UNDER THE HALO

Bergen takes a critical look at self-proclaimed prophet William Branham in this nonfiction work.

Early-20th-century faith healer and evangelist William Branham made a lot of claims in his life: He reported that he brought a boy in Finland back from the dead, that he had visited the grave of Confucius, and that he had a vision of a deadly bridge accident years before it occurred. Perhaps most notably, he designated himself a prophet in the tradition of biblical figures like Elijah. Branham’s memory endures in the present day due to a Christian sect that sees him as just that: a noteworthy prophet who is responsible for something called “the Message.” But do any of his claims hold up to scrutiny? Bergen, a former follower of the Message, closely examines Branham’s life and assertions in these pages. More than 1,000 of his sermons were recorded; the takeaway is not a positive one (generally, evidence for Branham’s claims is lacking). As the author writes of an incident in which Branham supposedly healed a United States congressman, “The healing of a well-known political figure should be easy to verify, but when examined closely, some disturbing things come to light.” Bergen takes a no-nonsense approach to the matter at hand, frequently citing direct quotes from his subject. Could Branham be trusted when he reported on the size of crowds who would come to see him? As he said himself, “I’m not very good at making…or estimating crowds, because I usually exaggerate on it.” While some of the finer details are a bit dry (the author notes that, regarding Branham’s analysis of the Book of Revelation, “To get the scripture to say what he wants it to say, Branham states that the angel of Revelation 10:7 is not the angel with the seventh trumpet”), Bergen’s text proves to be a very readable work of investigation. Even for those who have never heard of this evangelist, who died in 1965, the book provides an insightful look into a curious subset of Christianity.

A thorough, inviting examination of an evangelist’s substantial spiritual claims.