G. T. Haywood: The Victim of the Flaming Sword

Indiana was home to the church of Pentecostal leader G. T. Haywood, a black Pentecostal preacher. During the time that the Indiana Klan had overthrown the Indianapolis government and pushed litigation against Catholicism and the integration of blacks and whites, Haywood held revivals throughout Indiana with racially integrated audiences. Haywood’s church was an early adopter of a much larger effort to promote equality. As much as forty percent of his congregation was white. As the leader of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World and the “Jesus Only” movement, it was largely due to Haywood that Oneness Pentecostalism spread throughout the world. His 1923 tract “Victim of the Flaming Sword” was widely popular, making Haywood a target for white supremacy groups.

The white supremacy answer to Haywood was formed just months later. Col. William Joseph Simmons, founder of the 1915 Ku Klux Klan, and his second in command, Roy E. Davis organized the Knights of the Flaming Sword shortly after the tract was published, and held their first meeting in February of 1924. Though the group did not last very long due to financial issues, Davis continued the mission and invaded Indiana Pentecostalism. Though he was historically a Baptist, Davis came to Jeffersonville Indiana posing as a Pentecostal, and started a sect called the “Pentecostal Baptist Church of God.” This church eventually transitioned into the Billy Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle, later renamed to Branham Tabernacle.

Garfield T. Haywood:
https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/garfield_t._haywood

Knights of the Flaming Sword:
https://william-branham.org/site/research/topics/knights_of_the_flaming_sword

Roy E. Davis admitting that he was 2nd in command:
https://william-branham.org/site/resource?key=0ffdc20f-3740-4e29-a5a5-296a1489aba6&parent=knights_of_the_flaming_sword

Pentecostal Baptist Church of God:
https://william-branham.org/site/research/topics/pentecostal_baptist_church

Billie Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle:
https://william-branham.org/site/research/topics/billie_branham_pentecostal_tabernacle