Thursday, February 1, 2018

William Branham and the Pillar of Fire in Dallas, Texas

New light on famous photo

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

#FFBosworth
#ChristTheHealer
 
Evangelist William Marrion Branham
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Here’s something I’ve been meaning to share for some time. It’s a piece about William Branham (1909-1965), who was a close friend of F.F. Bosworth (1877-1958), author of Christ the Healer.

Branham, who was always a controversial figure, was known for having reports of unusual miracles of healing in his ministry. On some occasions, people reported seeing a supernatural light, appearing sometimes as a halo, in his presence.

W.V. Grant Jr. reported in October 2015 that he was the photographer who shot a famous photograph of Branham that shows the “pillar of fire” – a “supernatural” light -- on his right shoulder. His report, however, seems to contradict the claim made by Branham’s organization, which states the photograph was shot by “a newspaper photographer.”

Readers of Pentecostal history will easily recognize the name, William Branham, who was famous as a prophet and healing evangelist in the 1940s and 1950s. Some believe he led the movement of divine healing during that time. He inspired many evangelists to launch divine healing ministries using tent meetings and city-wide revivals in churches and open fields.

Branham was a simple man who claimed a special gift of healing. Scores of people in the United States and abroad testified to being healed through his ministry. Gordon Lindsay, his manager, wrote about his ministry and publicized the reported miracles. Lindsay, who wrote, William Branham: A Man Sent From God, also wrote about the so-called supernatural light that was seen in various photographs of Branham. One such photograph was shot on March 8, 1964. Branham and his followers contend the light on his shoulder was a divine “pillar of fire.” According to WilliamBranhamHomepage.org (See here.): 

“Brother Branham had just finished ministering to the sick in a prayer line, at W.V. Grants Assembly, in Dallas, TX. March 8, 1964. Leaving the platform, he exited through a back door. A newspaper photographer asked permission to take a picture. Always the gentleman that he was, he graciously consented. The result was the picture shown to the left.

“The Pillar of Fire is seen resting on Brother Branham's 'right' shoulder. When Brother Branham was shown this picture a few weeks later, he said, "Put it on the shelf. They didn't believe the others and they won't believe this one either".

“This Pillar of Fire had been with Brother Branham since the time of his birth. During his ministry it was photographed several times. When praying for the sick he would watch the Pillar of fire move around the building from one person to another, revealing the "thoughts and intents" of the heart, the past, the present and the future.”

As we can see in the first paragraph, Branham’s organization claims the photograph was shot by “a newspaper photographer.” But when Grant shared the photograph on Facebook in 2015, he said that he was the one who shot it, and that he was only 17. At the time, he said, Branham was standing behind the building of his father’s (W.V. Grant Sr.) ministry. The TVD on the door stands for The Voice of Deliverance, the name of his father’s magazine.

A number of people have made an effort to debunk the claim of the light being a supernatural force or a pillar of fire. For instance, the writer for Believe the Sign suggests the light can be easily explained. The writer notes that one of the photographs of Branham is cropped, but another one, that shows the full picture, reveals the source of the light:

“Please note the door is slight ajar in the top left of the photograph letting in a small stream of light which hits William Branham on his shoulder with a very small amount spilling onto his tie. The conclusion: There is a light on William Branham's shoulder, but it is sunlight. There is nothing supernatural about this photograph.”

For a look at more commentary on Branham’s photographs, visit Believe the Sign at: http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Supernatural_photographs

Since this report of supernatural light is so easily debunked, I wonder about the role of Lindsay in promoting some of these claims. Lindsay, by most accounts, was a man of integrity. He had a good reputation. But I would hate to think that he knowingly set out to mislead people and that he intentionally used the photographs to deceive multitudes.

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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


7 comments:

  1. I believe Gordon Lindsay's problem is one common to many in the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. They do not look critically at miracles and "supernatural phenomena". I would agree that Lindsay was a man of integrity but I believe that he simply accepted William Branham's word on what transpired. We have proved that William Branham lacked integrity, falsified the supernatural and did not have a credible prophetic ministry. But that was the result of 3 years of research into William Branham's claims. William Branham does appear to have been better than most at faking the supernatural.

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    Replies
    1. Do you believe any of Branham's "miracles" were real?

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  2. The element of the light, on the shoulder of Rev WM Branham, can not be a streak of light from an open door above. The photographer testimony is instrumental, and can there be another photo similar to that taken of another person? George J Lacy has a similar photo he examined and he confirmed that the light strike the lens. Then when a similar photo was taken, why would it be an ordinary light. However the issue may be not about the light, but the results which follows the man who claims that there was a supernatural light, Angel, vision etc. Numerous testimonies of living people still there who also saw the light and also the Angel in white and are able to describe with certainty what they saw. However those willing to doubt, can do so, but know its not the first time. Jesus Christ, was considered to be illegitimate, fake, but he said believe the works.

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  3. Yes, there are many photos like Branham's, where the light appears. See the link provided in the post.

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  4. I find it interesting that in another photo taken just seconds before or after, with William Branham and W.V. Grant in front of the same door, there is no "shaft" of light. Not sure if this link will appear of not, but it can be easily googled:
    https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fhi-in.facebook.com%2FWilliamMarrionBranhamProfeta%2Fphotos%2Fa.383027051763508%2F5240296556036509%2F%3Ftype%3D3&psig=AOvVaw1f1X05DgCQBjb6o6HdyelE&ust=1673312954189000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA8QjRxqFwoTCLDe2dWmufwCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAu

    ReplyDelete

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