How The Voice of Healing Got Its Name

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 How The Voice of Healing Got Its Name 

By Roscoe Barnes III
Author, F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind Christ the Healer
Copyright (c) 2018
#FFBosworth
#BosworthMatters

Ever wonder how William Branham and Gordon Lindsay came up with the name, "The Voice of Healing," for their magazine?

Branham explained the origin of the name in the March 1950 issue of the publication. He said the name was inspired by the experience of Samuel, who heard the voice of God, and by John the Baptist, who became the voice for God. Branham said that his own experience in hearing God's voice also contributed to the concept for the magazine's title. Here in his own words is his account of how it all started:
 
How The Voice of Healing
Received Its Name
 
I have been requested to tell how I happened to choose the name THE VOICE OF HEALING, by which our magazine is called. I remember when Brother Lindsay asked me to see if I could think of a suitable name. Then I began to think of the prophet Samuel when he was a little boy. He heard a voice -- a voice coming to him in the night. I thought then of John the Baptist. John was a voice crying in the wilderness, and it was after his ministry that Christ came. Then as I was thinking it seemed to me that after the present moving of God's gifts, to get the church ready for the Coming of the Lord, Christ will come again.

Then I thought of the time when God spoke to me by a voice, saying "Take a gift of healing to the people of the world." I thought that if my voice was used of God to carry this gift, then the magazine carrying my voice must be called THE VOICE OF HEALING.
 
-- William Branham

The Voice of Healing was touted by its editors as "The Magazine Used in America's Great Healing Campaigns." It was, according to David E. Harrell, "the firebrand in the night spreading the word of revival throughout the whole world." It was indeed the most important media outlet that covered the post-World War II healing revival in the United States and other countries.

The magazine, which was born in April 1948, began as the official organ of Branham's evangelistic ministry. It was edited by Lindsay who shared some of the work with others.

The debut issue featured F.F. Bosworth on the front page with the headline, "Rev. and Mrs. F.F. Bosworth Work With Branham Party." Bosworth's portrait, situated just below the nameplate, was the only photo/image that appeared on the page.

For Lindsay, who was a member of the Assemblies of God, it was important for the magazine to be "inter-evangelical." As such, it would avoid controversial doctrines and teachings that divide, and be appealing to a wider audience. According to Lindsay, its mission "was to proclaim the message of the Great Commission, the sounding of God's last call to the unsaved, the healing of God's people, to the end of uniting them in spirit, and preparing them for Christ's Coming."

In July 1948, to everyone's surprise, Branham became ill and announced his retirement. He soon left the ministry, leaving many with doubts about whether he would ever return. His decision, understandably, presented Lindsay with a dilemma. James A. Hewett noted the situation left "Lindsay with many subscriptions for a magazine that had unexpectedly lost its chief reason for being." Lindsay, however, decided to broaden the magazine's focus. Instead of reporting exclusively on Branham's ministry, he began featuring the healing ministries of other revivalists.

A couple of years later, sometime after 1950, the name of the magazine became the name of an organization with a growing and robust list of healing revivalists who preached to thousands of people throughout the world.

References:
Branham, William. "How The Voice of Healing Received Its Name." The Voice of Healing, March 1950, Page 7.

Lindsay, Gordon, and William Branham. William Branham: A Man Sent from God. Jefferson, IN: William Branham, n.d.

Harrell, David Edwin. All Things are Possible: The Healing and Charismatic Revivals in Modern America. Bloomington and London: Indiana University Press, 1975.

Hewett, James Allen. "Voice of Healing." In Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, edited by Stanley M. Burgess and Gary B. McGee. Waxahachie, TX: Regency Reference Library, 1988.

Note: My book, F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind Christ the Healer, can be purchased here with a 25% discount. Use the discount code: bosworth25.

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For more information:
Visit the F.F. Bosworth page here. Questions about the research and commentary on F.F. Bosworth may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com. For updates on F.F. Bosworth history, simply follow this blog or @Roscoebarnes3 on Twitter. #ChristTheHealer