F.F. Bosworth Mentioned in P.C. Nelson's book, Does Christ Heal Today? (1941)

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

#FFBosworth
#BosworthMatters
#BosworthMention

Image courtesy of Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (iFPHC.org)

Every once in a while you come across an out-of-print book that is so important and so well-written, it should be read by a new generation. Does Christ Heal Today? by P.C. Nelson is such a book.

Nelson was a master linguist, healing evangelist, and prominent educator in the Assemblies of God. He published his 96-page book on divine healing in 1941 through his own publishing house, Southwestern Press of Enid, Okla. (A copy of the book is available at Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.) At some point in the 1940s, possibly the latter end of the decade, Jack Coe began publishing the book. According to Coe, "This book contains the most scriptural, yet simplified method to receive healing from God of any book I have ever read."

In the same vein as A.B. Simpson and A.J. Gordon, Nelson makes a compelling argument for divine healing in the modern era. His book features detailed healing testimonies and instructions for those in need of healing. The book includes Nelson's personal testimony of healing and his entry into the healing ministry. It also includes mention of F.F. Bosworth, which is not surprising, given the impact that he had on Nelson's ministry. 

The content in the Appendix is pure gold -- and well worth the price of the entire book. It provides tried-and-true methods for participating in the ministry of healing.

For the most part, the book is a compilation of articles, letters, lectures, and other material related to church doctrine and theology. (See Contents below) Several chapters first appeared as stories in newspapers in the early 1920s in Kansas and Oklahoma. The chapter that mentions Bosworth is titled, "God's Call to a New Ministry," and it first appeared in 1922 in the Wood County Republican of Bowling Green, OH. The piece is an interview of Nelson who was holding a campaign in the amory in Bowling Green. In response to a question about his reason for leaving his pastorate and becoming an evangelist, Nelson explained:

I made a new study of the Bible concerning divine healing, and saw clearly that the healing of our bodies as well as the salvation of our souls was included in the sacrifice of Calvary. This message I had never preached. I felt that God wanted me to preach it everywhere.

I heard of the wonderful, miraculous cures in the Bosworth meetings in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and went down there to investigate for myself. I saw many deaf who had received hearing, blind who had regained sight, lame who had been made to walk, and I heard scores of people testifying to the wonderful healing power of Christ. I saw the multitudes flocking to the meetings, and scores daily turning to Christ as their Savior. I said, 'This looks like the revivals we read about in the New Testament.'

Nelson's mention of Bosworth is brief but still significant. It gives readers a glimpse of the role that Bosworth played in Nelson's own healing ministry.

Image courtesy of Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (iFPHC.org)

At the beginning of this article, it was suggested that Nelson's book is worthy of being reprinted for a new audience. The idea brings to mind a publishing project that involved Kenneth E. Hagin. When Hagin came across T.J. McCrossan's book, Bodily Healing and The Atonement, it had been out of print for many years. But seeing its value and its relevance to another generation, he and Roy H. Hicks reedited the book and republished it in 1982 via Kenneth Hagin Ministries. Perhaps it is time now for a publisher to follow Hagin's example and publish Nelson's book for today's church.

Related article:
What P.C. Nelson Saw in the F.F. Bosworth Revival Meetings: How the Experience Moved Him to Begin His Own Healing Ministry. See here.

References:
Coe, Jack. Introduction to Does Christ Heal Today? Messages of Faith, Hope and Cheer For the Afflicted

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (iFPHC.org)

McCrossan, T.J. Bodily Healing and The Atonement. Reedited by Roy H. Hicks and Kenneth E. Hagin. Tulsa, OK: Kenneth Hagin Ministries, 1982.

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Would you like to know more

about F.F. Bosworth?

Follow the Bosworth Matters blog! 

Start here:

ffbosworth.strikingly.com

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For more information:
Visit the F.F. Bosworth page here. Questions about the research and commentary on F.F. Bosworth may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., 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

Larry Jackson leads incarcerated men a step closer to OSHA exam

By Roscoe Barnes III
Chaplain, Wilkinson County Correctional Facility

#MTCChangesLives

Instructor Larry Jackson

WOODVILLE, Miss. -- Fayette Resident Larry Jackson says he’s proud of his students at Wilkinson County Correctional Facility (WCCF). Under his leadership, 10 of his students in the Facilities Care program – all incarcerated – passed the basic safety test in Module One of the Core Curriculum Book used in the program, according to Deputy Warden of Programs Tonya Toomey.

“This is the first essential test in the program,” said Jackson. His students are now eligible to take the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) exam for certification.

Jackson holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Alcorn State University. He has certifications in carpentry and structural welding.

Toomey said the initial test is important. “This is a college level test,” she said, adding she applauds Jackson and his students for their hard work. “We’re all proud of this achievement.”

WCCF is operated by Management & Training Corporation (MTC) of Utah for the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). 

#PrivatePrisons

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ROSCOE BARNES III, Ph.D., is a writer, chaplain, historian, and former newspaper reporter. He is the author of more than a dozen books and Gospel tracts. For more information about his work and history, see his Personal Profile here or visit his website: http://www.roscoebarnes.net. Connect with him on Twitter (@roscoebarnes3) or by email: roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com.

F.F. Bosworth's Ministry to John G. Lake

How a Simple Question Led to a Spiritual Breakthrough -- and Years of Fruitful Ministry

By Roscoe Barnes III

Author, F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind Christ the Healer

Copyright (c) 2018

#FFBosworth

#BosworthMatters

F.F. Bosworth played a pivotal role in John G. Lake's quest for a deeper life in the Spirit. His efforts are recorded in John G. Lake: The Complete Collection of His Life Teachings (Whitaker House, 2005), which is compiled by Roberts Liardon.

In 1907, several months after Charles Parham's visit to Zion City, Ill., Bosworth, who experienced his own Pentecost on October 18, 1906, gave Lake a gentle nudge to move him to the next level in his walk with God. 

Bosworth's assistance, as it turned out, helped to pave the way for Lake to receive the baptism in the Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Lake would go on to experience a divine encounter that would take him to Africa and other parts of the world.

Bosworth's contribution to Lake's development occurred in three ways, each of which may be seen as an act of divine providence.

First, Bosworth used his own home for prayer meetings where Lake and others could come and learn about the Pentecostal experience. In 1904, Bosworth received a visit by the wife and sister-in-law of Charles Parham. According to historian Kemp Pendleton Burpeau, Lake had the privilege of meeting both of the women during that time. "The meeting played a most prominent role in Lake's religious development," Burpeau noted.

Second, Bosworth coaxed him into delving deeper into his faith and his walk with God. Bosworth accomplished that with a simple question: He asked Lake about his willingness to fully commit himself to Christ. "Lake," he said, "When are you going to surrender to Jesus?"

Third, Bosworth and Tom Hezmalhach (who was called Brother Tom), knelt and prayed with Lake, who then and there surrendered himself to the Lord. From that point on, he began seeking the Lord for sanctification and the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Lake’s account of his meeting with Bosworth and Hezmalhach begins with his introduction to Hezmalhach in the home of Bosworth. It ends with the three of them praying, quite literally, on a sidewalk. Lake recalled:

Some months before I was baptized, (1907) I sat in a cottage meeting at the home of Brother Fred Bosworth. Brother Tom was preaching. At the close of the meeting, he came to me and said, "Brother, what is your name?"

             I said, "John Lake."

He replied, "John Lake, as I was preaching, Jesus told me, John and I are going to preach together."

I laughed, replying lightly, "I wish it were so, but I can't preach. I am not where I ought to be with God."

He said, "Never mind. Jesus is going to fix you up." 

Some months later as he visited our town again, one day I joined Brother Tom and Brother Fred Bosworth on the sidewalk. As we walked down the street, I stepped between them, taking each by the arm. Brother Bosworth turned to me, saying, "Lake, when are you going to surrender to Jesus?"

I said, "Anytime, Fred."

Tom turned to me saying, "Do you mean it!"

I replied, "I do, Tom." We all three fell on our knees on the sidewalk and right there I surrendered to my Lord. Then I sought God for sanctification and my Baptism in the Holy Ghost.

In October 1907 the Lord in His goodness baptized me with the Holy Ghost after several months of deep heart searching and repentance unto God at the home of a friend.

That Bosworth would suggest the need to surrender was not surprising, given his own background. After all, that is what he had been taught and what he experienced before his own Pentecostal experience. Bosworth, it should be noted, was present when Marie Burgess received the Spirit baptism. “As he watched her receive the baptism, he became so hungry that the power of God fell on him,” wrote historian Gordon P. Gardiner in Out of Zion into All the World (Companion Press, 1990). During that time, Gardiner explained, “The seekers were taught that they should be sanctified before they could receive the baptism.” Because of that view, some of the believers became discouraged, according to Gardiner. However, in Bosworth’s case, he reportedly came to a prayer meeting with a made-up mind and an attitude of surrender. Citing a woman who attended the meeting, Gardiner wrote: “The bandmaster of our city [F.F. Bosworth] came in and said, ‘I put the last thing on the altar coming up the hill.’”

According to Kemp Pendleton Burpeau, Lake received the Spirit baptism in October 1907, exactly one year after Bosworth had received the same gift. Burpeau wrote that Lake received the Spirit "with tongues (glossolalia), healing power, and other charismatic gifts. This baptismal empowerment was apparently distinguishable from his prior religious experiences in magnitude and comprehensiveness."

Lake's account is certainly clear and concise. It seems credible, and in a certain way, inspiring. He undoubtedly saw his time with Bosworth and Hezmalhach as something that was vitally important to his life and ministry. But despite their assistance, he chose not to mention them in his booklet, My Baptism in the Holy Spirit and How the Lord Sent Me to Africa (Divine Healing Institute, n.d.). When one considers the presumably close relationship that he had with the two, the omission of their names is a puzzling surprise.

References:

Burpeau, Kemp Pendleton. God's Showman: A Historical Study of John G. Lake and South Africa/American Pentecostalism. Oslo, Norway: Refleks Publishing, 2004.

Gardiner, Gordon P. Out of Zion into All the World. Shippensburg, PA: Companion Press, 1990. (Available at Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center. See ifphc.org)

Lake, John G. John G. Lake -- Apostle to Africa. Compiled by Gordon Lindsay. Dallas, TX: Christ For the Nations Inc., 1997.

------. John G. Lake: The Complete Collection of His Life Teachings. Compiled by Roberts Liardon. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 2005. (See http://www.EnterHisRest.org)

------. My Baptism in the Holy Spirit and How the Lord Sent Me to Africa. Portland, OR: Divine Healing Institute, n.d. (Available at Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center. See ifphc.org)

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Would you like to know more

about F.F. Bosworth?

Follow the Bosworth Matters blog!

You can start right here:

ffbosworth.strikingly.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information:
Visit the F.F. Bosworth page here. Questions about the research and commentary on F.F. Bosworth may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., 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

Siblings of Anne Moody: ‘Principal Willis was Mr. Anselm J. Finch’

Family Confirms Name of the Founder of Willis High in Coming of Age in Mississippi

By Roscoe Barnes III

Chairman, Anne Moody History Project

Copyright © 2018

#AnneMoody

Anselm Joseph Finch

I have been saying for months that Anselm Joseph Finch is believed to be Principal Willis of Willis High in Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi. The first person to suggest that was Charles E. Johnson, retired superintendent of education for Wilkinson County. He said to me, “There was no Willis High in Centreville. The school was Finch High School.”

And he was right.

Johnson’s information was confirmed this week by Anne’s brother, Fred Moody Jr., and her sister, Adline Moody, both of Gloster, Miss. Both siblings told me that they attended Finch High School in Centreville. They acknowledged Anne changed the names of many people – and places -- in the book. However, she used the actual names of her brothers and sisters, Adline said.

When asked about the controversy surrounding Finch and claims that he was an “Uncle Tom,” Adline said, “There was a lot of that going on back then. That’s how it was.”

In addition to being an educator and administrator, Finch was an accomplished writer. He published poetry, articles, and a number of books, including Mississippi Negro Ramblings (Adams Press, 1969). His work appeared in magazines and newspapers.

I recently learned of a biography of Finch by Sharon Burnette Bell that was written as a thesis for her Master of Arts degree at Jackson State University. It's titled, Anselm Joseph Finch: Mississippian and Life Long Educator (Jackson State University, 1976). It is well worth reading. One of the interesting features in Bell's research is a comment about the possible strategy that Finch employed in his dealings with the white community. Bell shared the thoughts of Dr. Lee E. Williams, who was vice president for administration at JSU and “had professional contact with Dr. Finch." Bell wrote: 

Mr. Williams also thought that Finch brought a lot of publicity to the state of Mississippi through his writings. He didn’t always agree with the context of the writings because he believed that Finch was too free and prolific with his unjust praise of Whites who often worked against Blacks. But this he feels was due to the time in which they both lived. Mr. Williams thought Finch probably used praise as a strategy to get what he wanted form the White man. (Pages 35-36)

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Acknowledgments:

Grateful acknowledgments are made to Ms. Darlita Ballard, university archivist for Jackson State University H.T. Sampson Library, for her assistance in providing information on Sharon Burnette Bell’s thesis.

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Would you like to know more about Anne Moody?

Visit the Anne Moody page here!

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For more information: 
See the Anne Moody page here.
Questions about the Anne Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III Ph.D. via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com For updates on Anne Moody history and the on-going work of this community service project, simply follow this blog or follow AMHP on Twitter (@AnneMoodyHP).
#ComingOfAgeinMississippi

A Look at Edna Lee Bland Jones, aka Sister Jones, in Coming of Age in Mississippi

Her Story, Photo Shared by Her Family

By Roscoe Barnes III
Chairman, Anne Moody History Project
Copyright (c) 2018

#AnneMoody

Sister Jones in Anne Moody's 
Coming of Age in Mississippi

Thanks to the Rev. LeReginald Jones, we now have a photo of Edna Lee Bland Jones, who is featured as Sister Jones in Anne Moody's Coming of Age in Mississippi. The photo was probably taken in the 1980s, according to her family.

“She was known for her cooking and her singing, and she had a sharp tongue,” said LeReginald. “We called her Mama. The people who didn’t know her called her, Ms. Edna.”

LeReginald, who serves as assistant pastor of Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church in Centreville, Miss., said he is the great-grandson of Sister Jones. When she died in 1990 at the age of 71, he was just two years of age.

Sister Jones’ family remembers her as a strong woman who was deeply religious. She was the mother of 13 children. LeReginald said she had strong faith in God, and her devotion to her church was well-known.

Sister Jones was a member of Mount Pleasant, the same church that Moody joined as a teenager. In Chapter Five of Coming of Age, Moody wrote:

Just as I was leaving to go back outside I saw Mama having a serious conversation with old Sister Jones who was now sitting beside her. I knew that she was trying to get Mama to get me to join Mount Pleasant.

Usually during revival season older sisters of the church recruited candidates for baptism and Sister Jones always outdid the others. 

Sister Jones had strength, but she also had pride. LeReginald and other family members used to wonder why she never did domestic work for white families back in the day.

“We asked my great-granddad,” LeReginald said. “We asked why she didn’t work and clean houses like everybody else did during that time. He said it was because of her mouth. She would speak her mind and not hold back. So he worked very, very hard to take care of the family. She never did domestic work for any white families.”

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Would you like to know MORE about Anne Moody?

Visit here to see the timeline of important

events in her life history!

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For more information: 
See the Anne Moody page here.
Questions about the Anne Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com. For updates on Anne Moody history and the on-going work of this community service project, simply follow this blog or follow AMHP on Twitter (@AnneMoodyHP). #ComingOfAgeinMississippi

12 Mistaken Claims about F.F. Bosworth

By Roscoe Barnes III

Author, F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind Christ the Healer

Copyright © 2018

#FFBosworth

#BosworthMatters

F.F. Bosworth standing in middle.

Five men associated with the Azusa Street revival standing in front of a building (possibly the Azusa Street Mission), ca. 1907. Standing in back (l-r): John A. D. Adams, F. F. Bosworth, and Tom Hezmalhalch. Sitting in front (l-r): William J. Seymour and John G. Lake. Photo courtesy of Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center.

Today there's a growing number of articles, blog posts, and other resources available on F.F. Bosworth. Unfortunately, some of the published items have flaws and cannot be trusted. Some present rumors as facts and exaggerations as truth. Little is corroborated or based on solid research. Devotional commentary on Bosworth is commonly shared, but critical analysis is often omitted.

This blog post is an attempt to provide insight into Bosworth's life history while also setting the record straight on some of the most common misconceptions held about him and his ministry. Specifically, it lists 12 mistaken claims that have been made about him. Each claim is addressed with pertinent material extracted from legitimate sources.

Claim #1: F.F. Bosworth grew up in Zion City, Ill.

Fact: F.F. Bosworth did not grow up in Zion City, the town founded as a Christian community by John Alexander Dowie. He grew up near Utica, Neb. Bosworth was married and in his early 20s when he and his family moved from Fitzgerald, Ga. to Zion.

Where the above claim originated is not clear. But I cannot help but wonder if it is simply a misreading of David E. Harrell Jr. In his book, All Things Are Possible (Indiana University Press, 1975), Harrell wrote: "One of the most successful [healing revivalists] was Fred F. Bosworth of Zion. His family had moved there while he was a youth and he served as band director at Dowie's church."

Perhaps someone saw Harrell's use of the term "youth" and assumed Bosworth was a child when he came to the town?

Claim #2: As a healing evangelist, Bosworth was unique in that he seldom had to lay hands on the sick to see them healed. He would simply preach the Word of God and people were healed as they listened in their seats.

Fact: There are certainly reports of people being healed in Bosworth's meetings without him ever laying hands on them in prayer. But he and his brother, B.B. Bosworth, routinely anointed the sick with oil and prayed the prayer of faith for their healing. They used prayer cards and prayer lines. Also worth noting is the fact that claims of people being "healed as they listened in their seats" can be found in the ministries of many healing evangelists.

In Eunice M. Perkins' Joybringer Bosworth: His Life Story (John J. Scruby, 1921), a report of an early revival meeting by Bosworth included this statement:

But every night, after the invitation to sinners at the close of the sermon, the sick are given opportunity to come up and be anointed and prayed for, according to the command of James 5:14, 15, which is the direct, Divine prescription for the sick Christian, whatever his ailment or malady.

Perkins' biography featured many cases of people being healed through the laying on of hands. Not surprisingly, Bosworth included similar testimonies in Christ the Healer and in his magazine, Exploits of Faith.

In 1949, Bosworth spoke with T.L. Osborn about the idea of praying for the sick en masse, something Bosworth would practice in meetings in South Africa in 1951. For more information on this topic, see my article, "F.F. Bosworth in South Africa: A Historical Analysis of His Later Ministry and Healing Methodology" (Africa Journal of Pentecostal Studies, December 2007).

Claim #3:  Eunice M. Perkins, F.F. Bosworth's biographer, was actually his daughter.

Fact: The person who made the above statement did not provide a source or citation for the claim. Without any data or literature to support the view, it is highly unlikely that it's true. In 2005, I  reached out to historian Wayne E. Warner about Perkins and her relationship with Bosworth. He sent me an email with this reply: "We know nothing of that relationship."

Claim #4: David J. du Plessis witnessed Bosworth praying for deaf students in Chicago in 1928 that resulted in the closing of their school for the deaf.

Fact: David J. du Plessis mentioned the healings of the deaf students in a tribute to Bosworth that appeared in the April 1958 Issue of World-Wide Revival. He did not say that he actually saw the healings. He simply mentioned the newspapers' account of the incident. He wrote:

Fred Bosworth received a lot of publicity in the Chicago Daily News and other metropolitan newspapers when a large number of students who were attending a school for the death were miraculously healed, their healings causing the school to close.

Claim #5: He only wrote and published two books throughout his lifetime: Christ the Healer and The Christian Confession.

Fact: Not true. The above-mentioned books are just two of his popular titles. He actually wrote and published quite a few books. Of course, Christ the Healer (1924), his most famous book, was also his largest in terms of length. His other titles, which were technically booklets, included:

How to Have a Revival

Bosworth's Life Story: The Life Story of Evangelist F.F. Bosworth, as Told by Himself in the Alliance Tabernacle, Toronto

Is Healing in the Atonement?

The Key to the Windows of Heaven; or, God's Financial Plan

The Faith that Takes Hold of Things not Seen

The Greatest Sin or The Sin of Omission

Directions to Those Needing Healing

Paul's Thorn

How to Appropriate the Redemptive and Covenant Blessing of Bodily Healing, with Supplement, Appropriating Faith

Claim #6: He did not preach about financial prosperity.

Fact: Bosworth did indeed preach and write about prosperity. In fact, he wrote The Key to The Windows of Heaven or God's Financial Plan, with supplement, Should Sinners Tithe?

The 24-page booklet made an argument for paying tithes. It discussed the material blessings for doing so, as well as the temporal blessings that come through giving.

Claim #7: He opposed medicine, physicians, and hospitals.

Fact: Actually, Bosworth acknowledged the contributions of medicine and physicians. He was known to praise people in the medical field, and he sought their input in his efforts to substantiate and support claims of healing.

In Eunice M. Perkins' Joybringer Bosworth, the healing evangelist gave the following statement about medical services:

I confess my ignorance of the human anatomy and of medical therapeutics, and I believe there is a place for these men, -- that many times we need a physician diagnostically and for mechanical things, such as setting broken bones, etc. I believe in them for hygienic reasons, to conserve the laws of health. I believe every citizen should stand by the Health Department and help keep disease out of the city, and I can listen to them in these matters, but when it comes to the Gospel, in that I can instruct them.

Not surprisingly, Bosworth also presented his view of the medical field in Christ the Healer. In an argument about God's view of sickness and health, he wrote:

I truly thank God for all the help that has ever come to sufferers through the physician, through the surgeon, the hospital and the trained nurse; but, if sickness is the will of God, then, to quote one writer, "Every physician is a lawbreaker; every trained nurse is defying the Almighty; every hospital is a house of rebellion, instead of a house of mercy."

Claim #8: He mentored Oral Roberts.

Fact: It's probably a stretch to say Bosworth "mentored" Oral Roberts. However, he did visit one of Robert's tent meetings where he spoke and offered support for Robert's ministry. His letter of support appeared in Robert's Healing Waters magazine. For a look at Bosworth's letter (and Roberts' response), see my blog post, "Did F.F. Bosworth Mentor Oral Roberts?"

Claim #9: He always accepted the revelations of William Branham as messages of God, believing he had 100% accuracy.

Fact: It appears that during the early days of their ministry together, Bosworth actually believed that Branham was accurate with his "gift." He suggested as much in his article, "Gifts of Healing Plus," that appeared in the March 1950 issue of The Voice of Healing: 

Not once during the more than three years since receiving the gift have these revelations failed to produce perfect miracles exactly as he had already seen them in visions. At these times he can say with absolute certainty, "Thus saith the Lord," and he is never wrong.

However, in 1951, Bosworth rebuked Branham in the presence of other Christian leaders in South Africa and told him that he was wrong about a decision based on one of his visions. For a closer look at that incident, see my article, “Brother Branham, you’re wrong.”

Claim #10: His ministry was scandal-free as he maintained a consistent Christian testimony to the end. 

Fact: One dark moment in Bosworth's ministry occurred in the 1930s. According to historian Dr. Paul L. King, Bosworth embraced "the British Israelism heresy" and lost favor with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA). Bosworth recanted in 1944 and "was welcomed back into the C&MA," King wrote in Genuine Gold: The Cautiously Charismatic Story of the Early Christian and Missionary Alliance (Word & Spirit Press, 2006).

Claim #11: Some of the reported healing cases in Bosworth's ministry turned out to be untrue or misleading.

Fact: There are two things I have come to believe about Bosworth and other healing evangelists: 1. All were not healed in their meetings (or through their respective ministries), and 2. Some who claimed they were healed were not actually healed, and tragically, they suffered or died a short time after confessing they were healed.

Out of the thousands of people Bosworth ministered to -- and the thousands who reported being healed -- some, I'm sure, were not actually healed. Some who came to his meetings in wheelchairs unfortunately left his meetings in wheelchairs. It's also possible that some may have lost their healing due to lifestyle issues. A smoker, for example, may be healed of cancer, but what would happen if he or she continued smoking? Bosworth, of course, has outlined a number of reasons why people may lose their healing. He addressed the issue in the chapter, "How to Receive Healing from Christ" in Christ the Healer.

Claim #12: He was never known to be sick a day in his life, and he died without sickness or disease.

Fact: Bosworth was diabetic, according to Dr. Paul L. King, who noted this in his book, Genuine Gold: The Cautiously Charismatic Story of the Early Christian and Missionary Alliance (Word & Spirit Press, 2006). He wrote: "The Bosworth brothers both suffered from diabetes in their later years and died less than a month apart in 1958."

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Would you like to know more

about F.F. Bosworth?

Follow the Bosworth Matters blog!

You can start right here:

ffbosworth.strikingly.com

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For more information:
Visit the F.F. Bosworth page here. Questions about the research and commentary on F.F. Bosworth may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., 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

Upcoming post: Similarities in the Prison-Themed Messages of Kenneth W. Hagin and F.F. Bosworth

By Roscoe Barnes III

Author, F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind Christ the Healer

Copyright © 2018

#FFBosworth

#BosworthMatter

I'm reading Kenneth W. Hagin's 32-page minibook, The Prison Door is Open: What Are You Still Doing Inside? (Faith Library Publications Inc. 1982). To my surprise, it uses material that is either similar -- or identical -- to the material in F.F. Bosworth's article, "The Opening of the Prison," which appeared in the September 1951 issue of The Voice of Healing. In addition to having similar titles, the two pieces of writing use similar illustrations, some of the same ideas and same verses of Scripture.

While a few sections in Hagin's work are clearly paraphrases of Bosworth's writing, some use the same wording and sentences that appear in Bosworth's article.

A full-length blog post will be shared later, but for now, I can say that so far, I have counted 10 pages in Hagin's booklet with content that appears to be taken from Bosworth's article. Unfortunately, there is no citation or any credit given to Bosworth.

Hagin, who used the extended name "Jr." at one time, is the son of the late Kenneth E. Hagin.

Stay tuned for the upcoming post.

Related articles:

PLAGIARISM OR JUST EERILY SIMILAR: A Brief Look at the Writings of F.F. Bosworth and Kenneth E. Hagin. See here.

F.F. Bosworth and Kenneth Hagin Jr.: A Look at the Similarities in Their Writings on the Past Tense of God’s Word. See here.

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Would you like to know more

about F.F. Bosworth?

Follow the Bosworth Matters blog!

You can start right here:

ffbosworth.strikingly.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information:
Visit the F.F. Bosworth page here. Questions about the research and commentary on F.F. Bosworth may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., 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