Branham's Links to the Klan Identified -- THE SMOKING GUN!!!

You may have missed it in today's video about the NAR Kingdom Theology, but one of the most significant pieces of information we have identified in the last five years was included. While working with John McKinnon on the Weaponized Religion series of the Podcast for the upcoming episode on the Supreme Kingdom, John found the source of William Branham's connection to the Ku Klux Klan.

While spreading the Supreme Kingdom (and the Klan's brand of Kingdom theology) throughout the United States with Roy Davis, the Klan Supreme Religious Chaplain Caleb Ridley attempted to hold a rally in Louisville. Louisville at that time was not very receptive to the Klan, and Ridley was forced to hold the meetings across the river in Branham's hometown of Jeffersonville, Indiana. News was reported across the United States that Caleb Ridley had moved the meeting to Jeffersonville. The newspaper article John McKinnon found was from the Wichita Falls Record.[1]

While in Jeffersonville in 1921, Ridley planted the Jeffersonville chapter of the Klan. Meetings were held at the armory, the same location where Davis held healing revivals a few years later. That Jeffersonville branch eventually became the headquarters for the Klan until it burned, and William Branham's father-in-law Charles Brumbach was tasked with the security of the building.[2]

In 1924, not long after planting the Jeffersonville branch, the Klan raided Jeffersonville[3] to eradicate the liquor mob. William Branham's father Charles, who worked directly with Jeffersonville liquor kingpin Otto Wathen[4] to produce whiskey off the books, was arrested and sent to federal prison.[5] William, who was helping Charles produce whiskey,[6] was apparently shot during the raids. Ridley's Klan chapter paid for Branham's medical bills,[7] became wealthy enough to buy a new vehicle, and left Jeffersonville.[8] Soon after that in 1929, Branham held revivals[9] with Roy Davis and Caleb Ridley in Centennial Park in Nashville.[10] While no records of Branham, Davis, and Ridley have surfaced from 1924 to 1929, it is assumed that Branham was working with them from that time. Regardless, their 1929 Nashville Klan / Supreme Kingdom rally and revival is four years prior to Branham's alleged conversion to the faith by Davis, and religion was not the primary objective. Davis and Ridley were signing up new members to the Klan and the Supreme Kingdom in their churches and in their revivals.

This is the smoking gun. It looks very much like Branham converted to the Klan in 1924, and was definitely assisting in Klan recruitment in 1929. By 1933, he was a bishop in the new sect, which for all intents and purposes, was the Supreme Kingdom led by Caleb Ridley and organized by Roy Davis under the auspices of the Pentecostal Baptist Church of God.

Links to the record are in the description of this video.

You can learn this and more on william-branham.org

References

[1] Ku Klux Klan Moves Meeting From Louisville. 1921, Sep 18. Wichita Falls Record News. https://william-branham.org/site/resource?key=dcdca3fa-8fcf-458c-9707-3bcf5599ff61&parent=caleb_a._ridley

[2] Organization Control and Membership of the Local Ku Klux Klan. 1924, Aug 26. Evening News.. https://william-branham.org/site/resource?key=6ec7e3a9-6c49-4413-8e82-d655938edc2d&parent=jeffersonville_ku_klux_klan

[3] Jeffersonville Booze Ring Jolted. Feiry Cross. 1924, Apr 11. https://william-branham.org/site/resource?key=23e3f0dc-88ec-4081-be0d-9301482c48b4&parent=jeffersonville_ku_klux_klan

[4] Branham, William. 1959, April 19. My Life Story (59-0419A). "Later we moved to Indiana and Father went to work for a man, Mr. Wathen, a rich man. He owns the Wathen Distilleries."

[5] Charles Branham Fined, Sentenced to State Farm. 1927, Feb 07. Jeffersonville Evening News. https://william-branham.org/site/resource?key=e1974633-a499-42ec-9885-d482a3d390d1&parent=charles_branham

[6] Branham, William. 1959, April 19. My Life Story (59-0419A). "was the oldest of the children. I had to come and pack water to this still, to keep those coils cool while they were making the whiskey"

[7] Branham, William. 1963, November 10. Souls That Are In Prison Now (63-1110M). "Ku Klux Klan, paid the hospital bill for me, Masons. I can never forget them. See? No matter what they do"

[8] Branham, William. 1962, January 17. Presuming (62-0117). "1926, in old T-model Ford. And I lived at Sixteenth and Henshaw"

[9] Branham, William. 1962, September 9. In His Presence (62-0909E). "I don't think it was in Memphis. It was one of the places there. I was with Brother Davis and was having a—a revival. It might have been Memphis. And we was, went to a coliseum, and they had in there, not a coliseum" (Describes the Nashville Parthenon)

[10] Pentecostal Baptist Church Rally Planned. 1929, July 6. The Tennessean. https://william-branham.org/site/resource?key=eda0495c-6e37-409b-b00b-b8da03c697c9&parent=pentecostal_baptist_church