DEREK PRINCE'S DARK CONNECTION TO WILLIAM BRANHAM

Derek Prince & Dark Legacy of the Shepherding Movement | Revival History | Charles Paisley | Ep 3

"Leaving the Message is a project of William Branham Historical Research, critically examining William Marrion Branham (a.k.a. William Marvin Branham, 1907–1965), a Pentecostal revivalist and doomsday prophet whose teachings gave rise to authoritarian cults and spiritual abuse. We trace his influence into N.A.R., Latter Rain, Word of Faith, and Deliverance ministries."

The host of Leaving the Message, John Collins, and his co-host Charles Paisley are former members of the Branham cult and are well qualified to evaluate its complex history and influence. The sect known as 'The Message' or 'The Message of The Hour' is a label adopted by Brahnam's followers. The movement continues to exist, having followers in North America, Latin America, Africa, Europe, Australia, and many parts of Asia.1 Collins and Paisley describe Branham as "A Pentecostal revivalist and doomsday prophet whose teachings gave rise to authoritarian cults and spiritual abuse."

Branham claimed to have received an angelic visitation on May 7th, 1946, that allegedly commissioned his worldwide ministry and launched his campaign career. His fame spread exponentially, and many people were drawn to his accounts of angelic visitations and reports of the miraculous at his meetings. Branham's ministry spawned many emulators and was the catalyst for the broader healing revival that later became the modern charismatic movement. In all, Branham claimed to have received seven (actually eighteen) visions from God dating from 1933. These visions have been debunked as fabrications on the following link: William Branham's 1933 Visions .. Debunked! - Episode 33 William Branham Historical Research Podcast : John Collins, Charles Paisley : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive  In actuality Branham was a plagarist whose primary source was the "prophetic" writings of 17th century mystic Jane Lead.*  

Steve Montgomery: "Driven by 'ongoing revelations' and through 'borrowing' and plagiarizing the written works of the Esoterically-inspired, 17th century mystic and 'prophetess' Jane Lead, these 'prophets' of the Latter Rain developed the idea that 'all things' to be achieved in the 'end-times' would occur through the essentially deified 'corporate Body of Christ' prior to the literal, physical, personal return of the individual Jesus Christ."2 

The preamble gives a brief insight into the history of Branhamism. For the purposes of this post, I will limit my focus to the Shepherding Movement, aka the Discipleship or Covering Movement, which was established as a discipleship network during the 1960s by five charismatic teachers based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. These five teachers became known as "The Fort Lauderdale Five": Charles Simpson, Bob Mumford, Derek Prince, Don Basham, and Ern Baxter. The emphasis of the Shepherding Movement was on spiritual accountability, submission to authority, and close discipleship relationships. All five of these men were deeply influenced by William Brahnam. In particular, Ern Baxter was Branham's campaign manager between 1947 and 1953. Baxter often shared a platform with Branham, and their joint meetings were frequently referred to as the "Baxter-Branham meetings". Eventually, Baxter became disillusioned and parted company with Branham in 1953/4.2

Ern Baxter: "In the ministry with William Branham, I saw a dimension of the supernatural, that had in it such seeds of Christian unity and other good fruits that my excitement was hard to contain. But when I saw carnality start to invade the movement - exaggeration, misrepresentation, metaphysics and eventually the breakdown of many of the healers in critical areas of their lives, because they couldn't handle the crowds, the popularity or the money - I had to withdraw from it.."3 

Competing schisms subsequently developed from Branham's cult, and he became a catalyst for the Latter Rain Movement. The key component in these schisms was the emphasis on the five-fold ministry consisting of prophets, apostles, elders, preachers, and teachers (as outlined in Ephesians 4:11). The movement was based on ungodly hierarchical apostolic–prophetic structures with "prophets and apostles" claiming direct authority from God. Many direct parallels can be drawn between the Latter Rain Movement and the governance structure of the NAR. The most striking parallel is the alleged authority of modern-day "prophets and apostles" and their claim to receive direct, unverifiable revelations from God. 

The discussion proper about Derek Prince begins at the 29:00 mark. Prince came from a high socioeconomic status (SES) and attended Eton College and Cambridge University. Those coming from high SES backgrounds often have an entrenched attitude of entitlement. In my view, Prince's assumed "spiritual authority" was based on his privileged background rather than on calling and spiritual maturity. (Romans 8:5-9).

  

Prince cultivated a close association with Branham and the Assemblies of God, which was the largest branch of the Latter Rain movement during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1962, Prince moved to Canada from Kenya, where he had been a missionary, and he became a US citizen. He subsequently became pastor of the AoG Broadway Tabernacle in Seattle, where he ministered alongside key Latter Rain player and elder James A. Watt of Sharon Orphanage. Prince also became involved directly with Branham and the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International (FGBMFI). His association with Branham led to a move to the AoG Faith Tabernacle in Chicago.4 Paisley contends that Prince's ministry was entirely facilitated by his association with Branham: "Derek Prince had to get William Branham's blessing in order to share the stage with him."  

The Shepherding Movement consisted of pyramid structures of "sheep and shepherds" that demanded the total submission of the lower ranks to the five-fold ministry as a requirement for "perfection" or what they referred to as "maturity". Rank and file members were required to submit to an authority figure known as a "shepherd" who micromanaged their lives via "covenant relationships". The shepherds in turn submitted to the Five or their subordinates. Members were not permitted to make lifestyle decisions, including marriage, house moves, career choices, visits to doctors, etc. without the permission of their shepherd. The authoritarian structure and rigid disciplinary requirements of the Shepherding Movement resulted in profound negative consequences on the lives of its rank-and-file members and their families. An insightful comment made by Charles Paisley is that the "shepherds" usurped the role of the Holy Spirit and personal accountability to God. (36:00 mark) The Shepherding Movement received increasing negative publicity as reports of severe spiritual abuse emerged. Eventually, due to pressure from Pat Robertson (CBN), who was also a false teacher, Prince left the movement in 1984, stating that they had been "guilty of the Galatian error: having begun in the Spirit, we quickly degenerated into the flesh."5 

Prince's "repentance", in my view, is suspect. My contention is that the Shepherding Movement was always rooted in the flesh. It is my observation that false teachers often "repent" when they are backed into a corner and have no other choice. Bob Mumford also publicly repented in 1989.

David Moore's description of the Shepherding Movement is that it "created a propensity toward an abuse of spiritual authority, especially among young immature leaders, or leaders who lacked character and integrity...the emphasis on hierarchically oriented submission to God’s delegated authorities led to many cases of improper control and abusive authority throughout the movement."6

A victim of the Shepherding Movement writes: "I grew up in the Shepherding movement. Just like anyone who has grown up in abuse, perspectives of what is normal, loving and correct are skewed. Healing has come so very slowly. This movement affected four generations of my family, my grandmother, parents, an aunt and uncle, myself, cousins and my children. The wounds are deep and serious. It has felt like we have been so wounded that we needed a spiritual ICU, but there isn't one. My older child are now practising non-Christian beliefs, wanting nothing to do with Christianity. My cousins have battled drug addiction as a means to try to forget. A day does not go by that I do not feel the searing pain left on my soul. The Shepherding movement was not of God in any way, shape or form. If the bible states we will know people by their fruit I would have to say that there certainly a great many bad apples that went on to injure others that might other wise have been good fruit."7 

"The five were deeply influenced by William Branham [Ern Baxter, one of the 5 had known him], and in turn they deeply influenced others such as the Kansas City Prophets (IHOP), Paul Cain, Bickle and Joyner [were under Wimber who was under Paul Cain]; and Peter Wagner. They are sometimes considered a syncretistic bridge between the New Age occult movement and some Charismatic movements (such as those in the Manifested Sons of God â MSG â branches)."8

This is a cautionary tale for those currently influenced by the NAR. This post barely scratches the surface of the Shepherding Movement and Prince's involvement with Branham. The corroborating evidence, thorough research, and insight of Collins and Paisley are of great value to those seeking to understand the insidious tentacles of Branhamism. This series of videos has much to offer those with "ears to hear".

1. The Message of the Hour
2. https://william-branham.org/data/topics/latter_rain/publication/the_culture_of_the_sacred_purge_part_one_the_legacy_of_latter_rain_eschatology.pdf
3. Ern Baxter - BelieveTheSign
4. ABC History: 5-A Quick Synopsis
5. TheShepherdingMovement by Allan Clare.pdf
6. TheShepherdingMovement by Allan Clare.pdf
7. Shepherding/Discipleship Movement Survivor's Blog: Derek Prince: A Biography
8. A LITTLE HISTORY - [ Truth about ] THE SHEPHERDING MOVEMENT

*Sixty Propositions : from an Authentic Version of a Work by Jane Lead - 1697
Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International
(186) Leaving the Message - YouTube
William Branham Historical Research
'Cults' sprout globally from Christian group 'The Message'