Word of Faith Movement
The Word of Faith Movement, often called the "Name It and Claim It Gospel," blends Christian language with metaphysical and mystical ideas, teaching that believers can alter physical reality through spoken words, faith-force, and claims of divine status. William Branham helped popularize several foundations of this theology through his healing revivals, sermons, and publications, teaching that deity dwelled in believers, that humans would become gods in the last days, that miracles depended on the "spoken word," and that faith operated as a force capable of producing supernatural results. These ideas later overlapped with figures such as E. W. Kenyon, Kenneth Hagin, Benny Hinn, and the Voice of Healing network, while Branham's claim that he spoke squirrels into existence became one of the clearest examples of how his Message movement fused prophetic authority, spoken-word theology, and miraculous creation claims into a precursor of modern Word of Faith doctrine.
The Word of Faith Movement, sometimes referred to as the "Name It and Claim It Gospel",[1] is a mix of Christianity and mysticism to produce leaders claiming that Christians can make changes in the physical realm by simply speaking. One of the core teachings of the movement is that humans are "gods" that are lesser than the Almighty God Yahweh.[2]
William Branham played a significant role in the spreading of the Word of Faith Movement by introducing the foundational elements of the Word of Faith in his doctrinal teaching. Through his revivals and publications, those doctrines spread throughout the United States and Canada, as well as throughout Africa and South America. As the Latter Rain version of William Branham's "Message" began to spread, those doctrines quickly spread with it. It should come as no surprise that leaders in the group such as Benny Hinn give tribute to Branham.[3] The group bases this theology (loosely) on reading specific phrases or passages in the Bible as if they relate to Psalm 82 "I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High".[4]
All of the core elements of the Word of Faith doctrine can be traced directly to William Branham's sermons. Branham taught that "deity dwelled in us"[5] and that in the last days, humans would become gods.[6] To achieve a miracle, one must believe in the "spoken word".[7] According to Branham, Jesus was powerless to perform a miracle without having first having seen a vision, and only then could He speak with authority.[8] Branham claimed that faith could be used as a force, which he claimed to use during his stage act.[9] Branham's sermons are distributed using names that pay tribute to the Word of Faith: "Spoken Word Publications" and "Voice of God Recordings".
Many people credit E. W. Kenyon as the founder of the Word of Faith doctrine,[10] though the Americanized version of Word of Faith can be traced to mentalist Phineas Parkhurst Quimby who combined Christianity with metaphysics.[11] Its core foundation, however, is derived from Gnosticism and Eastern mysticism. Others recognize Kenneth Hagin as the father, not realizing that Hagin both worked closely with William Branham and was influenced by Kenyon.[12] Hagin was both a Voice of Healing evangelist[13] and connected to the business side of Branham's "Message" cult as late as 1984 through a business entity called Ordinary People.[14]
After Jim Jones[15] and many of the Voice of Healing Evangelists[16] parted ways with William Branham, Branham began claiming to have a more powerful Word of Faith than before. In a sermon entitled "My New Ministry", Branham began claiming that he spoke an actual squirrel into existence for the purposes of killing it. Though it was part of the stage persona, Branham's cult following today still believes this to be an actual event that happened.[17]
Something said, “Say to it. Speak the three squirrels and you’ll have it.” I said, “That’s happened once.” So I stood by the side of a little tree, late in the afternoon, on a side of a ridge.
And that Anointing come so great till I could hardly stand on the ground, and said, “Speak! What you say, don’t doubt, and you can have what you’ve said.” I said, “I shall get three squirrels.” He said, “Where will they come from?” I said, “One will come from that way, one from that way, and one back this a way.” Make it radical. God don’t care how radical it seems. He’s God of circumstance.
And while I stood there for about a few minutes. I could hear no shooting around, the rest of the boys, around anywhere. I happened to look to my back, way up in the woods, about ninety yards, I thought something was on a stump. I watched it. After while it jumped off, and it was a gray squirrel. So far, all the way across the hollow, and up on top of the ridge. When it come along by the side of the tree, I shot it. And it was about ninety yards, and it killed it. I said, “There’s one. I might as well turn and look this other way, for the others, ’cause they’re coming.” See? God has a way of bringing things to you, making you sure what you’re talking about.
That Anointing was off of me then. Well, I waited and watched this way for about an hour. Nothing happened. I was getting cold. I thought, “Surely, if that is the Holy Spirit that’s telling me those things, it will be just exactly. Because, when the Anointing was on me, I spoke that word, and it’ll have to be that way.”
Now listen real close to this. And this is going to be a tape recording. It’ll go all over the world.[18]
Well, it all happened up where the Angels of the Lord appeared to me one morning, and them squirrels was spoke into existence.[19]