Pullum examines the rhetorical genre of 20th-century American faith healing. He first analyzes respectively the rhetoric of Aimee Semple McPherson, William Branham, Oral Roberts, Asa Alonzo Allen, Ernest Angley, Kathryn Kuhlman, and Benny Hinn--the most prominent American faith healers of this century. For each, he discusses their background, the nature of the audiences to whom they preached, and why they were so successful. Pullum concludes by drawing together the major rhetorical features of faith-healing discourse.

Pullum shows that faith-healing discourse follows the strategy of offering hope to the hopeless, giving God the glory, articulating humble beginnings, offering testimony of past personal afflictions overcome, and drawing on scripture to bolster their claims. This discourse is often presented in dynamic fashion, making it not only credible, but entertaining as well. After elucidating the rhetorical patterns of faith healers, Pullum evaluates claims of the miraculous in light of the standard that they set for themselves. In other words, miracles as presented by faith healers are juxtaposed to the types one reads about in the Bible. Pullum also attempts to account for why people claim miraculous cures in spite of the fact that nothing miraculous has occurred in the services of faith healers.

An insightful read for anyone who is interested in religion, this book offers fresh, biblical insight into the preaching of faith healing from a Christian perspective. Faith healing has been a popular religious phenomenon in this country for well over a hundred years, gaining thousands of followers and raking in millions of dollars annually. What faith healers teach, however, often goes unchallenged. Faith Healers and the Bible: What Scripture Really Says offers an informed critique of many of the themes found in faith healers' preaching that documents that much of what they teach is not biblically based-contrary to what they would like their listeners to believe. Drawing on a lifetime of study and nearly two decades of teaching a university course titled "The Rhetoric of Faith Healing," Stephen J. Pullum, PhD, provides scriptural insight into the false claims frequently found in the preaching of healing revivalists. After an introductory chapter that explains why faith healers have been so persuasive, the author addresses a breadth of topics, including the miraculous, the providential, demon possession, the call of God, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the health and wealth gospel. Meeting faith healers on their own turf-the Bible-Pullum clearly demonstrates that much of what faith healers preach cannot be scripturally supported. Explains how faith healers have persuaded thousands of followers over more than a century's time Clearly differentiates between miraculous healing versus the providential Demystifies the call of God from a Biblical perspective and provides insight into the work of the Holy Spirit Explains why demons do not possess people today Critiques the gospel of health and wealth and offers insight into correct Biblical exegesis