Leaving the Message 3 - The Sexual Divide

The new theology that William Branham introduced into the Post WWII Healing Revival had several themes that religious leaders agreed to be based on good intentions. Branham began the revival by inviting all denominations as an "Inter-Evangelical" effort, asking the revivalists to put aside their differences and join together on common ground. Branham himself had difficulty containing his own differences of opinion, however, and began introducing themes that violated the core principles of some religious leaders. As more and more revivalists left the movement over these differences, Branham drew a "line in the sand", by becoming more aggressive in his usage of the themes that others found offensive. Even Ern Baxter, named partner of the "Branham-Baxter Campaigns", parted ways over these differences.

There was one very positive result from all of this -- if it can be viewed as "positive". As Branham begin to lose control of the revival, his narcissistic tendencies began to surface. He had created a public image of humility and collaboration but as the revival began to fade, his lack of humility became exposed. Branham had fueled his revival by dividing churches that he called "cold and formal", but after losing control, he tried to create division among those who were his own supporters. The worst example of these divisions, in my opinion, was Branham's attempt to divide the sexes. By the end of his life, this became one of the most destructive and demoralizing themes that would become his legacy and continue in his cult of personality after his death. The "positive" is that by exposing himself as the opposite of "humble", religious leaders became aware of the destructive doctrines and opinions that Branham held back when using his stage persona that would otherwise have disqualified him as a Chrisitan minister or evangelist.

When Christian researchers who have never been influenced by William Branham begin researching "The Message", they sometimes have difficulty understanding Branham's doctrines that were designed to divide the sexes. Galatians 3:28 lays the foundation for both racial and gender equality in Christianity: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." William Branham disagreed with this passage, claiming that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was not intended for the Jews (also disagreeing with Romans 1:16), and from 1947 to 1965 gradually introduced doctrines intended to diminish the roles and status of women. By the end of his life, Branham began claiming that the status of women was reduced to the animal kingdom, and was lower than a dog and a hog.

Leaders of the Message cult use statements made by early versions of Branham's stage persona to deny Branham's spiritual abuse of women. In the early years, before narcissistic tendencies began to surface, Branham's public image seemed to support equality. Any derogatory statements against women are dismissed by cult leaders as "only applicable to 'ungodly' women, meaning "those women who do not accept Branham's authority in doctrine and scripture, specifically those who do not have the Pentecostal appearance from the 1940s and 1950s. Examining the later years, however, during the time when Branham's "filter" was fully removed, it is clear that Branham's divisive statements were targeting all women -- not just women who were outside of his personality cult. The best examples of Branham's position against women can be found in his 1965 sermon, Marriage and Divorce.

In this sermon, Branham made public his disagreement with Genesis 1:27, claiming that women were not in the original creation. "She is not in God's original creation. She is a by-product". Branham then disagreed with Genesis 2:20-24, claiming that women were designed for filth -- not as a partner for the men. "She is designed, alone, for filth and unclean living. A dog can't, and no other female can. It's just the woman that can." Branham is very clear that he fully disagrees with both Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, in that he introduced Satan as the designer of the female in the human species. "You may question me about Satan being her designer, but that's the Truth. Satan designed her. He still does it." And he makes a clear distinction between other species, claiming that because Satan designed women, they were worse than a hog or a dog.

Just think of this now. There is nothing in the world, made in God's creation, that can be immoral, stoop that low. You say, "Wait a minute, 'man'!" We're going to get to that. The woman has to say "yes." Notice, there is nothing designed to stoop so low, or be filthy, but a woman. A dog can't do it, a hog can't do it, a bird can't do it. No animal is immoral, nor it can be, for it is not designed so it can be. A female hog can't be immoral, a female dog can't be immoral, a female bird can't be immoral. A woman is the only thing can do it. Now you see where Satan went?
- William Branham

This doctrine, fully intended to turn his following against each other, did not simply surface in one single sermon. There were signs of Branham's stage persona withholding the destructive doctrine throughout the time of his leadership in the Revival. In 1957, Branham disagreed with Proverbs 3:18, claiming that women were the "tree of death". "The woman is a tree of death, the man is a tree of life; for the woman doesn’t even bear life in her. That’s exactly right." In 1962, he said that women were a "perversion". "You remember what was the first perversion? Was a woman." Multiple times he exposed his personality disorder by admitting that he felt that women were "not worth a good clean bullet to kill them with". In 1963, Branham disagreed with Romans 5:19, claiming that the original sin in the Garden of Eden was caused by the female, not the male. Even his doomsday scenario was altered in 1955 to say that a woman would be the root cause. "Before the end time comes, there'll be a woman, that'll be a great ruler in this nation. She will either be president or something on that order, some great woman."

Branham's divisive doctrines served the purpose for which they were intended. They were destructive and demeaning. The doctrines did cause division, and the seeds of destruction that he planted continued to grow long after his death in 1965. They caused men in his cult of personality to look down upon the women, and suppressed their voices, both spiritually and politically. They robbed the women of their self-esteem and dignity while empowering men with similar personality disorders to abuse them. And the children raised with this destructive theology show the type of fruit that was planted; years of counseling and therapy are frequently needed for former members to heal and adopt a healthy view towards the other sex.