The name of the late William Branham may have no significance at all for you or your church. If so, I am delighted. But why should I now tell you about Branham? There are three reasons for doing so.
One reason is that Branham’s disciples are contacting increasing numbers of evangelical pastors and churches. Some pastors are confused as to whether or not his teaching is biblical. They are asking for help and hence this article.
Foolish claims
A second reason is that Branham’s books, cassettes, tracts and videos are available in many languages. They are pouring into countries like Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico and Paraguay.
Branham’s resources are also penetrating effectively into other areas of the world like England, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain, Hungary, Romania, Lithuania, Russia, the Philippines and South Africa.
And this is not an exhaustive list. It is probable that you may soon have contact with a person who has received Branham’s books or cassettes.
Thirdly, people make foolish claims concerning him. For example, Branham is regarded as ‘the twentieth-century prophet’; ‘A man sent from God’; and ‘a prophet to the Gentiles’ whose ministry ‘has been unparalleled since the days of our Lord Jesus Christ’.
These fanciful claims will be considered later. I will begin by answering some questions in order to outline and evaluate Branham’s life and teaching.
When did he live?
William Marrion Branham (1909-1965) was born in Kentucky, USA. Following a personal healing as a young man, he felt a call to preach and became an independent Baptist pastor.
In his itinerant work, he emphasised healing, deliverance and prosperity.
One historian, D. E. Harrell, in his book All Things are Possible (Indiana University Press), reports that many participants in the ‘healing revival’, which ‘erupted’ in 1947 in the USA, regarded Branham as its ‘initiator’.
