. In July, this partner will be joining me as co-host in the reboot of the William Branham Historical Research Podcast. Join us as we discuss this in more detail.
One of our partners has just informed us that a critical fact has been uncovered that partially overturns statements about William Branham being ordained into the Pentecostal Baptist Church of God sect. Branham, as many are aware, claimed that Roy E. Davis ordained him into the "Missionary Baptist Church". We disagreed, citing government documents and newspaper articles confirming Davis was a pastor of the "Pentecostal Baptist Church of God". As we have stated in the past, should any of our research be found incorrect, we would publish an apology and a correction. In July, this partner will be joining me as co-host in the reboot of the William Branham Historical Research Podcast. Join us as we discuss this in more detail.
The key research fact can be found in this newspaper article:
"Bad Record For Preacher". The Nugget. February 18, 1927. p. 1.
https://william-branham.org/site/resource?key=6d259224-40cc-4d58-a4d2-c2c7de7de33b&parent=roy_e._davis
This critical fact is ... significant. It does mean that William Branham was truthful in his claim to be in the "Missionary Baptist Church", but at the same time, it completely overturns the history of William Branham as it has been written by both cult historians and William Branham himself. It also binds Branham more strongly to the white supremacy agenda, to Roy E. Davis, and to the formation of the "Pentecostal Baptist Church of God" sect. At the same time, it completely changes the "Message" cult background. Based on the facts now identified, it is very clear that the "Message" cult was in fact a rebranding of the "Pentecostal Baptist Church of God" sect, which also answers many previously unanswered questions.
The Reason For Our Mistake
William Branham was dishonest about the timeline of his ministerial history and appears to have purposefully given incorrect dates and histories in order to conceal his deep involvement with Roy E. Davis and William D. Upshaw in rebuilding what would eventually become the Third Wave of the Ku Klux Klan. According to Branham's timeline, his ministry started in Jeffersonville after being ordained by Roy E. Davis, and he claimed to have started the "Branham Tabernacle" in 1933,[1] becoming affiliated with the Pentecostal movement after the 1937 Flood.[2] Research confirms, however, that Branham purchased the "Billie Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle" on November 9, 1936,[3] and Branham himself mentioned taking over Davis' congregation after Davis' the 1934 burning of the church.[4] Because of this timeline, and taking Branham at his word that he was ordained by Roy E. Davis around this time, we disagreed with his claim to have been a "Missionary Baptist":
And, but, when I left the Baptist church…which is the only church I ever come in, or was ordained in. And I was ordained in 1933, in the Missionary Baptist church, Jeffersonville, Indiana. It's a—a…it's a member of the Southern Baptist Convention.[5]
I'm a Baptist preacher, out of a Missionary Baptist church, ordained by Dr. Roy E. Davis out of Dallas, Texas, and was made a local elder for the church at Jeffersonville.[6]
Why This is Significant
The earliest year that we had previously been able to tie William Branham to Roy E. Davis was in 1929 during a revival that Roy Davis held in Nashville near the Nashville Parthenon[7] with the former Ku Klux Klan Imperial Kludd (The Supreme Religious Chaplain of the KKK) Caleb A. Ridley.[8] At this point in the timeline, Roy E. Davis had fully abandoned his claims to be a Baptist minister to promote his Pentecostal Baptist Church of God sect which had branches in at least Chattanooga, Nashville, and either at the same time or soon after, Louisville, Kentucky. Branham himself claimed to have been working with Davis since 1928[9] and since we could not find any substantiating evidence we had to assume that 1928 was the earliest year Branham worked with Davis.
It is now a proven fact that Roy E. Davis WAS a "Missionary Baptist" preacher and evangelist. In the February 18 issue of "The Nugget", in an article entitled "Bad Record For a Preacher", the newspaper aired a laundry list of Roy Davis' criminal activity, from abandoning a wife and children to living dual lives with multiple wives, to swindling, theft, and more. Embedded in the article was a notice dated August 12, 1926, stating that Roy E. Davis was banned from the Baptist Church. It was published by the "State Board of Missions", confirming his involvement as a Baptist Missionary. (Not to be confused with the Missionary Baptist denomination). This critical fact places the last point in time in which Branham would have been a "Missionary Baptist":
August 12, 1926:
Important Notice,
The State Board of Missions through its Ex. Com. regrets to say that in its best judgment Mr. Roy E. Davis, now operating in and around Jacksonville and posing as a Baptist preacher, is not worthy of the confidence of the brotherhood, nor the public at large. A thorough investigation has been made and from the many personal letters and affidavits in hand from trustworthy brethren it is evident that Mr. Davis is an excluded member of a Baptist church, and he has a long and black record behind him.
W. L. C. Mahan, Pres.
C. M. Brittain, Acting Sec'y[10]
Previously Unanswered Questions
There were previously huge gaps in William Branham's timeline described in his fictional "Life Story" accounts. Branham mentioned a lot of traveling in the year 1926, giving locations as far as Phoenix, Arizona in his travels.[11] Yet we have been unable to verify any of the locations as being historically accurate — we were researching from the angle of William Branham living at the locations, not holding revivals at the locations. If William Branham was holding revivals with Roy E. Davis and Caleb A. Ridley during those years, however, every single one of our questions is fully answered. The picture that was forming with our "puzzle pieces" now has huge sections filled.
Why This is Even More Disturbing:
After the Georgia Klan was overturned, Roy E. Davis and William Joseph Simmons formed the "Knights of the Flaming Sword" white supremacy domestic terrorist group. This group was widely popular among disgruntled Klansmen from 1924 until it was dissolved in January of 1925 when violence ran rampant.[12] The group appears to have been named in response to black Indianapolis Oneness Pentecostal leader Garfield T. Haywood's popular religious tract, "Victim of the Flaming Sword".[13] When the Flaming Sword disbanded, Roy Davis began migrating north to seize the opportunity and fill the void created when Indiana Klan leader D. C. Stevenson was convicted of murder in 1925.
Davis, banned from multiple churches for his sexual deviance and criminal activities, attempted to stage an exodus by appealing to many of them as an "everyone-is-welcome" sect and growing his own cult following. The "Pentecostal Baptist Church of God" sect had the denominations "Pentecostal", "Baptist", and "Church of God" in the names -- all of which Davis had been involved with. Worse, Davis was doing so under the banner of white supremacy, working with key figures from the Atlanta Ku Klux Klan. During these years, Davis openly advertised himself as a "lecturer for the Ku Klux Klan and the Fundamentalist Association."[14]
This new evidence places Branham with Davis during those years. And it also fully explains why Branham chose to use a "Moses" stage persona during the early versions of his stage persona.[15] (This later transitioned to an "Elijah" stage persona). Branham and Davis were staging an exodus from the denominations that had banned Roy E. Davis. According to this timeline, William Branham was involved in the formation of the Pentecostal Baptist Church of God sect instead of being ordained into the sect. It also explains why Roy Davis and his brothers held revivals[16] and faith healing meetings in Jeffersonville — Branham was a leader in the sect!
Since Branham transitioned Davis' church to his own in 1934 and continued the same theme well into the 1950s, this piece of evidence suggests that the "Message" cult was nothing more than a re-branding of Roy E. Davis' Pentecostal Baptist Church of God sect created to conceal the domestic terrorist activities.
Simply put: William Branham was helping Roy E. Davis draw people out of the churches that had banished him.
References
[1] Branham, William. God Hiding Himself In Simplicity, Then Revealing Himself In The Same. 1963, Mar, 17. God Hiding Himself In Simplicity, Then Revealing Himself In The Same (63-0317M). "1963/17/03 God Hiding Himself In Simplicity, Then Revealing Himself In The Same The tabernacle itself has been dedicated in 1933. But thinking, this morning, it would be a—a very good thing for just a—a small service of dedication again, and especially to the people who has, with their love and devotion to Christ, has made this all possible. And I want to thank each and every one of you for your offerings, and so forth, that you have put forth to dedicate this church to Christ William Branham The tabernacle itself has been dedicated in 1933. But thinking, this morning, it would be a—a very good thing for just a—a small service of dedication again, and especially to the people who has, with their love and devotion to Christ, has made this all possible. And I want to thank each and every one of you for your offerings, and so forth, that you have put forth to dedicate this church to Christ."
[2] Branham, William. Life Story. 1951, Apr, 15. Life Story (51-0415A). "1951/15/04 Life Story And—and there, friends, is where my sorrows started. I listened to my mother-in-law in the stead of God. He was giving me the opportunity. And there this gift would've been manifested long time ago, if I'd just went ahead and done what God told me to do. But instead of that, I didn't want her to be angry, and I didn't want to hurt nobody's feelings. And so I just—just let it go like that. Just walked, I just said, "All right, we won't go.' And right there, the sorrows started. Immediately after that, my father died. My brother was killed a few nights later from that. I almost lost my own…I lost my father, my brother, my wife, my baby, and my sister-in-law, and almost my own life within about six month's time. And just started going down. My church, pretty near everything went down, down, down. Hope taken sick. 81 Just right after that, the 1937 flood come on William Branham And—and there, friends, is where my sorrows started. I listened to my mother-in-law in the stead of God. He was giving me the opportunity. And there this gift would've been manifested long time ago, if I'd just went ahead and done what God told me to do. But instead of that, I didn't want her to be angry, and I didn't want to hurt nobody's feelings. And so I just—just let it go like that. Just walked, I just said, "All right, we won't go.' And right there, the sorrows started. Immediately after that, my father died. My brother was killed a few nights later from that. I almost lost my own…I lost my father, my brother, my wife, my baby, and my sister-in-law, and almost my own life within about six month's time. And just started going down. My church, pretty near everything went down, down, down. Hope taken sick. 81 Just right after that, the 1937 flood come on."
[3] Warranty Deed. 1936, Nov, 9. "1936/09/11 Warranty Deed (Billie Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle Deed)"
[4] Branham, William. A Trial. 1964, Apr, 27. A Trial (64-0427). "1964/27/04 A Trial Then, about seventeen years after that, I was, had become a minister, a Baptist preacher, of the Missionary Baptist Church. Dr. Roy E. Davis ordained me as one of the local pastors, give me rights then, by the state, to marry, bury, baptize, so forth. And the Missionary Baptist Church burned down, which I was assistant pastor, at the time. And Mr. Davis come back to Texas, which he was of Davis mountains, and—and down near Van Horn, Texas. That's where they come from. And so, while he was gone, I started to take over the congregation. Got a tent, and I begin to preach in the city, and just a boy preacher William Branham Then, about seventeen years after that, I was, had become a minister, a Baptist preacher, of the Missionary Baptist Church. Dr. Roy E. Davis ordained me as one of the local pastors, give me rights then, by the state, to marry, bury, baptize, so forth. And the Missionary Baptist Church burned down, which I was assistant pastor, at the time. And Mr. Davis come back to Texas, which he was of Davis mountains, and—and down near Van Horn, Texas. That's where they come from. And so, while he was gone, I started to take over the congregation. Got a tent, and I begin to preach in the city, and just a boy preacher."
[5] Branham, William. The Godhead Explained. 1961, Apr, 25. The Godhead Explained (61-0425B). "1961/25/04 The Godhead Explained The Godhead Explained (61-0425B) William Branham The Godhead Explained (61-0425B)."
[6] Branham, William. The Healing Of Jairus' Daughter. 1955, Feb, 27. The Healing Of Jairus' Daughter (55-0227E). "1955/27/02 The Healing Of Jairus' Daughter The Healing Of Jairus' Daughter (55-0227E) William Branham The Healing Of Jairus' Daughter (55-0227E)."
[7] NOTE: Branham says, "Memphis", but then describes the Nashville Parthenon: Branham, William. 1962, Sep, 9. In His Presence (62-0909E). "1962/09/09 NOTE: Branham says, "Memphis", but then describes the Nashville Parthenon: Branham, William Memphis", but then describes the Nashville Parthenon: Branham, William. 1962, September 9. In His Presence (62-0909E). "When a man comes in contact with God, he recognizes himself "no good.' How can a man walk around and brag about how big he is and what all he's done, when he's nothing? He's nothing to begin with. One day down in Memphis, Tennessee, or one…I don't think it was in Memphis. It was one of the places there. I was with Brother Davis and was having a—a revival. It might have been Memphis. And we was, went to a coliseum, and they had in there, not a coliseum, it was kind of an art gallery, and they had the—the great statues that they had got from different parts of the earth, of different, Hercules and so forth, and great artists had painted. And then they had the analysis of a man that weighed a hundred and fifty pounds. You know what, how much he's worth? Eighty-four cents. That's all he is. Eighty-four cents is all—all the chemicals you can get out of him. He's just got enough whitewash to sprinkle a hen's nest, and he's got enough, just a little bit of calcium, little potash. It would all sell for eighty-four cents. But we just take care of that eighty-four cents and baby it around Memphis", but then describes the Nashville Parthenon: Branham, William. 1962, September 9. In His Presence (62-0909E). "When a man comes in contact with God, he recognizes himself "no good.' How can a man walk around and brag about how big he is and what all he's done, when he's nothing? He's nothing to begin with. One day down in Memphis, Tennessee, or one…I don't think it was in Memphis. It was one of the places there. I was with Brother Davis and was having a—a revival. It might have been Memphis. And we was, went to a coliseum, and they had in there, not a coliseum, it was kind of an art gallery, and they had the—the great statues that they had got from different parts of the earth, of different, Hercules and so forth, and great artists had painted. And then they had the analysis of a man that weighed a hundred and fifty pounds. You know what, how much he's worth? Eighty-four cents. That's all he is. Eighty-four cents is all—all the chemicals you can get out of him. He's just got enough whitewash to sprinkle a hen's nest, and he's got enough, just a little bit of calcium, little potash. It would all sell for eighty-four cents. But we just take care of that eighty-four cents and baby it around."
[8] Pentecostal Baptist Church Rally Planned. 1929, Jul, 6. The Tennessean. "1929/06/07 Pentecostal Baptist Church Rally Planned The Tennessean. The pastor, Dr. R. E. Davis will preach the evening sermon. And special music has been prepared by a string orchestra. The speaker for the evening will be Dr. Caleb A. Ridley, former pastor of the Central Baptist church of Atlanta who was connected with the late William Jennings Bryan of the circuit of the Radcliffe Chautauqua The Tennessean. The pastor, Dr. R. E. Davis will preach the evening sermon. And special music has been prepared by a string orchestra. The speaker for the evening will be Dr. Caleb A. Ridley, former pastor of the Central Baptist church of Atlanta who was connected with the late William Jennings Bryan of the circuit of the Radcliffe Chautauqua."
[9] In 1959, Branham noted that he was converted into Roy E. Davis' Pentecostal sect "thirty-one years ago", or 1928: Branham, William. 1959, July 7. Balm In Gilead (59-0707). "Ministry of healing is to pray for the sick. All churches pray for the sick. I have never drawed a denominational line, any barrier. I was ordained in the Missionary Baptist church by Dr. Roy E. Davis. But I do not hold any denominational barriers. I believe that Christ died for all His children, and I pray for all His children everywhere. God is never questioned to me by, 'If this person's a Baptist, he may be healed.' If you've got faith, you may be healed. I do not believe that healing is anything that a minister could do to you, only explain to you what Christ has already done for you. I do not believe that I was saved thirty-one years ago. I believe I was saved nineteen hundred years ago when Jesus died for my sins. I accepted it thirty-one years ago.". "In 1959, Branham noted that he was converted into Roy E. Davis' Pentecostal sect "thirty-one years ago", or 1928: Branham, William. 1959, July 7. Balm In Gilead (59-0707). "Ministry of healing is to pray for the sick. All churches pray for the sick. I have never drawed a denominational line, any barrier. I was ordained in the Missionary Baptist church by Dr. Roy E. Davis. But I do not hold any denominational barriers. I believe that Christ died for all His children, and I pray for all His children everywhere. God is never questioned to me by, 'If this person's a Baptist, he may be healed.' If you've got faith, you may be healed. I do not believe that healing is anything that a minister could do to you, only explain to you what Christ has already done for you. I do not believe that I was saved thirty-one years ago. I believe I was saved nineteen hundred years ago when Jesus died for my sins. I accepted it thirty-one years ago."
[10] 1927, February 18. The Nugget. "1927, February 18. The Nugget"
[11] Branham, William. Presuming. 1962, Jan, 17. Presuming (62-0117). "1962/17/01 Presuming I was passing down this street. I come here the first time, thirty-five years ago, this year, 1926, in old T-model Ford. And I lived at Sixteenth and Henshaw. I see they've even changed the name. It's Buckeye now out there. So everything is changing. But I recognize the old place. You know, I rode horses around out through the valley down there, the Salt River, and down through that way. Well, they had burros just across the mountain there, wild burros, see, and old prospectors would come in. My! They got prospectors still coming in, but they're in Cadillacs, so still the same. So it's—it's changed quite a bit William Branham I was passing down this street. I come here the first time, thirty-five years ago, this year, 1926, in old T-model Ford. And I lived at Sixteenth and Henshaw. I see they've even changed the name. It's Buckeye now out there. So everything is changing. But I recognize the old place. You know, I rode horses around out through the valley down there, the Salt River, and down through that way. Well, they had burros just across the mountain there, wild burros, see, and old prospectors would come in. My! They got prospectors still coming in, but they're in Cadillacs, so still the same. So it's—it's changed quite a bit."
[12] Knights Flaming Sword Asked to Lay Down Arms. 1925, Jan, 19. Chattanooga Daily Times. "1925/19/01 Knights Flaming Sword Asked to Lay Down Arms Chattanooga Daily Times Chattanooga Daily Times."
[13] Haywood, Garfield Thomas. 1923. The Victim of the Flaming Sword. "Haywood, Garfield Thomas. 1923. The Victim of the Flaming Sword."
[14] 1927, November 22. The Knoxville Journal. "1927, November 22. The Knoxville Journal."
[15] Branham, William. Gifts And Callings Are Without Repentance. He said,. 1950, Mar. Gifts And Callings Are Without Repentance. "1950/03 Gifts And Callings Are Without Repentance. He said, You'll be given two signs as the prophet Moses was given two signs, to get the people to believe you is the really the issue." He said, "One of them was detecting diseases just by holding the person's right hand in your left." He said, "Then if you'll be sincere, it shall come to pass that you'll tell the very secrets of their hearts, and the things that they are doing wrong, to build the faith in the people to be in faith and to vindicate you that I—God will send it to you William Branham You'll be given two signs as the prophet Moses was given two signs, to get the people to believe you is the really the issue." He said, "One of them was detecting diseases just by holding the person's right hand in your left." He said, "Then if you'll be sincere, it shall come to pass that you'll tell the very secrets of their hearts, and the things that they are doing wrong, to build the faith in the people to be in faith and to vindicate you that I—God will send it to you."
[16] 3 Davis Brothers Plan a Pentecostal Revival. 1931, Apr, 17. Evening News. "1931/17/04 3 Davis Brothers Plan a Pentecostal Revival Evening News Evening News."