By Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D.
#PneumaReview
#FFBosworth
#LaDonnaOsborn
 |
| Dr. LaDonna Osborn |
Note: This article first appeared in The Pneuma Review: Journal of Ministry Resources and Theology for
Pentecostal and Charismatic Ministries & Leaders. It is featured here with permission from the publication's editors.  |
| Image courtesy of The Pneuma Review |
F.F. Bosworth (1877-1958) was a
central figure in the Pentecostal movement of the early 20th century and the
Post-World War II healing revival. His impact as a famous healing evangelist
was unmistakable, and his book, Christ the Healer, remains a
popular text on divine healing. Pentecostal church history would be incomplete
without his story. One of the most prominent evangelists to serve as his
protege was Tommy Lee “T.L.” Osborn (1923-2013), who became a world-renowned
missionary evangelist and the famous author of the classic, Healing the
Sick.
As I sought to
learn more about Bosworth and his relationship with Osborn, I reached out to
the one person who would know more about their time together than any other
source. That person was Osborn’s daughter, Dr. LaDonna Osborn, who graciously
took time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions about her father. The
interview was conducted by email in February 2016. It presents questions and
answers about the influence of Bosworth on the life and ministry of T.L.
Osborn. Other topics include Osborn’s views on Spirit baptism and tongues as
the initial evidence of the Spirit baptism.
Dr. LaDonna Osborn
is a well-regarded Christian leader. She currently serves as president and CEO
of Osborn Ministries International, the world missionary organization founded
by her parents in 1949. As noted on her webpage, “She is founder and
overseer of the International Gospel Fellowship (of churches and ministries),
which includes more than 60 ministries, over 1,000 churches in more than 50
nations globally.” For more information on her work, visit her official website: https://osborn.org/about/ladonna-osborn
-- Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D.
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ROSCOE BARNES III: Your
father has been quoted as saying: “Old F. F. Bosworth used to share a
lot of secrets with us.” What are some of the secrets that
Bosworth shared with him?
LADONNA OSBORN: My
father did not go into great detail concerning what exactly F.F. Bosworth
shared with he and my mother. From various general comments and reflections, I
believe that Brother Bosworth was a great encouragement in the areas of faith
and praying for the sick in mass. During many of the events that were organized
by Gordon Lindsay, where various healing evangelists were present to preach and
pray for the sick, he had Brother Bosworth teach in the mornings. This strategy
was significant in helping people to understand the biblical validity of divine
healing. This was especially true when Brother William Branham prayed for the
sick. Because of his unique gift and style, G. Lindsay felt that people needed
teaching so that their faith would be in the Word of God, rather than in a
person. As I look back on this, I thank God for this wisdom. Brother Lindsay
did much to facilitate the healing revival that was spreading across the States
during the late 1940’s and 1950’s.
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BARNES: In
his book, Healing the Sick, your dad wrote that someone gave him a copy
of Two Kinds of Faith by E. W. Kenyon. Who was the person that gave
him this book and introduced him to Kenyon?
OSBORN: I
do not remember my father ever saying who gave him the first Kenyon book.
----------
BARNES: Did
your father and mother ever speak in tongues in the way that is taught by
classical Pentecostals? In other words, did either of them have the experience
where they spoke in tongues as the initial physical evidence of the baptism in
the Holy Spirit?
OSBORN: My
father was saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit in a Pentecostal revival
meeting near his farm home in Oklahoma. He later traveled with a Pentecostal
Church of God evangelist for three years (age 15-18). My mother was saved and
baptized in the Holy Spirit in an Assembly of God church where she attended as
a young girl. Both of my parents were saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit at
the age of 12. Although we were out of the country most months of each year, we
always had a home church in Tulsa. It was an Assembly of God church. Yes, both
of my parents’ early spiritual experiences were in the classic Pentecostal
context. Yes, they spoke in tongues, as was usual in the Pentecostal tradition.
----------
BARNES: If
they did speak in tongues, did they continue to do so or did they stop at a
certain point?
OSBORN: Yes,
my parents always spoke in tongues. My brother and I were raised in the classic
Pentecostal tradition and I am proud to identify with those who understood the
power of the Holy Spirit and the emphasis on witnessing of Christ with
effectiveness.
----------
BARNES: Is
there a written record of their Spirit baptism? If not, can you provide a time
frame for their experience?
OSBORN: I
remember both of my parents telling the stories of their Spirit baptisms, but
I’m not recalling if these details were included in their publications.
Actually, I don’t remember additional details of their conversion either. Of
course, within our family, we grew up hearing the stories of the dramatic
changes that took place in their lives when they were born again and baptized
in the Holy Spirit. I do recall that their Spirit baptisms were not on the same
day as their conversions, but rather a few days after. So both would have been
baptized in the Holy Spirit at the age go 12.
----------
BARNES: In
your father’s book, The Purpose of Pentecost, he did not advocate
evidential tongues as is taught by classical Pentecostals. What exactly was his
position on this topic?
OSBORN: My
father wrote The Purpose of Pentecost during a time in which the
issue of tongues was causing great division within the Body of Christ. The
focus had shifted from the role of the Spirit-filled believer to witness of
Christ, to a rather Pharisaical attitude of boasting of speaking in tongues
while doing nothing with that divine equipping to fulfill the mission of Christ
on the earth. My father wrote the book to re-focus believers on the priority of
evangelism for every Spirit-filled believer. If you read this book again in the
historical context in which it was written, you will see this clearly. When the
need for that emphasis ended, we discontinued publishing that book.
BARNES: Who
or what influenced his views on the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues? Was he
in anyway influenced by F.F. Bosworth or E.W. Kenyon?
OSBORN: The
views of my father and mother (and myself) on the Holy Spirit were influenced
by the Pentecostal environments in which we were saved and also from the
Scripture. It is normative for the New Testament Christians to be filled with
the Holy Spirit and to witness of Christ. I do not remember anything being said
about Bosworth or Kenyon’s attitude regarding tongues. The influence of
Bosworth was on the biblical foundation for divine healing; the influence of
Kenyon was the redemptive work of Christ at the Cross. These redemptive truths
were not understood so clearly prior to E.W. Kenyon’s teachings. Again, he made
a great contribution to the Body of Christ at critical time.
----------
BARNES: Many
evangelists during your father’s time wrote about Bible prophecy, gifts of the
Spirit, and other topics. However, it seems that your father focused on topics
related only to salvation, healing, evangelism, and prosperity. Is this a true
assessment of his writings? If so, why do you think he avoided other topics?
OSBORN: My
father was an evangelist. Everything that he wrote and did was to bring people
to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. He did the work of an evangelist
always in cooperation with the local churches, and he made it clear that it was
their responsibility to teach new believers additional truths after their
conversion. He never preached on the Holy Spirit, Bible prophecy, the gifts of
the Spirit, or such other things that are important to the believer. He
recognized that the gift of the evangelist is a gift to the Church. The gift of
the pastor and teacher are also gifts to the Church. He was an evangelist and
he fulfilled his part in bringing people to Jesus and directing them into local
churches to receive guidance and further biblical instruction. Of course, he had
personal views on every biblical topic. But his public ministry was evangelism.
I would say that a true assessment of his writings is
that his life focus was to help people to see Jesus and to recognize that Jesus
wanted to live in each of them in order to continue His work through them.
That, in essence, was my father’s passion and all of his messages and writings
reflect that. I would not say that he avoided any topic, but rather
he was totally focused on the person, the work and the continuing ministry of
Jesus Christ.
----------
BARNES: How
would you describe the level of influence that Bosworth had on your father’s
ministry?
OSBORN: Brother
Bosworth was on the scene during a very critical time, in the early healing
movement in the United States. No doubt, he influenced all of the young healing
evangelists and kept them focused on the Word of God as the final authority
concerning God’s will to heal. His book, Christ the Healer, was likely the
primer on the topic. There is no way to estimate the extent of his influence
through his teachings, his example, and his encouragement of a new generation.
----------
BARNES: William
Branham once said that he introduced your father to Bosworth. He mentioned this
in his sermon, “Faith,” which is posted here: http://www.williambranham.com/faith-56-0427/.
Have you heard this story?
OSBORN: While
I don’t remember this exactly, I do know that under Brother Lindsay’s
influence, my father, Brother Branham, and Brother Bosworth were all involved
in the same conventions.
----------
BARNES: A
friend of mine, Rev. Ryan Miller, shared a letter from your father in which he
seems to suggest Bosworth encouraged him to write books. Do you know if your
father offered such encouragement?
OSBORN: Yes,
Bosworth encouraged my father to write. It was another man who edited my
father’s first manuscripts and taught him how to write properly and also to
read editing symbols. Of course, as you know, writing and publishing has long
been a central passion of this ministry.
----------
BARNES: Did
your father attend Bosworth’s funeral in 1958?
OSBORN: I
do not believe my father attended Bosworth’s funeral. During 1958, we were
overseas in some of our historic crusades in East Africa.
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About the Author: Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D.,
is a prison chaplain, former award-winning journalist, and independent scholar
of church history. He holds a doctorate from the University of Pretoria, South
Africa, a M.A.R. from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, and B.S.
and A.S. degrees from East Coast Bible College, Charlotte, N.C. He is the author of numerous books including F.F.
Bosworth: The Man Behind “Christ the Healer” (Cambridge
Scholars Publishing, 2009), The Guide to Effective Gospel Tract Ministry (Church
Growth Institute, 2004) and Off to War: Franklin Countians in World War II (White
Mane Publishing, 1996). His articles have appeared in Refleks Journal, The
Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association, The Africa Journal of Pentecostal Studies,
and in numerous newspapers and popular magazines. He blogs at Roscoe Reporting and
shares his F. F. Bosworth research at FFBosworth.strikingly.com.
Professional: Roscoe Barnes
III. Twitter: @Roscoebarnes3
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Reminder: "F.F. Bosworth History" is now on
Twitter. Follow @bosworth_fred
Note: My book, F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind
"Christ the Healer," can be purchased here with
a 25% discount. Use the discount code: BOSWORTH25.
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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 @bosworth_fred and @Roscoebarnes3 on Twitter.
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