Twisted Message: A prophet’s unchecked global sect
A religious sect called “The Message” has spread worldwide — and also sprouted destructive “cults.” An investigation exposes the child abuse, misogyny and manipulation in some of the faith’s subgroups.
(8) updates to this series since Updated
The 'prophet' who founded a sect called The Message hailed this Arizona trailer park as an ideal community in the 1960s. Survivors say they suffered hellish abuse as children there.
Children in a 1960s trailer park cult in Arizona were whipped with belts, sexually abused, separated from their families, forced to run naked …
A member of an Arizona church admitted he molested a boy. The pastor said he knew and never went to the police, flouting state laws that mandate reporting of such incidents.
Alleged sexual abuse of minors has been covered up in a Tucson church for decades, an investigation finds. The pastor dismissed allegations, blamed victims and screamed at police.
Leaders influenced by William Branham have overseen a deadly starvation cult in Kenya in 2023 and a trailer-park commune in Arizona that abused children in the 1960s, among other atrocities.
Although William Branham died in 1965, millions of people worldwide still follow his teachings. The sect has expanded, in part, through more than 1,200 recordings of his sermons.
The Bride. End Times. Serpent’s seed. These are some of the words and phrases you’ll hear if you attend a Message church.
Leaders influenced by the late Rev. William Branham have overseen controlling religious groups worldwide, including a trailer park commune tha…