The Brownsville Revival and Other Questions Asked | Charles Paisley | Revival History | Episode 414

John and Charles discuss how mid-20th-century renewal streams shaped later movements, tracing links among healing revivals, Latter Rain circles, and newer trends. They examine claims around the Brownsville revival’s ties to Full Gospel networks and the role of Steve Hill; explore how specialized terms like “Ecclesia” gained layered meaning; and address wide variation inside Latter Rain—from worship styles to doctrines such as five-fold leadership and “manifested sons.” They also revisit how certain Detroit-area congregations intersected with a future harmful leader, the ways ideas and personnel cross-pollinated, and why so much institutional storytelling was later rewritten or minimized. 

They further unpack debates within Branham-influenced groups: the existence of a faction that treats the founder with divine-level status, contrasting with others who deny such devotion; the rapture timeline split between amillennial and premillennial branches; and the backstory of the Church Ages book—compiled from sermons, heavily edited, and drawing on earlier authors. Additional myths are assessed, including accident narratives, fundraising practices, and royalties on recordings, while urging readers to evaluate claims against primary evidence rather than inherited legends.

00:00 Introduction
00:31 Listener Reactions and Hidden History of Brownsville Revival
03:25 Full Gospel Prophecies and the Launch of Brownsville
05:01 Assemblies of God, Defrocked Ministers, and the Voice of Healing Roots
06:53 Cross-Pollination of Theological Ideas in American Christianity
08:39 Southern Baptist Renewal and Charismatic Influence
10:07 Redefining “Ekklesia” in Latter Rain Theology
11:14 The Role of Loaded Language in Religious Control
13:04 Why “Ideology” Instead of “Theology”?
14:45 Former Latter Rain Minister Pushback and Bethesda Church
17:11 Jim Jones and His Connection to Bethesda and Latter Rain Leaders
20:00 George Haughton, Fivefold Ministry, and Doctrinal Roots
22:45 Clarifying the Scope of Latter Rain Beliefs
23:13 How to Get the Book (Brief)
23:19 What Is the “Deity” Group?
24:22 Contradictions in Branham Worship Denials
25:20 Rapturing Faith and Its Life-Altering Impact
26:53 Theology of Overcoming and Manifested Sons of God
28:38 Variants in Rapture Belief Across Branches of the Movement
30:04 Available Research and Missing Histories
31:46 Backlash from Institutions Protecting Narratives
33:07 Christian Identity Ties and Historical Cover-Up
35:05 Why Each Generation Erases the Past
35:31 Why Some Groups Abandoned Belief in the Rapture
37:28 Amillennialism in Some Branches of the Movement
38:43 Worship Confusion Within the Jeffersonville Groups
39:03 Who Really Wrote the Church Ages Book
41:30 Real Sources of the Seven Church Age Timeline
43:07 Stages of Leaving the Message
44:12 Branham’s Teachings All Copied—No Revelation
45:00 The Myth of the Drunk Driver and the Fatal Crash
47:01 Branham’s Pattern of Shifting the Burden of Proof
48:07 Did Branham Profit From Tape Sales?
50:42 William Branham and Money: Audio Evidence
52:02 Final Question: Why Didn’t Anyone Challenge Him While Alive?
54:11 Comparing Modern Exposure to Other Leaders
55:21 Christian in Name Only? A Cultic Identity Divide
58:03 Wrap-Up and Future Plans
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Weaponized Religion: From Christian Identity to the NAR:
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735160962
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCGGZX3K
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