A History of Christian Doctrine #3 - Online Christian Library

The Jesus Name Controversy
Fauss took, the conference leaders taught “the oneness of
God in Christ” instead of “three persons in the Godhead”
and taught that “Acts 2:38 is God’s plan” of salvation. 73 All
twelve ministers of the Assemblies of God in Louisiana
embraced the Jesus Name message.
In short, within two years after Ewart and Cook
rebaptized each other, many early Pentecostal leaders
were baptized in Jesus’ name. Some simply acted in obedience
to the apostolic pattern but did not fully embrace
the Oneness doctrine, or else did so for only a short time.
Many, however, accepted both Jesus Name baptism and
the associated Oneness doctrine. In addition to Argue,
Mother Barnes, Bell, Chambers, Cook, Ewart, Goss, Hall,
Haywood, Lawrence, McAlister, Mother Moise,
Opperman, Roberts, Rodgers, Shearer, and Small, early
Pentecostal leaders who accepted Jesus Name baptism
include Frank Bartleman, William Booth-Clibborn (grandson
of the founder of the Salvation Army), Frank and
Elizabeth Gray (missionaries to Japan), Elmer K. Fisher,
Thoro Harris (songwriter), S. C. McClain, Aimee Semple
McPherson, C. H. Mason (but not until 1930), Harry
Morse, F. S. Ramsay (missionary to China), R. J. Scott,
George B. Studd, Harry Van Loon, and Maria Woodworth-
Etter. 74 (See Appendix B for a description of most of these
leaders.) As trinitarian historians point out, the Jesus
Name message came very close to sweeping the
Assemblies of God.
The Controversy in the Assemblies of God
In the meantime, the third general council of the
Assemblies of God convened in October 1915 in St.
Louis. With the approval of some executive presbyters,
75