William Marrion Branham (April 6, 1909 – December 24, 1965) was an American Christian minister and faith healer who initiated the post–World War II healing revival.
He left a lasting impact on televangelism and the modern Charismatic movement and is recognized as the "principal architect of restorationist thought" for Charismatics by some Christian historians.
At the time they were held, his inter-denominational meetings were the largest religious meetings ever held in some American cities.
Branham was the first American deliverance minister to successfully campaign in Europe; his ministry reached global audiences with major campaigns held in North America, Europe, Africa, and India.
Branham claimed to have received an angelic visitation on May 7, 1946, commissioning his worldwide ministry and launching his campaigning career in mid-1946.
His fame spread rapidly as crowds were drawn to his stories of angelic visitations and reports of miracles happening at his meetings.
His ministry spawned many emulators and set in motion the broader healing revival that later became the modern Charismatic movement.
From 1955, Branham's campaigning and popularity began to decline as the Pentecostal churches began to withdraw their support from the healing campaigns for primarily financial reasons.
By 1960, Branham transitioned into a teaching ministry.
Unlike his contemporaries, who followed doctrinal teachings known as the Full Gospel tradition, Branham developed an alternate theology that was primarily a mixture of Calvinist and Arminian doctrines, and had a heavy focus on dispensationalism and Branham's own unique eschatological views.
While widely accepting the restoration doctrine he espoused during the healing revival, his divergent post-revival teachings were deemed increasingly controversial by his Charismatic and Pentecostal contemporaries, who subsequently disavowed many of the doctrines as "revelatory madness".
Many of his followers, however, accepted his sermons as oral scripture and refer to his teachings as The Message.
In 1963, Branham preached a sermon in which he indicated he was a prophet with the anointing of Elijah, who had come to herald Christ's second coming.
Despite Branham's objections, some followers of his teachings placed him at the center of a cult of personality during his final years.
Branham claimed to have made over one million converts during his career.
His teachings continue to be promoted through the William Branham Evangelistic Association, who reported in 2018 that about 2 million people receive their material.