ACFAR Announces Its First Major Conference

Mark your calendar now for “The Bible and the Challenge of Discernment” (1 Thessalonians 5:21–22), a national conference for pastors and Christian leaders to be held on the campus of Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda on March 15–17. The event is being held to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Kanungu Tragedy.

Noted speakers include:

• Dr. J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu (Trinity Theological Seminary, Ghana)

• Robert M. Bowman, Jr. (Institute for Religious Research, USA)

• Eric Pement (Centers for Apologetics Research, USA)

• Robby Muhumuza (Leadershipwise Africa, Uganda)

Among the topics to be addressed are the Christian’s call to discernment and defending the faith; the integrity and authority of Scripture; the Word-Faith movement; indigenous cults and sects; the Branham movement; Jehovah’s Witnesses; Mormonism; and the challenge of child sacrifice.

The conference is being jointly sponsored by ACFAR and the Kampala Evangelical School of Theology (KEST).

We truly covet your prayers as we prepare for this event!

Space is limited! For registration and additional information, visit the conference web page.

Branham, Moreau, and East Africa

We’re continually on the lookout for existing resources on cults in East Africa. Recently I came across A. Scott Moreau's article on the Branham movement in the East Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology (April 1989). Moreau was a missionary in Africa and now serves as Professor of Intercultural Studies and Missions at Wheaton College and as editor of Evangelical Missions Quarterly. He writes:

Almost every Kenyan student at the Nairobi International School of Theology has had encounters with a Branhamite and found them to be extremely difficult to talk to without having to engage in a defense of the traditional Christian doctrine of the Trinity or of the baptismal formula “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Moreau first summarizes the history of the self-proclaimed prophet William Branham (1909–1965) and the movement that grew from his international healing ministry. Then he details the Branhamites’ core beliefs, especially that 1) while the Bible is inerrant, we need Branham’s gift of prophetic revelation to fully understand God’s message, and 2) God is not a Trinity; instead, the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are different manifestations of a single divine person. After mentioning several other doctrinal deviations, Moreau provides a basic evaluation of Branham’s ministry and teaching, concluding that Branham was a false prophet and his end-time message was in serious error. He concludes by classifying the Branhamites a theological cult and gives several suggestions for how to approach the movement’s followers.

There’s such a wealth of information in this brief article that I barely know where to begin. I especially appreciated Moreau’s practical emphasis. He wasn’t simply an academician dryly describing another religious group; he was an evangelical Christian on the front lines recognizing the need to more effectively engage this cult in Africa. For this Moreau deserves our sincere thanks.

Still, his article is twenty years old. Not only does this render his research somewhat outdated (William Branham Ministries is now deeply entrenched across the continent), but the lack of related research since then is a sad indication of how little has been done by serious theologians in East Africa to address harmful groups of this nature.

May God help us to build on the work of such scholars and equip East African believers with the tools and training they need to effectively refute those who follow false prophets—and share the true Gospel with them in love.

Answering the Branham Challenge in Africa

Jesus’ warnings about false prophets in Matthew 7 are being played out all around us, and on a scale never seen before.

The question is, how will we respond?

Last week I gave you a glimpse of my recent visit to the international headquarters of William Branham Ministries (also known as Voice of God Recordings, or VGR). Today I want to offer a few more reflections on that unforgettable trip.

VGR headquarters draws a stream of Branham followers from all over the globe. On the day I went, a local member brought along a friend from Nebraska so she could see the facility firsthand. Just going through VGR with them was educational; I saw how intently they listened to the guide as he summarized the various stages of Branham’s life and gazed with wonder at the pictures and paraphernalia on display. As a former Mormon, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the exaggerated devotion many Latter-day Saints pay to their founding prophet, Joseph Smith.

VGR displays (and actually uses) Branham’s original pulpit. His desk sits below a framed picture, along with sheets of his handwritten sermon notes. These and many other artifacts testify that, for his legions of devotees, Branham is much more than a gifted and anointed man; he’s God’s unique and final prophet, and one can be only be prepared for Christ’s return by believing and following his divisive “message.”

Something else stands out in my memory: Seeing racks and racks of Branham’s booklets in other languages on prominent display as I first entered. VGR prints in at least 16 indigenous African languages, plus some 60 others. Actually seeing row upon row of these booklets left a deep impression on me. These are the very booklets that are drawing men and women in towns and villages across Africa to another Jesus and a false gospel, booklets that spread Branham’s errors with little or no resistance from Christians equipped with God’s Word.

It was deeply troubling to watch Branham’s disciples dispatch such vast quantities of false teaching from their distribution center. I watched in frustration as scores of pallets, filled with booklets, tapes, and other materials, were lined up and readied for shipment.

What can we do?

The answer is powerful, yet simple. ACFAR’s mission is to equip African Christians with tools and training so they can recognize and resist cultic groups like Branham’s—putting scriptural answers into the hands of thousands of pastors so they can warn their flocks. And the best part is that believers who know how to test the claims of false prophets like Branham can also lead his followers to a saving knowledge of the true Jesus.

You and I can answer the challenge of Branhamism—and we must.

Pray with me that God will bring the support we need to launch ACFAR in Uganda this year!

Visiting Voice of God Headquarters

I recently had the opportunity to tour the international headquarters of William Branham Ministries (also known as Voice of God Recordings, or VGR). While most Americans have never heard of William Marrion Branham (1909–1965), the message of this American “prophet” is rapidly spreading throughout the world. And given his cult’s special focus on Africa, it cannot be ignored.

Who was William Branham? His followers believe that he was God’s unique end-time prophet sent to prepare the church for Christ’s return. Branham is considered the promised Elijah to the Gentiles (Mal. 4:5), the “angel of the Laodicean church” (Rev. 3:14), and the mighty angel with the rainbow on his head (Rev. 10:1). Branham fiercely denied the Trinity and taught that Christians need to become part of “the Bride” (i.e., those who follow his teachings). Branham’s messages are seen as Scripture, and the printed books and booklets include verse numbers for easy reference. His ministry is the key to being ready for the Second Coming, so his followers zealously seek to spread his message as widely as possible in these last days.

Everybody at Branham headquarters was very friendly and open about their ministry, and I was surprised to see how involved they are internationally. My tour guide proudly gave the following statistics:

• 65 offices around the world (with 5 offices in South Africa alone!)
• Active in 177 countries
• Printed materials in 77 languages
• Audio translations in 40 languages

VGR’s outreach efforts are focused and aggressive. Their immense printing warehouse can produce 64,000 32-page Branham booklets per hour. VGR also has high-tech audio editing and duplication capabilities. A worker in their audio department told me that they can average 2,000 cassettes a day between their two main machines. Since I know a little about how difficult it would be to translate and record audio messages into other languages, I was shocked to learn that they’re also currently translating about five of Branham’s messages a week.

Their hard work is paying off. My tour guide estimated that VGR produced and shipped ten million booklets last year alone. They can deliver an oceangoing container filled with material to South Africa in just four weeks (less time than they can get material to parts of Europe!). Branham is estimated to have followers numbering in the hundreds of thousands in Uganda alone, yet most evangelical Christians I ask have no idea who he was.

My tour was eye opening and sobering. I left more certain than ever of how important it is for us to counter Branham’s false message with the true gospel of Jesus Christ!

Next week I plan to share more of my reflections. Until then, be sure to join the new ACFAR cause on Facebook. I just uploaded a photo album of my visit, so you can see many more photos of my time at VGR headquarters.

Spreading Error Through Technology

I love technology. Most people that know me immediately recognize how much of a "tech geek" I am. I blog. I listen to sermons on my MP3 player. I use a digital camera to send pictures to my family. I have even considered buying a Kindle (unfortunately, the price is still way too high). Technology is wonderful.

At the same time, technology is dangerous. Anyone can post material online, whether accurate or not. Wikipedia provides a tremendous amount of information, but none of it can be trusted because its entries can be modified by any visitor. The floodgates of falsehood are always before us.

Growing technology also allows cults and false teaching to spread more rapidly around the world. One case in point: the Branhamites (also known as Voice of God Recordings). In the latest edition of their newsletter Catch the Vision (June 2008), they report on a new project.

Voice of God Recordings (VGR) always had the burden to give every believer on earth access to Brother Branham's Message. As soon as VGR was founded, we established overseas Message libraries, so believers could have a place to get the books and tapes. But it was still not possible to locate a library in or near every church. Cassette tapes were too large and expensive to ship in such huge quantities. To further complicate things, many believers were completely isolated and didn't even have a church, let alone a lending library. It would take years before God's plan became clear.

While many Christians in America have never heard of VGR, they are zealously working toward spreading William Branham's teaching globally. In the past, getting their materials overseas was difficult and expensive. Not anymore!

In 2003, the Lord led us to put together a package including a battery-powered MP3 player, a full set of English MP3 CDs, and a full set of English Message books (1963-1965 plus all the bound books). Fittingly, we called it the Lighthouse Project. Once again, God's Great Machine was in motion.

Thanks to advances in technology, they can now easily distribute Branham's messages as MP3s without worrying about copying and distributing cassette tapes. What has been the result?

We recently shipped 342 packages to Kenya, 138 packages to Mozambique, and 100 packages to South Africa. We hope to have enough sponsors to ship 571 Lighthouse packages to Zambia in the hear future. This will give every known church in that country a Lighthouse package.

The Branhamites are now rapidly spreading their message in Africa. And if you would like to know how successful they have been throughout the continent, check out their African offices page. VGR is now working in multiple languages throughout East Africa, including two of the most common in Uganda: Luganda and Swahili.

I have experienced their growth firsthand. On my latest trip to Uganda, I was speaking at a preacher's conference and asked how many of the pastors had heard of William Branham. I was shocked to see over half of their hands go up.

As technology increases, the challenges to our faith only become greater. Nevertheless, we serve a God who can overcome all obstacles! Lord willing, church leaders and fellow believers in East Africa will soon have a place to turn when they encounter the errors of VGR. May God's truth in Christ shine brightly!