F.F. Bosworth’s Surprising Rebuke of William Branham
By Roscoe Barnes III
Author, F.F. Bosworth: The
Man Behind Christ the Healer
Copyright © 2018
#FFBosworth
#BosworthMatters
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| F.F. Bosworth, left, and William Branham |
In his book, Supernatural: The Life of William Branham (Tucson
Tabernacle, 2001), Owen Jorgensen recounted an argument between William
Branham and his ministry team in South Africa that prompted a swift and
surprising reaction from F.F. Bosworth.
Branham wanted to stay in Johannesburg for a couple of weeks, go hunting for 10 days, and then go to Durban, but his team had different plans and a different itinerary. The incident, which occurred in October 1951, raised concerns about the team’s
commitment to the local churches. Money had been spent and schedules had been
approved. But those issues did not seem to matter to Branham, who wanted to go
in the opposite direction.
When Branham insisted God
had spoken to him and told him that he should not follow the approved schedules,
Bosworth spoke up and rebuked him in the presence of the team members.
"Brother
Branham," he said. "You are wrong."
Jorgensen featured the incident in a chapter
titled, “Satan Springs His Trap 1951.” Satan’s trap, according to Branham, included Bosworth’s rebuke and those who chose to follow the approved
schedules. In addition to Bosworth,
the Branham team included Billy Paul Branham, Ern Baxter, Julius Stadsklev, and a group of South African ministers.
According to Jorgensen, Branham and his team had just held a successful
salvation-healing meeting in Johannesburg. Up to 17,000 people reportedly attended
the meeting in which many healings occurred. After the final service, Baxter
announced plans to visit another city.
“After
breakfast, Ern Baxter came to Bill and said, “Brother Branham, I’ve got some
news for you. I know you want to go to Durban, but rather than going straight
there from Johannesburg, the National Committee has set up an itinerary that will
take us over 1,000 miles south to Capetown, then up the east coast to Durban.”
That night, wrote Jorgensen, Branham had a vision in which an angel appeared to him.
“The
angel folded his arms across his chest, gazed sternly at Bill and said, “Don’t
go with those men down to Capetown. Stay here in Johannesburg for two more
weeks of meetings. Tomorrow you will meet a man…”
The
angel reportedly had a word about hunting. He said that Branham would meet a
man named Sidney Jackson who operated a farm up north. “He is a great hunter and
he can take you on a safari,” the angel said. “After two weeks in Johannesburg,
you must take the next 10 days and go hunting with Sidney Jackson. Then go
straight to Durban and stay there until I call you. If you will do these
things, I will give you the country.”
Branham pouts
After the vision, Branham
rushed to the room where Baxter, his manager, was staying. He said: “Brother
Baxter, wake up. The angel of the Lord just met me and told me we can’t take
that itinerary the National Committee set up.”
Baxter referred him to the Rev. A.J. Schoeman, head of the National Committee, the organization that approved the meetings for Branham. When Schoeman learned of Branham’s wish, he
explained that they had to keep the itinerary: “We’ve already spent thousands
of dollars on advertising, and the people are expecting you to be there.”
Branham disagreed and began to sulk, according to Jorgensen.
On Friday, Oct. 12, 1951, Branham and his team loaded into three cars and headed southwest to Klerksdorp. At one point along the way, Branham, who rode in the lead car, told the driver to stop the car. The driver pulled over and stopped. He asked the evangelist what was
bothering him. Branham said he could not go any farther and that he must return to Johannesburg.
The two cars following them also stopped. Schoeman walked over to Baxter and Bosworth and told them that Branham "refuses to go south." He urged the two men to speak with Branham.
Baxter and Bosworth got out of their car and walked over to Branham. After listening
to Branham, Bosworth told him he was wrong. “If you go south with these men, I
believe you’re going to see exceedingly abundantly above all you could ask or
think,” he said.
As far as Branham was concerned, Bosworth was not
convincing. To Branham, “it felt like the knife of
betrayal had stabbed him between his ribs,” wrote Jorgensen.
“Daddy
Bosworth, I’m shocked at you! As many times as you’ve stood on the platform and
heard me say, ‘thus saith the lord,’ has it ever been wrong?”
Averting
his eyes from Bill’s accusing glare, Bosworth mumbled, “Well, this time I think
you’re wrong.”
Jorgensen noted the angry
response from the South African ministers who were present: “One man said
angrily, ‘Don’t you think that God speaks to somebody else besides you?’”
Branham responded by reminding them of Korah, who was swallowed by the earth
after he challenged Moses.
Gordon Lindsay's concern
In sharing the above
account, it is important to note that Jorgensen’s book is not a critical biography
or an exercise in objective journalism. Rather, it is a secondary source on
Branham’s life history that presents a hagiographical perspective on the
evangelist. As such, it tries to portray him in the best light. Jorgensen has acknowledged that the
content in the book came primarily from Branham’s messages. In the section, “Endnotes
and Sources,” Jorgensen noted: “Most of
the details in this biography come from the personal testimony of William
Branham as recorded in his 1,100+ sermons between 1947 and 1965.”
Jorgensen also drew material from Stadsklev’s
book, William Branham: A Prophet Visits
South Africa (1952). Interestingly enough, Stadsklev mentioned the team’s trip to Klerksdorp, but
he did not mention the argument.
While some of
the claims in Jorgensen's book may be questionable, some of the incidents have been reported by other
sources. For example, Branham’s tendency to cancel meetings was also noted by Gordon
and Freda Lindsay.
In her book, My Diary
Secrets (Christ For The Nations, 1976), Freda recounted a situation involving
Branham and a series of meetings in Minneapolis, Minn. Branham had asked
Gordon to arrange the meetings, which he did, and at great expense. However,
the night before the meeting, Gordon became alarmed when he
could not reach Branham by phone. He eventually sent someone to Branham’s house
and “insisted that Brother Branham answer his phone.” Freda wrote:
Branham
called him back and said that he just felt led not to come to Minneapolis. A
little preacher friend of his not too far from where Brother Branham lived
wanted a “little meeting” so he just decided to go there and help this dear
brother.
Gordon,
of course was rightfully distressed. He reminded Brother Branham that he had
asked him to set up this meeting; that Gordon had spent thousands of dollars in
having the tent made and in shipping it to Minneapolis, plus getting the seats,
the advertising, renting the organ and piano, etc. In addition Gordon told him
that all future meetings would be canceled unless Brother Branham was a man of
his word and kept his appointments.
Brother
Branham’s response was unbelievable – almost childish. He said very meekly, “Now
Brother Gordon, if you really think I should come, I will get in the car and
drive all night long to get there. I didn’t really think it made all that much
difference.
To
make a long story short, he did drive all that night and got in just in time to
go to the platform to preach without having even a chance to change his clothes.
Lessons for the church
The incident between
Branham and Bosworth is an example of what can happen with Christian leaders
and the people who work with them. It presents a number of important lessons
for the church.
Lesson 1: Famous Christian leaders, no matter how gifted
they may be, can still have flaws in some areas of their lives. Since nobody is
perfect, nobody is always right. That
includes the people who are charismatic, strong, and deeply admired.
Lesson 2: Christian
leaders must dare to hold people accountable, including those they respect. No
one should blindly follow anyone. Like Paul calling out Peter, Christians must
take a stand and confront those who are found to be wrong in doctrine or in
their behavior. Consider what Paul wrote in Galatians 2:11-13:
Paul Confronts Peter
But
when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did
was very wrong. When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers,
who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter
wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these
people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other
Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray
by their hypocrisy. – New Living
Translation (NLT)
Lesson 3: Christian
leaders must have discernment. They should not be so emotional in their faith
that they turn a blind eye to error. Instead, they should critically judge what
they see and hear by the word of God. John wrote in 1 John 4:1:
Beloved,
do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from
God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. -- English Standard Version (ESV)
Lesson 4: Christian
leaders will disagree on some issues. After all, they are human. In some cases,
their disagreements may lead to heated arguments. Such was the case with Paul
and Barnabas in Acts 15:36-41:
Disagreement
Between Paul and Barnabas
Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back
and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the
Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John, also called
Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not
think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and
had not continued with them in the work. They had such
a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed
for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left,
commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. He went through
Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. – New International Version (NIV)
Lesson 5: Christian
leaders have public and private voices. Depending on the situation, they will
share information "on the record" and sometimes "off the
record." Like politicians, they also have official versions of
events and actual versions. In Bosworth's case, he used his public voice to
praise Branham in books and magazines; he used his private voice to rebuke the
self-proclaimed prophet. Bosworth's public voice was about marketing and public
relations, but his private voice was about correction and accountability.
In his public voice,
Bosworth boasted about the accuracy of Branham's discernment and his words from
the Lord. However, in his private voice, he said Branham was wrong.
Lesson 6: Christian
leaders should move beyond their conflict. No one is helped by holding grudges.
The leaders must find a way to forgive and be reconciled, and then move forward
in their work for the Lord. Bosworth and Branham eventually moved on with their
work and remained close in their fellowship until the end.
Conclusion
This
article is presented to shed light and provide commentary on the little-known
incident in which Branham was rebuked by the elderly Bosworth. The story, as
written by Jorgensen, gives readers a behind-the-scene look at the Branham campaign
in South Africa in 1951. The story is a reminder that great events, even in the
church, may come with challenges, disputes, and errors in judgment. Revival meetings are not immune to problems. But God’s
grace is sufficient. And he is patient and full of mercy, even when leaders
fail or miss his perfect will.
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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 @Roscoebarnes3 on Twitter. #ChristTheHealer
