William M. Branham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids William M. Branham |
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 Branham in 1947 |
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| Born | April 6, 1909 in Burkesville, Kentucky, U.S. |
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| Died | December 24, 1965 (aged 56) in Amarillo, Texas, U.S. |
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| Children | 5 |
William Marrion Branham (April 6, 1909 – December 24, 1965) was an American Christian minister. He was known as a faith healer and started a big healing revival after World War II. Branham believed he was a prophet, like Elijah from the Bible. He thought he was preparing people for Jesus's second coming.
His work greatly influenced televangelism and the modern charismatic movement. Branham was one of the first American ministers to hold successful campaigns in Europe. His message reached many people around the world. He held large events in North America, Europe, Africa, and India.
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Early life
William M. Branham was born on April 6, 1909, near Burkesville, Kentucky. He was the oldest of ten children born to Charles and Ella Harvey Branham. He said that when he was born, a "Light" appeared in the room. Branham also told his publicist, Gordon Lindsay, that he had special experiences from a young age. He claimed that at age three, he heard a "voice" from a tree. The voice told him he would live near a city called New Albany. Branham said his family moved to Jeffersonville, Indiana, that same year.
Branham often told his audiences that he grew up very poor. He said his family sometimes did not have enough clothes. Neighbors described Branham as "someone who always seemed a little different." But they also said he was a dependable young person. Branham felt that his special experiences and desire to do good caused misunderstandings. He felt like a "black sheep" among his friends and family. He described his childhood as "a terrible life."
Healing ministry
Branham said that on May 7, 1946, an angel visited him. This visit, he claimed, started his worldwide ministry. He began his campaigns in mid-1946. His fame grew quickly. Many people came to hear his stories of angelic visits. They also heard reports of miracles happening at his meetings. His ministry inspired many others. It helped start the larger healing revival that became the modern charismatic movement.
In the 1950s, Branham was very popular. Many people in the Pentecostal world believed he was a prophet for their time. After 1955, Branham's campaigns became less popular. By 1960, he changed his focus to teaching.
Branham developed his own ideas about faith. His closest followers saw his sermons as very important, like holy writings. They called his teachings "The Message." Branham said he had helped over one million people during his career. His teachings are still shared by the William Branham Evangelistic Association.
Key teachings
Branham developed unique religious ideas. He focused on several main beliefs. These included his views on the end times, annihilationism, the oneness of God, predestination, and eternal security. His followers call his teachings "The Message."
Divine healing
Throughout his ministry, Branham taught about faith healing. This was often the main idea he shared during his healing campaigns. He believed that healing was a key part of Jesus Christ's ministry. He thought that God provided both "salvation for the soul and healing for the body." Branham believed that the miracles described in the New Testament could still happen today.
Branham taught that all sickness came from evil spirits. He believed that people could overcome sickness if they had enough faith. He argued that God had to heal when faith was present. This led him to believe that if someone was not healed, it was because they did not have enough faith.
Restoring early Christianity
Branham's ideas about Christian restorationism have had a lasting impact. He taught this idea from the early days of his healing revival. He encouraged people to come together and bring back a form of church organization. He wanted it to be like the very first Christian church.
Many evangelists in the healing revival accepted this teaching. They then shared it in the Charismatic and evangelical movements that followed.
This teaching suggests that Christianity should return to how it was in the early church. It supports having apostles and prophets again. It also promotes signs and wonders, spiritual gifts, and spiritual warfare. Branham believed that by the end of the first century, the church had been "contaminated." He thought it had stopped following the "pure Word of God." He believed it was led into a false form of Christianity.
He said this corruption came from early church leaders wanting political power. He thought they became more wicked and added false beliefs. This led to different church groups, which he saw as a big problem for true Christianity.
Annihilationism
Annihilationism is the belief that people who are not saved will be completely destroyed after judgment. They will simply stop existing. This idea was brought into Pentecostalism by Charles Fox Parham. Not all Pentecostal groups accepted this idea. Before 1957, Branham taught about eternal punishment in hell. By 1957, he started to promote annihilationism, like Parham.
He believed that "eternal life was only for God and his children." In 1960, Branham claimed that the Holy Spirit had shown him this idea. He saw it as one of the end-time mysteries.
Understanding God
Branham changed his views on the Godhead during his ministry. Early on, he had a view closer to the traditional Christian idea of the Trinity.
By the early 1950s, he began to teach the Oneness doctrine in private. By the 1960s, he openly taught the Oneness position. This view says there is one God who appears in different ways. This is different from the Trinitarian view, which says God is three distinct persons.
Branham came to believe that the Trinity idea was actually about three gods. He asked members of his church to be re-baptized in Jesus's name. He believed his teaching was slightly different from the Oneness doctrine. He argued that the baptism should be "in the name of Lord Jesus Christ."
Views on modern culture
As Branham's ministry went on, he spoke more and more against modern culture. He saw education as a trap for Christians who did not believe in miracles. He thought it was "Satan's tool" to hide the simple message. Branham believed that being loyal to Christ meant rejecting non-Christian culture.
He spoke out against television, rock and roll, and many kinds of worldly fun.
Branham encouraged a simple, strict way of life. When he received a new Cadillac, he kept it in his garage for two years because he felt embarrassed. Branham openly criticized other evangelists who seemed to get rich from their ministries. He was against messages that focused on wealth. Branham did not like expensive church buildings, fancy choir robes, or large salaries for ministers. He insisted that the church should focus on Jesus's return.
Branham's strong views against modern culture were clearest in his criticism of "modern women." He taught that women with short hair were breaking God's rules. He also "ridiculed women's desire to make themselves look beautiful with makeup." Branham believed a woman's place was "in the kitchen." He used the creation story, where Eve was made from Adam's side, to teach that woman was not part of God's first creation. He saw her as a result of man.
Predestination and race
Branham believed the word "predestination" was often misunderstood. He preferred to use "foreknowledge" to explain his ideas. Branham taught that a person's choice in salvation was affected by their family history. He believed that genetics decided a person's eternal future. He taught that some people were meant for damnation, while others were meant for salvation.
Branham was open about what his beliefs meant. He supported segregation.
He also spoke against relationships between people of different races. He connected people of mixed race to a "wicked hybrid" group.
Prophecies
Branham made several predictions during his life.
His most important predictions were a series of visions he claimed to have in June 1933. He first shared information about these visions in 1953. Branham said he saw seven major events that would happen before the Second Coming of Christ. These included the rise of Adolf Hitler, the Second World War, Italy taking over Ethiopia, and the rise of communism. Most of these predictions had already come true by the time he first shared them in 1953.
In his 1933 visions, he said he saw self-driving "egg-shaped" cars. Branham later claimed he saw a car in 1960 that matched his vision. Among his predictions was also that the United States would "elect the wrong president." He said this would happen because women were given the right to vote. He later said this referred to John F. Kennedy. He also predicted a powerful woman would take control of the United States. He later said this was the Roman Catholic Church. He believed this was fulfilled with Kennedy's election, as Kennedy was Roman Catholic. His visions ended with the destruction of the United States. He saw the nation's cities in ruins. After sharing his visions, Branham predicted that the rapture would happen by 1977.
In 1964, Branham said judgment would hit the west coast of the United States. He predicted that Los Angeles would sink into the ocean. This was his most dramatic prediction. After the 1964 prophecy, Branham again predicted the rapture would happen by 1977. He said it would be preceded by worldwide disasters. He also spoke of Christian churches uniting and the Roman Catholic Pope gaining power. Branham was strongly anti-Catholic. He saw the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church as agents of evil who would bring about the end of the world. Branham's prediction of the world ending by 1977 was widely known. When the world did not end in 1977, Time Magazine listed it as one of the "top ten end-of-the-world prophecies."
Death
Branham continued to travel and preach his message in Canada, the United States, and Mexico during the 1960s.
On December 18, 1965, Branham and his family were returning home for Christmas. They were about 3 miles (5 km) east of Friona, Texas. A car going the wrong way hit Branham's car head-on. He was taken to a hospital in Amarillo. He was in a coma for several days. He died from his injuries on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1965.
Branham's death surprised many people. His funeral was held on December 29, 1965. But his burial was delayed until April 11, 1966, which was Easter Monday.
Legacy and influence
Branham started the "healing revival" after World War II. He was one of its most respected leaders, along with Oral Roberts. Branham is best remembered for his special "sign-gifts" that amazed the Pentecostal world. According to writer Patsy Sims, "the power of a Branham service and his stage presence remains a legend."
Images for kids
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William Branham around 1930
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Roy Davis, William Branham's first pastor.
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House of David commune in Michigan
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Billie Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle around 1935
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William Branham and F. F. Bosworth, around 1950
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F. F. Bosworth talks to people about divine healing at a Branham Campaign meeting in Tacoma, Washington, April 1948.
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The April 1948 cover of Voice of Healing magazine
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From left: Young Brown, Jack Moore, William Branham, Oral Roberts, Gordon Lindsay; photo taken in Kansas City in 1948
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Branham at a healing campaign meeting
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A prayer card from a William Branham healing campaign.
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Branham at the Sam Houston Coliseum in 1950
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A 1947 Vancouver Sun Headline about Branham Campaign
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See also
In Spanish: William Marrion Branham para niños
