Johnston gives us a rather excellent introduction to the life of one of the “Great Pentecostal Pioneers.” There are some important gaps, however, that may give some of the author’s critics room to see an agenda at work here. Goss was one of the primary organizers of both the Assemblies of God and the Pentecostal Church, Inc. (“PCI” – a predecessor to the United Pentecostal Church, Inc. – later “International”). After being driven from the Assemblies of God over the “New Issue” (Jesus name baptism and the Oneness of God), Goss sought to organize the Oneness ministers into an effective force for evangelism and world missions. The fruit of his efforts, the P.C.I. being the prime result, was incredibly successful given the numbers of men involved. In fact, they were so successful that other Oneness groups eyed the organization covetously.
It is here that Johnston’s pen seems to lose ink. Though he does cover Goss’ exit from leadership within the new UPCI, Johnston is silent about Goss’ later work and the manner in which his doctrine was received. Thomas Fudge’s book, Christianity without the Cross: A History of Salvation in Oneness Pentecostalism, follows this aspect of Howard A. Goss’ career with greater detail. For example, Professor Fudge writes:
“During a class on Pentecostal doctrine at WABC, where he was an invited guest speaker, Goss was asked specifically about his view of the new birth. He was not hesitant in affirming that all ‘Trinitarian brothers were in the body of Christ and they would all go up together.’ Goss explained his view by saying that both oneness and Trinitarian believers had been baptized into one body. He openly asserted that baptism was ‘because of’ the remission of sins and therefore a post salvation matter. Observers reported that this ‘created quite a stir.’ After a separate teaching session, students engaged Goss in a highly animated debate. This went on throughout the day, shifting locations and finally wound up in a dormitory room. At length, in the wee hours of the morning, Howard A. Goss emerged from the room followed by one of the students who ran from the dormitory shouting, ‘I have seen the light,’ indicating his acceptance of the Goss idea of salvation. Shortly after such conversions, the Goss visits to Stockton promptly ceased. Under acute pressure from those holding contrary theological views to Goss, Clyde Heaney later felt compelled to make public statements in an effort to ‘correct’ the impressions left by Goss. Other teachers at Stockton with similar ideas as Goss, such as Frank J. Van Buskirk, agreed with Haney that they would not, henceforth, teach certain things in WABC classrooms.” (From “Christianity Without the Cross,” page 176).
The rather plain fact that a man of Christian tolerance and unity such as Howard A. Goss, was ultimately driven from BOTH organizations that he had worked so hard to found is a sad testimony to the depths of rancor within Pentecostalism, the Oneness variety in particular. Johnston’s work and its selective memory might be seen as a sort of band-aid to cover these wounds. Interested readers will want more if healing is to be found.
