Ern Baxter
Encyclopedia
William John Ernest Baxter (1914–1993) was a Canadian Pentecostal evangelist
.
, Canada
, he was baptised into a Presbyterian family. His mother was involved with a holiness
church and following his father’s conversion they went into classical Pentecostalism. Their city was visited by a Scandinavian itinerate minister with a "signs and wonders" approach to Christianity. While in the Baxter’s home city, he taught on the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Ern Baxter’s mother was the first in those meetings to receive the "baptism of power." Ern recalled seeing his father help her into the house drunk in the Spirit
. Later in his teenage years, Ern went through a period where he lost his faith in reaction to the legalism of religion and became seriously ill from pneumonia. Two events brought him back to Christianity – a miracle of healing and the words of a friend: "Ern, being a Christian isn’t about what you do for God, it’s about what God in Christ Jesus has done and will continue to do for you".
. While travelling, Ern and his companion came to a conference held in Trossachs in Canada. There Ern Baxter received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Trossachs was an unusual conference as the delegates were not Pentecostal in the classic sense – they were seeking the experience of the Holy Spirit
. This was Ern’s first exposure to what was to become a central passion in his life and ministry – Word and Spirit or Reformed doctrine and charismatic life and power. The morning after he had been baptised in the Holy Spirit he said God spoke to him and called him to the ministry saying, "I want you to preach My Word".
In 1947, Ern and his church began to hear about an unusual travelling evangelist named William Branham who was filling the largest arenas in America for his services. William Branham approached Ern and told him that he had been praying and had met the angel of the Lord who had appeared to him and told him to invite Ern Baxter to become his companion and manager. They worked together for seven years. While Ern saw some of the greatest miracles, signs and wonders during his time he began to become concerned at the error that was coming out from the Healing Movement. In 1957, Ern found it necessary to withdraw from ministry with Branham. Baxter said he separated from the evangelist because of doctrinal differences.
Ern Baxter had a major influence not just in the United States
but also across the world particularly in Australia
and the United Kingdom
. He came to the United Kingdom in 1975 and preached keynote addresses at the main charismatic conferences – the Lakes and Dales Bible Weeks. Professor Andrew Walker wrote of "the powerful influence of an American, Ern Baxter" because of his influence on the British New Church Movement. The Bible Weeks were run by UK charismatic leader Bryn Jones
and his team of churches. Andrew Walker wrote, "Baxter’s influence was sensational; the audiences went wild every time he appeared … during the first Bible Week at the Great Yorkshire Showground in 1976, Baxter was the great attraction and as in the previous year excitement was at fever pitch".
Ern’s ministry did not just affect Bryn Jones’ churches. Terry Virgo
, the father of the Newfrontiers
family of churches wrote, "Ern Baxter was a powerful prophetic preacher, able to paint a huge picture of the magnificent end-time church. He was deeply rooted theologically, very widely read but also profoundly steeped in a powerful Pentecostal background … the influence of Ern Baxter and his friends was growing even greater in the USA and their monthly magazine New Wine became their radical trumpet voice was now being read all around the world".
Ern did not limit himself to being a conference speaker. He believed in the principles of discipleship and took on 12 pastors to mentor and support where he could. Each of these men would travel over to meet him in his home firstly in Mobile, Alabama
, and then in San Diego, California
, to spend time hearing him teach. He travelled as much as his health would allow supporting and visiting his "sons" and their churches. He did not only teach from his experience but from a massive library of 9, 000 plus books and journals that are now housed in a Memorial Library in Mobile, Alabama under the auspices of Charles Simpson Ministries.
By the end of his life, Ern was taking an interest in imparting all that he had learned to younger men – his "Timothys". "Ern has a profound preaching and teaching ministry. He is a preacher’s preacher. It is important that the taped and printed records of his ministry be preserved and propagated".
Baxter is possibly best known for being part of what was called the Shepherding Movement
, an influential and controversial expression of the charismatic renewal in the 1970s and 1980s. Its emphasis on submission to a personal pastor, or "shepherd" as the movement termed it, brought accusations of authoritarianism
.
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
.
Early life
Born in SaskatchewanSaskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, he was baptised into a Presbyterian family. His mother was involved with a holiness
Holiness movement
The holiness movement refers to a set of beliefs and practices emerging from the Methodist Christian church in the mid 19th century. The movement is distinguished by its emphasis on John Wesley's doctrine of "Christian perfection" - the belief that it is possible to live free of voluntary sin - and...
church and following his father’s conversion they went into classical Pentecostalism. Their city was visited by a Scandinavian itinerate minister with a "signs and wonders" approach to Christianity. While in the Baxter’s home city, he taught on the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Ern Baxter’s mother was the first in those meetings to receive the "baptism of power." Ern recalled seeing his father help her into the house drunk in the Spirit
Slain in the Spirit
Being "slain in the Spirit" is a term used within charismatic Christianity. It describes a religious behaviour in which an individual falls to the floor...
. Later in his teenage years, Ern went through a period where he lost his faith in reaction to the legalism of religion and became seriously ill from pneumonia. Two events brought him back to Christianity – a miracle of healing and the words of a friend: "Ern, being a Christian isn’t about what you do for God, it’s about what God in Christ Jesus has done and will continue to do for you".
Ministry
On the 24 May 1932, he entered full time ministry as a musician travelling across Canada with an apostleApostle
An apostle is a messenger and ambassador.Apostle and apostles may refer to:-Religion:* Apostle , one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, named in the New Testament...
. While travelling, Ern and his companion came to a conference held in Trossachs in Canada. There Ern Baxter received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Trossachs was an unusual conference as the delegates were not Pentecostal in the classic sense – they were seeking the experience of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
. This was Ern’s first exposure to what was to become a central passion in his life and ministry – Word and Spirit or Reformed doctrine and charismatic life and power. The morning after he had been baptised in the Holy Spirit he said God spoke to him and called him to the ministry saying, "I want you to preach My Word".
In 1947, Ern and his church began to hear about an unusual travelling evangelist named William Branham who was filling the largest arenas in America for his services. William Branham approached Ern and told him that he had been praying and had met the angel of the Lord who had appeared to him and told him to invite Ern Baxter to become his companion and manager. They worked together for seven years. While Ern saw some of the greatest miracles, signs and wonders during his time he began to become concerned at the error that was coming out from the Healing Movement. In 1957, Ern found it necessary to withdraw from ministry with Branham. Baxter said he separated from the evangelist because of doctrinal differences.
Ern Baxter had a major influence not just in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
but also across the world particularly in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He came to the United Kingdom in 1975 and preached keynote addresses at the main charismatic conferences – the Lakes and Dales Bible Weeks. Professor Andrew Walker wrote of "the powerful influence of an American, Ern Baxter" because of his influence on the British New Church Movement. The Bible Weeks were run by UK charismatic leader Bryn Jones
Bryn Jones
Bryn Jones is the name of:*Bryn Jones , Welsh footballer*Bryn Jones , Welsh footballer*Bryn Jones , Welsh footballer*Bryn Jones , Welsh footballer...
and his team of churches. Andrew Walker wrote, "Baxter’s influence was sensational; the audiences went wild every time he appeared … during the first Bible Week at the Great Yorkshire Showground in 1976, Baxter was the great attraction and as in the previous year excitement was at fever pitch".
Ern’s ministry did not just affect Bryn Jones’ churches. Terry Virgo
Terry Virgo
Terry Virgo is a prominent leader in the British New Church Movement, . He is the founder of the Newfrontiers family of neocharismatic evangelical churches, which has grown into an international apostolic network of over 700 churches in more than 60 nations. He is a leading Reformed Charismatic...
, the father of the Newfrontiers
Newfrontiers
Newfrontiers is a neocharismatic apostolic ministry network of evangelical, charismatic churches founded by Terry Virgo. It forms part of the British New Church Movement, which began in the late 50s and 60s combining features of Pentecostalism with British evangelicalism...
family of churches wrote, "Ern Baxter was a powerful prophetic preacher, able to paint a huge picture of the magnificent end-time church. He was deeply rooted theologically, very widely read but also profoundly steeped in a powerful Pentecostal background … the influence of Ern Baxter and his friends was growing even greater in the USA and their monthly magazine New Wine became their radical trumpet voice was now being read all around the world".
Ern did not limit himself to being a conference speaker. He believed in the principles of discipleship and took on 12 pastors to mentor and support where he could. Each of these men would travel over to meet him in his home firstly in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, and then in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, to spend time hearing him teach. He travelled as much as his health would allow supporting and visiting his "sons" and their churches. He did not only teach from his experience but from a massive library of 9, 000 plus books and journals that are now housed in a Memorial Library in Mobile, Alabama under the auspices of Charles Simpson Ministries.
By the end of his life, Ern was taking an interest in imparting all that he had learned to younger men – his "Timothys". "Ern has a profound preaching and teaching ministry. He is a preacher’s preacher. It is important that the taped and printed records of his ministry be preserved and propagated".
Baxter is possibly best known for being part of what was called the Shepherding Movement
Shepherding Movement
The Shepherding Movement was an influential and controversial movement within some British and American charismatic churches, emerging in the 1970s and early 1980s...
, an influential and controversial expression of the charismatic renewal in the 1970s and 1980s. Its emphasis on submission to a personal pastor, or "shepherd" as the movement termed it, brought accusations of authoritarianism
Authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is a form of social organization characterized by submission to authority. It is usually opposed to individualism and democracy...
.