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Theology: Difference between revisions
→William Branham's view of theology
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:''How would God let me tell something wrong, and stand up with my very message. These things are only to indicate a Divine a vindication that '''my theology is right'''. That's exactly right. The Word of the Lord came to the prophets. <ref>BE.NOT.AFRAID CHAUTAUQUA.OH 60-0609 </ref> | :''How would God let me tell something wrong, and stand up with my very message. These things are only to indicate a Divine a vindication that '''my theology is right'''. That's exactly right. The Word of the Lord came to the prophets. <ref>BE.NOT.AFRAID CHAUTAUQUA.OH 60-0609 </ref> | ||
==William Branham's system of theology= | |||
William Branham's theological system is an example of the "if-you’re-a-hammer-everything’sa-nail" syndrome. His approach to Biblical texts is to find and quote only those that support his theological beliefs—his status as a prophet, serpent seed, Larkin's dispensationalism, the message dress code, etc. This may or may not be appropriate based on the text(s) under consideration. | |||
What is the Bible in the message context? It is a depository for proof-texts. A proof-text is a biblical statement or citation that (purportedly) does not require a context in order to be coherent and meaningful. Its function has nothing to do with the overarching biblical story in which it is embedded or in the specific genre in which it is found. Also, the function of a proof-text is assigned by an extra-biblical structure: the system of doctrine. The Bible exists primarily to support the message.<ref>Michael R. Emlet, Crosstalk: Where Life & Scripture Meet (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2009).</ref> | |||
A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text. In other words, the failure to consider the context of a passage may become a pretext for perverting a text into a proof text. This is common in William Branham;s theology. He takes a passage, ignores everything that is said around it and makes his whole case out of that.<ref>D. A. Carson, “Kingdom of Heaven: Jesus, Christian, Law,” in D. A. Carson Sermon Library (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2016), Mt 5:17–48.</ref> | |||
=Examples of William Branham's theology (message theology)= | =Examples of William Branham's theology (message theology)= | ||