Do Faith Healers Get Sick?

Below is a list of false faith healers that are either dying, or have died of disease.

A.A. ALLEN

An acknowledged divine healer and exorcist died from alcohol abuse.

At the entrance to Miracle Valley (A.A.Allen's 1,280 acre community) was a huge sign that made it plain just what was going on in that neck of the desert. In red and gold, it proclaimed: A.A.ALLEN REVIVALS, INC., MIRACLE VALLEY, ARIZONA. The Blind to See. The Deaf to Hear. The Lame To Walk. SIGNS. GIFTS. WONDERS. (James Randi, The Faith Healers, 1989, p.83-85)

Interestingly enough, A. A. Allen claimed thousands upon thousands of healings, and himself died of sclerosis of the liver in 1967, having secretly been involved with alcohol for many years while supposedly being able to heal everybody else. (John McArthur, Does God Still Heal, Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, transcribed from the tape, GC 90-60, titled "Charismatic Chaos" Part 9)

In 1970 Allen died from what "news accounts report [as] sclerosis of the liver." (Reported in "New Revival Tent Dedicated in Philadelphia," Miracle Magazine, September 1967, 15; quoted in Harrell, 202) One writer describes Allen's cause of death as "cirrhosis" of the liver (see Gary L. Ward, "Allen, Asa Alonzo," in J. Gordon Melton, Religious Leaders of America [Detroit: Gale Research, 1991], 9)

JAMIE BUCKINGHAM

Discipleship Movement & charismatic author - died of cancer.

WILLLIAM BRANHAM

Died in 1965 at age 56, after suffering for six days from injuries received in an automobile accident. His theology was unbiblical and heretical, and of course when applied to himself his theology of healing had no effect whatsoever, though his followers right to the end, were confident God was going to raise him up. And even after he died they believed that God would raise him from the dead. (John McArthur, Does God Still Heal, Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, transcribed from the tape, GC 90-60, titled "Charismatic Chaos" Part 9)

CHARLES CAPPS

Word of Faith teacher, teaches power of our words to create reality - his wife contracted cancer and was medically treated.

I don't deny the existence of disease. I deny the right of that disease to exist in this body, because I'm the Body of Christ." (Capps, The Tongue, pg. 43)

JACK COE

An acknowledged divine healer died from polio.

(Coe) warned followers "that the day would come when those who consulted physicians would have to take the mark of the beast." Coe (subsequently) became critically ill with bulbar polio ... (and) took the "mark of the beast" (as he dfeined it) and was admitted to the hospital. (Hank Hanegraaff, Counterfeit Revival, 1997, pg. 137 citing Harrell, All Things Are Possible, 101)

Want info on the REAL mark of the beast?

DR. HOBART FREEMAN

Word of Faith teacher & pastor of Faith Assembly - over 90 people died in his church following his teaching and then Hobart died due to a medically treatable disease.

After a 15 year old girl whose parents belong to Faith Assembly, died of a medically treatable malady, the parents were convicted of negligent homicide and sentenced to ten years in prison. Freeman himself was charged with aiding and inducing reckless homicide in the case. Shortly afterward, on December 8, 1984, Freeman himself died, interestingly enough of pneumonia and heart failure complicated by a severely ulcerated leg.

Hobart Freeman's theology did not allow him to acknowledge that Polio had left one of his legs disfigured and lame. Quote, he said, "I have my healing." And that is all he would say when anyone pointed out the rather conspicuous inconsistency between his physical disabilities and his theology. Ultimately, his refusal to acknowledge his infirmities cost him his life. He had dutifully, according to his own theology, refused all medical treatment for the maladies that were killing him, and medical science could easily have prolonged his life, but in the end he was a victim of his own teaching. (John McArthur, Does God Still Heal, Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, transcribed from the tape, GC 90-60, titled "Charismatic Chaos" Part 9)

KEITH GRAYTON

Died of the complications of AIDS. He spoke at a Church in Detroit, and declared he was totally healed. He died a year or so later.

BUDDY HARRISON

Kenneth E. Hagin's son-in-law, died of cancer Dec. 1999. Dad Hagin's "special healing anointing" (read I Believe In Visions by Hagin) could not help his own family member.

Kenneth Hagin's sister died of cancer as well.

RUTH WARD HEFLIN

A self-proclaimed power preacher and healer, Heflin's untimely death of cancer made more news. A Religious News Service story reported: "Revivalist Ruth Ward Heflin Dead at 60. -- Revivalist Ruth Ward Heflin, known for her role in the so-called "gold dust" revival involving churches across the globe, died Friday (9/15/00) at a Richmond, VA hospital. Heflin, who had suffered from cancer for several months was 60. ... She directed the Calvary Pentecostal Campground in Ashland, VA which was founded by her parents in the 1050s and later led by her brother, Wallace, who died in 1997. (The Christian News, 9/25/00, pg. 10 as cited in "The Life And Times Of Golden Girl And Globetrotter Ruth Ward Heflin, by G. Richard Fisher, Personal Freedom Outreach, The Quarterly Journal, January-March, 2001, pg. 5)

Heflin suffered a broken ankle in an automobile accident last year. In April, doctors diagnosed her with breast cancer that already had spread to her bones. Heflin underwent a mastectomy on April 25, but refused chemotherapy or further cancer treatment because she said the Lord told her to refuse, according to Connie Wilson, her personal assistant. (Renee DeLoriea, "Ruth Ward Heflin, Revivalist and Prayer Minister, Dies At Age 60.", Charisma Magazine, November 2000, pg. 21)

E.W. KENYON

E.W. Kenyon studied at the Emerson College of Oratory in Boston which was a hotbed at the time for the emerging New age thought. They imagined they have discovered laws of faith, promoting a Christianized version of occultism. Kenyon had divorced his wife even when he taught that what one speaks they will possess. E.W Kenyon who is certainly the Father of the Word of Faith Movement taught divine healing and that it was always God's will to heal. But he died in a coma, brought on by a malignant tumor. He died from disease. (Mike Oppenheimer, Let Us Reason Ministries, Death By Faith, http://www.letusreason.org/Wf25.htm)

KATHRYN KUHLMAN

An acknowledged divine healer died from heart disease in Ann Arbor Michigan.

Kathryn Kuhlman died of heart failure in 1976, curiously enough. She had battled heart disease for nearly twenty years, and that statement is made by Jamie Buckingham who would have been one of her disciples. (John McArthur, Does God Still Heal, Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, transcribed from the tape, GC 90-60, titled "Charismatic Chaos" Part 9)

AIMEE SEMPLE MCPHERSON

An acknowledge divine healer - died of a barbiturate overdose.

Sister Aimee died of a barbiturate overdose in 1944. (The Interactive Bible, 1998)

While the Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements deals with the controversial aspects of "Sister Aimee's" life -- her mysterious disappearances and alleged affairs, multiple marriages (two of which ended in divorce), and death from an apparent drug overdose -- it is strangely silent about her theatrical preoccupation with the slain in the spirit phenomenon. (Hank Hanegraaff, Counterfeit Revival, 1997, 168)

JOYCE MEYERS

Almost the majority of the known healers went for some kind of treatment from medical professionals. This was in spite of all their claims of miracles and the practice of their "positive confession" faith. Even Joyce Meyers did, and she was honest to admit that she had breast cancer and was medically treated. One of the few honest admissions. (Mike Oppenheimer, Let Us Reason Ministries, Death By Faith, http://www.letusreason.org/Wf25.htm)

DAISY OSBORN

T.L. Osborn's wife also, regrettably died of cancer several years ago.

JOHN OSTEEN

Word of Faith mega-church pastor in Houston - his wife, Dodie had liver cancer and through the mercy of God and medical attention survived.

John Osteen himself passed away a little over a year ago due to several medical conditions. His church "confessed" his healing and he himself had stated that God told him he would be preaching in the pulpit in his 90's. Osteen died in his 70's.

One of the more recent sad stories was John Osteen who was a pastor in Houston of a mega-church, who had kidney dialysis in late 1998. He also had a heart catheterization in August that determined all was well with his heart at that time. Later on doctors performed surgery to put in a pacemaker for his heart. Pastor Osteen knew "he was in need of a miracle." He claimed God had given him Psalm 27:14. Requests went out to his friends to wait on the Lord with him, and agree with him for a creative miracle for his kidneys and his heart. They agreed with the Psalmist in Psalm 41of the Lords deliverance and protection to keep him alive. He will transform his illness. He will raise him up! The "Lord" gave him a vision that he would be preaching into his 90's. Osteen "confessed," his healing and 20,000 members in his church stood in "agreement" with him for his recovery. They believed he would have his miracle just like his wife Dodie received her miracle But unfortunately did not happen. (Mike Oppenheimer, Let Us Reason Ministries, Death By Faith, http://www.letusreason.org/Wf25.htm)

ROD PARSLEY

Added to that is the fact that as much as Parsley rants about God's Kingdom come in our body, he still has a deaf section and a signer in his church. As kindly as we can, we say, physician heal thyself. (Personal Freedom Outreach, Rod Parsley - The Raging Prophet", 1999)

Parsley, in his book, Renamed and Redeemed, states that: "Jesus is not sick - I don't have to be sick!" (Rod Parsley, Renamed and Redeemed. Columbus, Ohio: Results Publishing, 1991, pg. 15)

BISHOP EARL PAULK

"We have received the earnest of the EXPECTATION through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but we must move on to the POSSESSION, which is overcoming the last enemy, death. Sometimes the interpretation has been made that Jesus Christ conquered death, but if that were so, why would Paul's epistle to the Corinthians, written at least ninety years later, say that the last enemy that SHALL be destroyed is death (I Corinthians 15:26)? JESUS CHRIST CONQUERED DEATH INDIVIDUALLY, BUT IT IS LEFT TO THE CHURCH TO CONQUER DEATH ON A CORPORATE BASIS.. " (Earl Paulk, "The Proper Function of the Church" (Atlanta: K Dimension Publishers, undated), p.13, emphasis in the original)

FREDRICK K. PRICE

Word of Faith mega-church pastor in Los Angeles - his wife, Betty got cancer and was medically treated (chemo-therapy) and by the mercy of God was patched up.

"If you need a crutch upon or something to help you get along, then praise God, hobble along until you get your faith moving to the point that you don't need a crutch." (Price, How Faith Works pg. 92)

" ... how can you glorify God in your body, when it doesn't function right? How can you glorify God? How can He get glory when your body doesn't even work? ... What makes you think the Holy Ghost wants to live inside a body where He can't see out through the windows and He can't hear with the ears? What makes you think the Holy Spirit wants to live inside of a physical body where the limbs and the organs and the cells do not function right? ... And what makes you think He wants to live in a temple where He can't see out of the eyes, and He can't walk with the feet, and He can't move with the hand? ... The only eyes that he has that are in the earth realm are the eyes that are in the body. If He can't see out of them then God's gonna be limited ..." (Frederick K.C. Price, "Is God Glorified Through Sickness?" (Los Angeles: Crenshaw Christian Center, n.d.), audiotape FP605)

ORAL ROBERTS

Oral Roberts was on Paul Crouch's "Praise the Lord" show on TBN (October 6, 1992). Crouch was asked to lay hands on Oral Roberts to minister to his chest pains, Roberts exclaimed, "I feel the healing power of Jesus!" and said it felt like an "electric current go through him." Paul you are anointed. Oral Roberts was pronounced healed on TBN. But was he really?

It was reported less than four hours later, while visiting a home in Newport Beach, Roberts felt more pains and was hospitalized at Hoag Presbyterian Memorial Hospital (also in Newport Beach), shortly after midnight. Subsequent articles report that Roberts' heart attack was "near fatal." ("Evangelist Has Tests," The Orange County [CA] Register [Dec.16 1992], A-7) the healing evangelist now has a pacemaker ("Roberts Out of Hospital," The Orange County [CA] Register (2l December 1992), A-30).

R.W. SCHAMBACH

Faith Healer - got a quadruple heart bypass.

"You don't have any problems, all you need is faith in God." (R.W. Schambach, TBN)

RUTH CARTER STAPLETON

Another one that comes to mind, Ruth Carter Stapleton, was the Faith Healing sister of former United States President Jimmie Carter. [She] refused medical treatment for cancer because of her belief in faith healing. She died of the disease in 1983. (John McArthur, Does God Still Heal, Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, transcribed from the tape, GC 90-60, titled "Charismatic Chaos" Part 9)

MACK TIMBERLAKE

Word of Faith pastor - suffering from throat cancer, getting medical attention.

JOHN WIMBER

Signs & Wonders Movement, author of "Power Healing"

Wimber claimed, "It's God's nature to heal not to teach us through sickness. Sickness is generally not beneficial." (Benn and Burkill, p. 102 as cited by Paul G. Heibert in Healing And The Kingdom)

"I had what doctors later suspected were a series of coronary attacks. When we returned home a series of medical tests confirmed my worst fears, I had a damaged heart, possibly seriously damaged. Tests indicated that my heart was not functioning properly, a condition complicated and possibly caused by high blood pressure. These problems combined with my being overweight and overworked meant that I could die at any time." (John McArthur, Does God Still Heal, Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, transcribed from the tape, GC 90-60, titled "Charismatic Chaos" Part 9)

Wimber ultimately died from a hemorrhage as a result of a long battle with cancer.