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William Branham said the following about Ern Baxter, while in Chicago, IL, in 1958, a number of years after Ern Baxter returned to pastor his church in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- I haven't got an official campaign manager at these times, since our dear precious brother Ern Baxter, had to return to his church. It was calling for him. His church is almost the size of this auditorium. So to be gadding around across the country with me, his church wouldn't stand for it any longer. He had to return back to them or he'd probably lose his church. A wonderful soul, a wonderful man of God, and I love him. (Sermon: Door to the Heart, Chicago, Il, 01-12-58)
Interview with Ern Baxter
The following is a portion of an interview with Ern Baxter published in the December 1978 issue of New Wine Magazine.
In his book All Things Are Possible, which is a historical look at the healing and charismatic revivals in modern America, David Harrell makes this statement: "Few learned observers recognized the significance of the huge healing campaigns of the 1950's; not many of those enthralled by the charismatic movement today understand its origins." Can you tell us what kind of religious "climate" than there was in the post-World War II years, and what circumstances made the era of the healing the revivals possible?
- The atmosphere and religious "climate" at the time was one of low spirituality. All supernatural happenings around the world were reported on as being quite significant.
- In my opinion, the whole supernatural element in Pentecostalism generally was very low. There were pockets of blessing, but there was no widespread revival. One of the reasons for the impact which the healings accompanying the healing movement made, was that there had not been a wave of healings for a long time. In 1933 at a big Pentecostal conference, much of the delegates' time was spent discussing reasons why people weren't getting the baptism of the Holy Spirit anymore and the lack of healings and conversions. Consequently, I would have to say that the spiritual climate was very low. This provided a backdrop, then, for the advent of the healing revival.
- When William Branham came on the scene, he was the only one who had a genuine healing ministry at that time. Even the Jeffreys brothers for Great Britain had passed the peak of their ministry, which was in the late 1930s.
- So the religious "climate" was one in which the supernatural had seem to cease.
- Then when Branham broke in on the scene with the quality of supernaturalism that he demonstrated, it was newsworthy because of its relative novelty.
What led up to your joining his team? Did he ask you, or did you just have contact with him and then a relationship developed?
- I was going on a vacation and read about him in Time Magazine on the airplane. I was on my way with my wife to Winnipeg, Canada, to visit friends there. During dinner with them, my host, a prominent businessman in Winnipeg, said, "There's an unusual minister down at Zion Church. His name is William Branham."
- I said, "I just read about him on the airplane." So we decided to attend. After dinner, we left for the meeting and arrived around nine o'clock at this rather large church. (I think it seated about two thousand.) The site I saw was, for those days, very impressive. There was a crowd of people outside, listening to Branham by loudspeakers because they couldn't get in. I stood there in the darkness and listen to him.
- What I heard was unique, unusual! I had never heard anything like it before. It was simple and direct. He was talking about demons and God's power to heal. Though it was basic, there was something very attractive about it.
- As I stood in the darkness, I said to my host, "I have a sense that I am going to have something to do with this man." We went on home and made no attempt to contact him. Later, Branham went to Calgary, Alberta. By then, of course, his reputation was well known, and I decided to take some of my people to Calgary.
- At that time Branham had one or two men traveling with him, whose responsibilities centered in arranging the meetings. Branham was doing the bulk of the ministry. He would pray for several thousand people each night. Because his load was so heavy, other ministers who could handle large crowds were invited to share the afternoon meetings. Because I was known in Calgary, I was invited to take one afternoon service. I recall the theme I spoke on: "This is the day that the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." I pointed out that this was the Gospel day and the day in which we should be enjoying all the blessings of God's grace. Presumably, the men that heard me took word back to him.
- After staying for two or three days, I went back home, again making no attempt to contact Branham personally. When I arrived back in Vancouver, a number of ministers came together and said, "We must bring William Branham here." I was asked to lead the meetings, which I did.
- Later, Branham asked to see me personally. He said that he had been in prayer and the Angel of the Lord had spoken to him and told him that I was to be his companion in ministry. He invited me to join him.
- At the time, I was pastor of a large church, and obtained leave from them, joining Branham in Ashland, Oregon. I started to travel with him as often as I could be away from my church. One year I was away eight months.
- When he would speak, especially in those early days, he would say some things that were terribly provocative. To me, unnecessarily so. So when we talked together, we agreed that apart from his giving testimonies and relating his life story, I would do all the speaking, and he would do all of the ministering to the sick. That was the way it was when we were together.
- I was with Branham from 1947 until I had to leave him, in about 1953 or 1954. F. F. Bosworth joined up later than I did and shared in some of the meetings.
Could you briefly describe Branham's ministry and some of its high points? What caused him to break in on the national scene?
- Well, Branham had a tremendous word of knowledge. Before praying for a person, he would give accurate details concerning the person's ailments, and also details of their lives - their hometown, activities, actions - even way back in their childhood. Branham never once made a mistake with the word of knowledge in all the years I was with him. That covers, in my case, thousands of instances.
- Branham's use of the word of knowledge actually started out as a phenomenon in his hand. He would take the hand of the person in his. Immediately at the base of his thumb, in the thick part of his hand, there would be a specific manifestation according to the sickness or need. From seeing the phenomenon so often, I began to pick up what these were and became adept at reading them. Tuberculosis was a light pink flush. Cancer was an angry red appearance in which the ball of his thumb would just seem to surge like a wave.
Was it actually visible?
- Yes, you could see it. Then this gave way to the straight oral word where he would give accurate details concerning the person. He never missed, and this made a tremendous impact.
- ...Many of the subsequent healers receive their initiative from him. He was relieved the fountainhead of the healing revival of the 50's and 60's. Many of the men who began to hold healing meeting subsequent to Branham's had short-lived ministries. Many of them couldn't handle what the ministry and its consequent recognition did to them personally
- The prominence and visibility it created was unbelievable. Many people did not know healing or anything supernatural existed. The ministry reached out and touched people in the denominations. It was very effective that way. People, of course, care about their bodies, so they came - some hundreds and others thousands of miles. It was hard to handle the adulation and the praise. It was almost like Barnabas and Paul's experience when they were considered "gods from heaven".
Can you recount some of the most memorable times with him and some of the events you vividly remember from your time together with him?
- Well, to try to remember or to pick out a few outstanding supernatural occurrences with Branham is somewhat difficult because it was just a parade of the supernatural. On one occasion, we were down in the southern states, and a big auditorium meeting. The first or second night there, Brother Branham came to a certain man in the healing line. He looked at him and said, "Sir, I see you have come into this line tonight to trick me. In fact, I see you last night in a room sitting around a table with four other ministers. You are a minister of such and such a denomination." He pointed up to the balcony and said, "Those four men sitting up, there are your friends, and you plotted last night how to trick me. I was going to tell you what was wrong with you, and you were going to deny it." They just turned around and fled the building.
- ...Once in Des Moines, Iowa, a missionary from the South Seas who had just flown home because of a very serious ailment was standing in front of him. Branham started out by saying, "Oh, you're a missionary. You just flew in today," and then he named the place the man had come from. At that, the entire crowd went into jubilation.
Had Branham had any contact with any of the earlier men, like Smith Wigglesworth, or the Jeffreys? Would that have been the inspiration for his ministry?
- ...He was a relatively illiterate man, and so had not read widely. He was a great hunter. His abilities were in the realm of natural and intuitive abilities. I questioned him about many people. He didn't know Dr. Charles Price, who had had quite a healing ministry back in the 1920's - 30's, or any others whom I mentioned.
- I do not see any inspiration for his ministry coming from any of these earlier men, certainly not in the realm of his word of knowledge. Concerning whatever God may have done in the spirit, I have no knowledge. But in the realm of his word of knowledge, there were no apparent human models he could have patterned himself on. He just seemed to break from a whole new source. He was missionary Baptist, so his tradition would not link him into historic Pentecostalism.
How was he received by the people in the 50's?
- He was received gladly by the common people because of the manifestation of God and his ministry. But to most ministers he was an enigma from the very beginning. First of all, he was theologically, as well as academically, illiterate. When he would speak, his English grammar was bad, and his theology worse.
- A lot of ministers gnashed their teeth and wrung their hands when he preached. One of the reasons I joined him was try to articulate and provide an apologetic for his ministry.
What were some of the personal experiences that you had with him as his friend and companion and ministry?
- We had a great personal friendship. We hunted together and walked great deal. Branham was a very simple man. He had maintained and checked the lines for the power company in his area and walking in the outdoors was his life. So we walked and talked together. We were great friends.
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