William Branham: 20th Century Charlatan: An Overview of Major Issues Paperback – May 16, 2015

Excellent, excellent book. . .starting with the title and continuing through each chapter.One might quibble as to whether Branham was indeed a Charlatan. . . as opposed to perhaps being a delusional psychopath who indeed thought that he was the angel to Laodicea mentioned in the book of Revelation. The distinction doesn't really matter though, since the result of Branham's activities were the same, whether he was deeply deceptive or delusional.Some of the statements attributed to Branham might sound outlandish. . .but Branham's associates faithfully recorded their leader's sermons for 15 or 16 years. . . so what Branham claimed is not in question.Mandatory reading for anyone who ever wondered about William Branham. . . .

Very informative.

Great Buy

Well written and shows the authors devotion to God. He escaped a cult that twisted our Lords teachings so radically it almost can't be considered Christian anymore. Worth the time.

The Truth stands under scrutiny; lies cower under scrutiny. If the Message is really This Saith the Lord, it can stand scrutiny. We are to prove all things. This is what Collins has endeavored to achieve, with eloquence and research that command serious consideration.

As one who has independently studied Rev. Branham's life and Ministry for over 40 years, it is apparent to me that the "facts" that Mr Collins presents are highly selective (perhaps without him being so aware) and that his treatment of the subject matter is both superficial as well as exhibiting the type of bias that is often associated with one who is aggrieved. He has (perhaps again without his being aware) sought to prove a predetermined outcome with the result that an uniformed reader could well be forgiven if they find themselves going along with his conclusions.Addressing just one of Mr Collins early erroneous statements: namely that William Branham “became the mouthpiece of God to his parents, telling them that they were to move near a city called “New Albany,” I can assure readers that nowhere in his recorded sermons does he make the extravagant and boastful statement that he was “the mouthpiece of God to his parents” or anything that remotely approaches this claim or displays such an attitude. This is a self serving fiction and subtle use of words may help to support the case Mr Collins is trying to build, but it is entirely untrue and quite unlike the character of the man he is writing about. In fact, Rev. Branham was well known to be one who treated others with the greatest respect, even when they disagreed with him, or he with them. To describe another Bible believer as a charlatan was far, far removed from his nature or behavior.I believe that Mr Collins would do well to consider that not only were Rev. Branham’s eight siblings, plus his mother and their extended family alive to witness the events of his youth, but as he became of age and entered the Ministry in his early 20’s, he continued to relate these same events to his congregation and the citizens of the city where he was brought up, some of whom knew his family and their early beginnings. Such people included the mayor of Jeffersonville, Mr Vissing, with whom Rev. Branham became a personal friend: in fact Mr Vissing is on record stating that he considered "Billy Branham" to be a prophet and Mayor Vissing's son, Attorney Jack Vissing is also on public record not only confirming the tragic happening that took place during the construction of the Clark Memorial Bridge that William Branham prophesied during September 1916 when aged seven, but also speaking highly of encounters he had with Rev. Branham in the Vissing family home. Nowhere is there any account of these people contesting the truth of the events that Rev. Branham reports, including the partial collapse of the Clark Memorial Bridge. When Mr Collins questions this latter happening and other items such Rev. Branham’s birth date, he fails to appreciate that the man he is writing about was brought up in much harsher times than he himself has enjoyed. It further surprises me that because he can’t find information about these events that according to today’s standards should have been in the public record, Mr Collins uses this lack as evidence that Rev. Branham’s statements are therefore untrue. Since when has lack of evidence been deemed evidence in its own right? Similarly, when Rev. Branham occasionally muddles things such as dates (and he does), is it reasonable to treat this as evidence that he is lying or being deceptive? Anyone who has engaged in public speaking without the use of a script knows that they are bound to slip up from time to time. If we allow for the fact that just after the turn of last century, the young Branham family had nothing but mud for a floor in their first home (an isolated one room cabin accessible by a dirt road and set in the back hills of Kentucky), it becomes clear that those were not times when dates mattered to the extent that they do today and it is doubtful the family actually knew William Branham's date of birth with certainty. A calendar on the wall would have been a luxury they had no use for.If readers would like to consider a more honest assessment of Rev. Branham’s quite remarkable life, I can do no better than to suggest that before they make up their minds, they Google, obtain and read a free digital copy of the book “A man sent from God” or perhaps the publication “The Acts of the Prophet” by the late Rev. Pearry Green.

Collins' work undeniably shows he is an outstanding researcher. Moreover, some issues he raises are deserving of inquiry. However, his interpretation of Branham's statements and events frequently shows that after reading the book, if one truly wants to get at the facts, it will require even further and certainly more objective inquiry on the part of the reader. I'll just give two quick examples from the very first pages of the book.1) At the start of the chapter 'Stage Persona', Collins states: "According to Branham, he and Davis challenged the audience by drinking poison at a time when Pentecostalism was known for drinking poison and/or handling snakes." First, anyone at all familiar with American church history will know that that is a gross, or at best very careless misrepresentation of Pentecostalism in general. There were a few fringe groups in that movement that allegedly had such a practice, although hard evidence of it is actually very sparse. Second, even the quotation Collins gives as proof of his statement clearly shows that the supposed event pertained to Davis in particular, and not also to Branham.2) Another example from just a few paragraphs later: "...[Branham] claimed his 'healing' ministry' was the result of a vision of 'white-robed people'". In the greater context of the book this is clearly meant as implicit proof of Branham's alleged early connections with the KKK. In actual context of the quotation itself, however, it clearly has no such connotations, but is rather an allusion to the saints with white robes in Revelation 7:9.These kinds of misinterpretation of the data both permeate and vitiate Collin's book, and show an extreme prejudice and, sadly, even bigotry on the part of the author. I have pointed out these kinds of discrepancies to Collins before, which merely resulted in being banned from his social media accounts. His main venue used to be called Seek Ye The Truth. But it is plain enough that Collins is now much more determined to push a personal vendetta, even at the expense of objective truth.