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Credibility: Difference between revisions
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Text replacement - "Discernment errors" to "Was William Branham's discernment ministry genuine?"
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|'''''I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.''''' - Friedrich Nietzsche | |'''''I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.''''' - Friedrich Nietzsche | ||
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|'''''If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.''''' - Mark Twain | |'''''If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.''''' - Mark Twain | ||
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In our search to find the truth and to separate fact from fiction as it relates to William Branham and his ministry, one of the the most important issues that has to be addressed is his credibility. This need to be examined in relation to the various stories he tells in describing his supernatural experiences. | |||
''To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable, we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful.'' — Edward R. Murrow | |||
Credibility refers to the believability, trustworthiness and reliability of a person. | |||
=Was William Branham credible?= | |||
[[Image:Credibility.png|thumb|right|250px]] | |||
Because William Branham was a minister of the Gospel, one starts off with the assumption that he generally told the truth, that he was credible. But that assumption must be discarded if it can be demonstrated that he regularly strayed from telling the truth. | Because William Branham was a minister of the Gospel, one starts off with the assumption that he generally told the truth, that he was credible. But that assumption must be discarded if it can be demonstrated that he regularly strayed from telling the truth. | ||
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#[[An Uncertain Sound|Did William Branham claim to be a prophet?]] | #[[An Uncertain Sound|Did William Branham claim to be a prophet?]] | ||
#[[The Nazarite Birth|Was William Branham born under a Nazarite Vow?]] | #[[The Nazarite Birth|Was William Branham born under a Nazarite Vow?]] | ||
#[[ | #[[Was William Branham's discernment ministry genuine?|Was William Branham's discernment 100% accurate?]] | ||
#[[Guessing the disease|Was William Branham's ministry always 100%?]] | #[[Guessing the disease|Was William Branham's ministry always 100%?]] | ||
#[[The Mystery of the Empty Cornerstone|What was in the cornerstone of Branham Tabernacle?]] | #[[The Mystery of the Empty Cornerstone|What was in the cornerstone of Branham Tabernacle?]] | ||
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=But didn't Abraham lie?= | =But didn't Abraham lie?= | ||
We have had many message ministers deflect the issue of William Branham's credibility by pointing to the flaws of some of the prophets in the Old Testament. Such a response is clearly coming out of [[Cognitive Dissonance]] (if you don't know what this is, please click on the link). | |||
When a message believers, confronted with the clear facts that William Branham lied, states, "''Abramham lied and he was the father of faith,''" they are effectively admitting that William Branham lied but that it is not a big deal. | |||
The problem with this argument is that it is a [[Failed Prophecies|red herring]]. | The problem with this argument is that it is a [[Failed Prophecies|red herring]]. | ||
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William Branham, on the other hand, appeared to have lied to uphold the claim that God spoke to him and that his prophesies were authentic. William Branham lied to make himself look like a prophet so that people would follow him. | William Branham, on the other hand, appeared to have lied to uphold the claim that God spoke to him and that his prophesies were authentic. William Branham lied to make himself look like a prophet so that people would follow him. | ||
Under the new covenant | Under the new covenant as outlined in the New Testament, lying is not acceptable behaviour because the Bible plainly tells us what is expected of Christian leaders: | ||
:''Therefore an overseer must be above reproach...<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Ti 3:2–3.</ref> | :''Therefore an overseer must be above reproach...<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Ti 3:2–3.</ref> | ||