Our Stories - Leaving the Message

My wife wanted our Message pastor to come over for dinner one night to talk about our problems with the "Message" of William Branham. I’m going to walk you through some of this conversation.

"You’re a very smart person, and no doubt it takes that to do the kind of technical work you do, but THIS…THIS, is different. You can’t just figure this stuff out." - a "Message" pastor.

I looked down at my stack of papers and then proceeded to bring up some issues that I had with the credibility issues of William Branham. Only to be quickly met with "I can look at all these issues with you…but how is all of this making you feel? Is all this research and questioning helping or hurting your walk with God? Does this make you love God and serve Him better?" - A "Message" Pastor.

While this Message pastor "offered" to look at the issues with me, he kept sideswiping every detail that I brought up and kept circling back to laying the blame on me. It was clear this pastor chose to believe the problem was me and not with Branham.

After all, Branham said he wouldn’t lie to us and that he was telling us God’s honest truth — so, there’s zero need to check up on what he says, right?

"I can already tell you that I don’t believe any of these papers and evidences you brought up. I don’t need to read or hear any of it. I trust in Branham’s character and take him for his word. Listen, if you told me that a cop pulled you over and had an instrument that said you were speeding, but you told me that you weren't speeding—then I’d believe you over what the cop said and over the clear evidence.” - a "Message" pastor.

We got nowhere. I was left with no answers. I was met only with emotional appeals and left to think the problem must be with myself.

I made the decision to leave this message church.

I began reeling in my depression for leaving and that lead to a season of abusing alcohol and contemplating suicide.  I reached out to a local Baptist pastor who had a small counseling ministry. This brother in Christ came alongside me and helped with work through my frustrations and theological questions and helped to open my heart back up to the simple and true Gospel of Christ — that wasn’t passed first through the hands of some "vindicated" intercessor.

It was about a year later that my wife decided to leave. Then I started to discover, while she remained loyal to the "Message", that this same pastor had continued counseling her using manipulation through fear. He shared a "testimony" with her of another family in our same situation that left the "Message" after God spoke a revelation to the wife’s heart. God had told her that if she stayed faithful to the Message, and be as Rahab the harlot, then she and her family would be saved. Well, this lady didn’t stay in the Message and now her family has turned to hell — their marriage fell apart, kids went crazy in sin and they all gave up on God. My wife was also being pressured by her family to think ill of me. She was told that I was doing drugs, cheating on her, and all kinds of nonsense. None of this was true!

I know my experience is not unique and neither is yours. There are others who are still setting under this same sort of manipulation through fear. When you’re going through this, it’s extremely hard to make heads or tails of what’s going on and what to think about it all. It’s hard to break free from the charades and mental gymnastics that these Message preachers and believers put us through. It’s hard to know who or what to trust. But don’t give up!

I’ve been fully out of the "Message" movement for about two years now, and my wife has finally left a few months ago.  The struggle continues, but just in another form. We are continuing to fight the onslaught of accusations and cultish rants against us for walking away from the "Message". We are continuing to fight for the "normal Christian" experience and for simple Christian living.

The fact of the matter is that Branham claims to be a prophet and he also proceeds to tell us how God still uses prophets that require unquestioned loyalty, even in the New Covenant. Branham sets up these two premises to lead us to the conclusion that he, himself, is a prophet that requires unquestioned loyalty. Hopefully, if you’ve left the "Message" already, you’ve realized one or both of these premises HAVE to be challenged and tested before you can believe Branham’s conclusion of how important he is supposed to be in your Christian experience. If either of his premises is false, then his conclusion HAS to crumble. Keep fighting. Keep testing. Keep trusting.

Don’t be afraid to reach out for help. God has faithful children around you that will be ready and willing to come alongside you.

God bless,

Matt Pasley