F.F. Bosworth's Advice to A. W. Tozer

By Roscoe Barnes III
Author, F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind Christ the Healer
Copyright (c) 2018

#FFBosworth

When we hear about F.F. Bosworth teaching and mentoring young preachers, we tend to think of his work with The Voice of Healing in the 1940s and 1950s. But there was another young preacher encouraged by him who went on to become a famous author of deeper life books. That young preacher was none other than A.W. Tozer, who is read and quoted by Pentecostals and evangelicals alike.

According to Lyle Dorsett, author of A Passion for God:  The Spiritual Journey of A.W. Tozer (2008), Bosworth took Tozer under his wing and provided him with advice on a number of topics that included teaching, evangelism, and divine healing. Dorsett writes: "Bosworth, a wizened and battle-scarred warrior from years of battling both the Devil and other Christians, generously took Tozer into his counsel."

Dorsett notes that Bosworth "urged" Tozer to fully accept divine healing, but to give more attention to his ministry of evangelism. In Dorsett's view,  "Bosworth helped Tozer see that some ministers have a strong and primary healing gift while others are essentially teachers or preachers."

Bosworth and Tozer were both ministers in the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA), a denomination that believes in divine healing. Bosworth became one of CMA's most famous healing evangelists. In 1924, he published Christ the Healer, which is still in print today.

In addition to advising Tozer to embrace healing and to make it secondary to his evangelistic work, Bosworth reminded him of the need to spend time with those engaged in healing ministries. According to Dorsett, "He urged Tozer to be in fellowship with men who had healing gifts but not to feel pressured to do it all."

Bosworth also called on Tozer to "celebrate and support" those who were seen as actually having the gift of healing, according to Dorsett. Bosworth reportedly went further in his advice by addressing the issue of speaking in tongues, a topic of contention at the time. Dorsett writes: "Finally, Bosworth taught Tozer to respect the gift of tongues inasmuch as it is biblical." At the same time, he apparently cautioned young Tozer about giving the subject more attention than it deserved.

The extent to which Bosworth influenced Tozer is not known, and claims of Bosworth being his mentor are disputed by some scholars, including Tozer biographer James L. Snyder.

"To say that Bosworth was a mentor to Tozer is stretching the truth quite a bit," Snyder wrote in a 2015 email.  "Because Bosworth was part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, of which Tozer was a minister, Tozer supported his crusades in Chicago and even had Bosworth preach in his Chicago pulpit."

On the subject of healing, Snyder noted that Tozer believed in it and often prayed for the sick in his church. Such was not uncommon for CMA pastors. While Tozer may have seen people healed, he did not see "hundreds of physical healings in his meetings," according to Snyder. Bosworth, however, did see such healings, he noted.

"Bosworth's ministry was basically a healing ministry whereas Tozer's was more of a deeper life ministry," Snyder said.

Still, when one considers the enormous success of Bosworth in the 1920s, and his work with CMA churches, it would be hard to imagine a young Tozer not seeking and receiving guidance from Bosworth.

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Would you like to know more about F.F. Bosworth?

Visit the F.F. Bosworth page here.

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For more information: 
Visit ffbosworth.strikingly.com. Questions about the research and commentary on F.F. Bosworth may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com. For updates on F.F. Bosworth history, simply follow this blog or @Roscoebarnes3 on Twitter. #ChristTheHealer

F.F. Bosworth and the Making of a Healing Evangelist

What Critical Research Reveals about His Ministry Development and the Ministry of Divine Healing

By Roscoe Barnes III

Author, F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind Christ the Healer
Copyright (c) 2018

#FFBosworth

#ChristTheHealer

Note: This paper presents a list of conclusions taken from the author’s doctoral thesis, F. F. Bosworth: a historical analysis of the influential factors in his life and ministry (University of Pretoria, Date: 2010-07-30). It begins with a summary of the author’s findings. It includes the links to several figures/diagrams that illustrate highlights in the research (see below).

(Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009)

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Fred Francis Bosworth was a Pentecostal pioneer, musician, ground-breaking pastor, famous healing evangelist, and the author of Christ the Healer. He published Exploits of Faith magazine and operated a popular radio program. In addition to being a church planter, he reportedly held some of the largest evangelistic healing campaigns in the United States and Canada. His book remains in print to this day.

In researching his life history, I examined his life using Social Cognitive Career Theory. An examination of the data used for this research uncovered a number of facts and interesting ideas about his development as a healing evangelist. Although his teaching on healing and his Pentecostal experience had a tremendous impact on his life, they were not the only factors that contributed to his success. This research revealed that his development as a healing evangelist was shaped by experiences that were secular and spiritual, negative and positive. They were experiences that occurred in his childhood and adulthood.

Conclusions on F.F. Bosworth’s Healing Ministry

Bosworth’s life history was anything but simple. Instead, it was multifaceted, and at times, complex. In addition to ministry, his history covered a wide range of issues. These issues included business, politics, music, healing, death, writing, travel, marriage, and controversy. Each of these issues was analyzed and interpreted in relation to his development. Although Bosworth was the focus of the study, the analysis led to conclusions that relate not only to him and his development, but to generalizations of other issues, as well. These conclusions are presented as follows:

The first conclusion is that divine healing, on both a personal and corporate level, can be a catalyst for developing a healing ministry. This was shown in the ministry of Bosworth and the ministry of others who prayed for the sick.

The second conclusion is that divine healing is a complex and diversified phenomenon that is not restricted to simplistic formulas or even one’s theology. It is a divine action that is not always predictable. It also involves an ever-learning process that may require risks, flexibility or the willingness to adapt to various situations.

The third conclusion is that a person's development in the healing ministry may be linked to his or her childhood and early adulthood experiences. These experiences are critical whether they be positive or negative, solitary or corporate, religious or secular.

The fourth conclusion is that God may use a person's pre-conversion experiences as preparation for future ministry. This may be explained as follows: People have a natural bent or tendency toward a particular career endeavor. Consequently, they will do what comes naturally, depending on opportunities and circumstances. After a religious conversion, they may continue to do what comes naturally, but they will likely do it on a spiritual level and for a spiritual purpose. From the standpoint of Christianity, this would mean that God might use a person's natural abilities and experiences for His divine purpose. It may also be said that secular jobs and non-religious aspirations may be indicative of one's future calling. Certain aspects of the secular pursuits may be minimized after conversion (or spiritual calling), while some may be incorporated into the ministry. In this sense, secular experiences would be critical to a person’s development and success in ministry. In Bosworth's case, his love of music and his business acumen pointed to a future in entertainment and business. Following his Pentecostal experience, he began preaching and used both as part of his ministry.

The fifth conclusion is that all experiences in a person's life are critical to his or her development. However, some experiences may be more important than others. For instance, Bosworth's healing of TB proved to be a major turning point in his life. Additionally, it was after his Pentecostal experience that he became a preacher (Bosworth no date; Perkins 1921 & 1927). His work with William Branham also proved to be a life-changing experience that prompted him to modify his healing methods (Lindsay 1950; Stadsklev 1952; Bosworth 1954a, 1954b & 1954c).

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For a pdf version of this article, visit here.

  

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The sixth conclusion is that environment is a substantial factor in the development of a healing ministry. Even though Bosworth had limited education, through his association with people engaged in the ministry of healing, he apparently learned about the ministry and soon established his own. While living in Zion City, Ill., he served God in an atmosphere that was saturated with the theme of divine healing. When Charles Parham came preaching about the baptism in the Holy Spirit, prayer meetings were held in Bosworth’s home. Later, Bosworth worked with a number of other preachers, both men and women, who had healing ministries. These experiences afforded him an environment in which he could learn by example, receive on-the-job training, and continue to grow as a healing evangelist.

The seventh conclusion is that Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) can be a legitimate tool for shedding light on a subject that is both religious and historical. Bosworth’s environment was a part of his development; however, he did not automatically succeed because of his environment. Instead, there were cognitive elements involved (Lent et al 1994:81). The evidence shows that his self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations and goals, as used in SCCT, were other essential factors that contributed to his development.

The eighth conclusion is that a divine healing ministry is not dependent on perfect theology or ministry practice. Despite the controversy that surrounded Bosworth’s ministry, including questionable doctrine and his association with controversial preachers, he still succeeded in evangelism and in praying for the sick. This might support the view that God uses imperfect vessels, and He blesses them in spite of their weaknesses because of His grace. This perspective is seen throughout the Scriptures, where both the success and flaws of biblical characters are noted. These characters include David, Moses, Peter, Samson and Jonah, among others. Furthermore, the Scriptures state: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Cor 4:7). In other words, God works through human vessels with feet of clay.

The final conclusion is that the story of Bosworth illustrates the power of simple faith, prayer, and determination. Bosworth was a simple preacher and he emphasized the need for simple faith (Perkins 1921 & 1927; Bosworth 1948). He also insisted that prayer -- both prevailing prayer and the prayer of faith --were essential to revival and evangelistic healing campaigns (Perkins 1921 & 1927). He demonstrated the potential of these elements through his own success in ministry.

The above conclusions, I believe, may serve to reinforce the importance of Bosworth to Pentecostal history, as well as his contributions to evangelistic healing revivals. They also provide a new way of looking at the Pentecostal experience and the development of a ministry that focuses on divine healing.

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Would you like to know more about F.F. Bosworth?

Visit the F.F. Bosworth page here!

  

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References/Resources:

To review the figures/diagrams that shed light on the material presented in this paper, see the following:

“Pentecostal Gifts and Their Relation to Natural Talent and Experiences: Some Thoughts and Visual Illustrations from the Life History of F.F. Bosworth.”

https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4495115.v1

F. F. Bosworth: a historical analysis of the influential factors in his life and ministry (University of Pretoria, Date: 2010-07-30, http://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/26869).

“F.F. Bosworth: A Historical Analysis of His Ministry Development Using Social Cognitive Career Theory.” http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2725697

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For more information:

Visit: ffbosworth.strikingly.com. Questions about the research and commentary on F.F. Bosworth may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com 

or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com. For updates on F.F. Bosworth history, simply follow this blog or @Roscoebarnes3 on Twitter. #ChristTheHealer