A History of Christian Doctrine #3 - Online Christian Library

The Jesus Name Controversy
fought strongly against the Oneness message. Flower’s
opposition was the most decisive of all. From a study of
church history, he concluded that the Oneness teaching
was essentially a revival of modalistic monarchianism or
Sabellianism, which the mainstream church of the third
and fourth centuries had deemed heresy. He argued that
if the Assemblies of God adopted this position, it would
break fellowship with historic and contemporary
Christianity. Although both sides appealed to Scripture,
for many people the ultimate test was the verdict of tradition.
One of Flower’s most significant accomplishments
was influencing Bell to switch sides and endorse trinitarian
baptism again. Bell never denied Jesus Name baptism
as such, but he suppressed his practice of baptizing in
Jesus’ name for the sake of unity and continued fellowship
with the Assemblies of God. Eventually he
denounced the Oneness doctrine.
Welch announced that the general council in 1916
would decide the issue. The fourth general council of the
Assemblies of God convened October 1-7, 1916, in St.
Louis. The leadership appointed a committee to write a
doctrinal statement, even though the organizing conference
two years earlier had voted not to adopt such a statement.
The committee was composed of D. W. Kerr, T. K.
Leonard, S. A. Jameson, Stanley H. Frodsham, and E. N.
Bell. Bell was the only one who had been baptized in
Jesus’ name; the others were staunch trinitarians. Bell
was apparently placed on the committee because of his
great influence and also to reestablish him firmly in the
trinitarian camp.
Kerr (1856-1927), a former minister with the
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