Rodney Howard-Browne

Rodney Howard-Browne
Born (1961-06-12) 12 June 1961
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Nationality South African
Spouse(s) Adonica Howard-Browne
Website Revival Ministries International

Rodney Howard-Browne is a Charismatic Christian preacher and evangelist. He is pastor of The River at Tampa Bay, a church which he and his wife founded in 1996, and heads Revival Ministries International. He was born in South Africa and has resided in Tampa, Florida, USA since the mid-1990s.

Biography

Howard-Browne was raised in a Pentecostal family in South Africa. In 1981, he met and married his wife Adonica.[1] In 1987 the family immigrated to the United States.[2]

According to Christianity Today, Browne's ministry is known for its passion for evangelism and ministries of restoration, accompanied by "signs and wonders" characterized by baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire, physical healings and miracles, with frequent manifestations of laughing and "falling under the power" during his evangelistic services.[3] This gave rise to the terms "holy laughter", and "holy ghost bartender", which refer to audience members spontaneously laughing loudly during his services.[4] In 1999, in upstate New York, revivals "broke out" in church meetings that Howard-Browne was leading or attending.[3] He held a long-term revival meeting at the Carpenter's Home Church in Lakeland, Florida and was subsequently linked to the Toronto Blessing.[3][5][6] The manifestations at the Toronto Revival became so contentious that the Vineyard Association of Churches severed ties with the Toronto church.

Howard-Browne serves as the pastor of a church in Tampa, Florida, which he founded in 1996.[7] Rodney and his wife Adonica also founded Revival Ministries International in 1997 and are the Presidents of the River Bible Institute and the River School of Worship.[8]

Controversies

Diploma Mill "Doctorate"

Howard-Browne claimed to have earned a "doctorate of ministry degree" in 1992 from "The School of Bible Theology", a non-accredited Pentecostal correspondence school in San Jacinto, California, which has been described as a “diploma mill”.[4][9]

Multi-level marketing and Monavie

Howard-Browne and his wife Adonica were top-ranking (“Black Diamond executive level”) distributors for Monavie, a multi-level marketing company that sold acai berry juice-based beverages until folding in 2014 subsequent to a $182 million loan default and allegations of pyramid scheming, fraudulent advertising, and patent infringement.[10] [11]

Plot against Donald Trump

In July 2017, Browne was one of 17 evangelical pastors who visited the White House to pray for and lay hands on Donald Trump.[12] In a video several days later, Howard-Browne claimed “There is a planned attack on our president and that’s all I can tell you about right now; I know what I’m talking about, I’ve spoken to high-ranking people in the government".[13] Howard-Browne later claimed that the Secret Service met with him to discover which congressman told him about the plot but he refused to say, citing pastoral privilege.[14]

Human sacrifice in Hollywood and Washington, DC

In an October 2017 sermon at The River church, Howard-Browne claimed that "They sacrifice children at the highest levels in Hollywood. They drink blood of young kids. This is a fact", continuing, "The human sacrifice and the cannibalism has been going on for years" in Hollywood and Washington, D.C. [15] [16]

Arming of The River at Tampa Bay church

Howard-Browne drew attention for a social media post in November 2017, two days after the Sutherland Springs church shooting, claiming that his church was not a gun-free zone and that he and the church’s pastors “are all heavily armed” and would use “deadly force”.[17][18]

Conspiracy theories on InfoWars

In March 2018, Howard-Browne made an appearance on Alex Jones’ InfoWars program during which he claimed: that a string of bombings in Austin, Texas were used by “anarchist terrorists” who were attempting to bring “everything under control”; that churches and religious groups were being censored in the U.S.; and that “globalist gremlins” were attempting to thwart Donald Trump.[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ravitz, Jessica. "Up for Godly giddiness: Pastor spreads the joy of salvation 'anywhere the Lord opens a door.'" The Salt Lake Tribune, March 22, 2007
  2. ↑ "Profile: Evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne." Religion and Ethics NewsWeekly, PBS, August 20, 1999
  3. 1 2 3 Carnes, Tony. "Howard-Browne Takes New York." Christianity Today, August 9, 1999
  4. 1 2 Bearden, Michelle. "The Holy Ghost Bartender." The Tampa Tribune, June 28, 1999
  5. ↑ Christ Church, Virginia Water, UK
  6. ↑ Beverley, James A (Jun 27, 1995). Holy Laughter and the Toronto Blessing: An Investigative Report. Zondervan,.
  7. ↑ Graham, Kevin. "Church's Hummer prize too worldly?" St. Petersburg Times, January 10, 2005
  8. ↑ Howard-Browne, Rodney "The Vision of the President" Revival.com
  9. ↑ Kowalski, David (2012). ""Name it and Frame it" — Phony Doctorates in the Church". Apologetics Index. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Rodney and Adonica Howard-Browne MonaVie Black Diamond". Monavie Corporate. YouTube. March 18, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Imagenetix, Inc. vs. Monavie LLC et al" (PDF). United States District Court for the Southern District of California. May 2, 2018. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
  12. ↑ Gutierrez, Lisa (July 12, 2017). "'Great spiritual awakening': Pastors lay hands on Donald Trump in the Oval Office". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  13. ↑ Mantyla, Kyle (July 17, 2017). "Rodney Howard-Browne Prayed Over Trump In Order To Avert 'A Planned Attack On Our President'". Right Wing Watch. People for the American Way. Retrieved December 21, 2017. There is a planned attack on our president," he said, “and that’s all I can tell you about right now; I know what I’m talking about, I’ve spoken to high-ranking people in the government and this is being planned by people that hate God, hate America, hate our president and we have to stop this, in Jesus name.”
  14. ↑ Mantyla, Kyle (July 31, 2017). "Pastor Who Claimed His Prayers Averted Anti-Trump Attack Refuses To Provide Details To Secret Service Because It's 'Not My Problem'". Right Wing Watch. Right Wing Watch. Retrieved 21 December 2017. Somebody reported me to the Secret Service, so they came over” he claimed. “Three guys, we sat and talked; very nice people and they wanted to know who the congressman was. I said, ‘I can’t tell you that, it was pastoral privilege.’ I said, ‘I prayed for him’ and he said, ‘So, it was like a confession?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I can’t tell you. I’m not going to tell you, I can’t tell you, it’s impossible.'” “If the Secret Service in Washington, D.C., don’t know what’s coming down, then why should somebody from Tampa?” Howard-Browne added. “This is a senior member of Congress. If he actually knew anything, he would inform the Secret Service himself. It’s not my problem.
  15. ↑ Justice, Jessilyn (October 20, 2017). "Rodney Howard Browne: Hollywood Execs Are 'Full of the Devil,' 'Drink the Blood of Young Kids'". Charisma News. Charisma Media. Retrieved December 21, 2017. They sacrifice children at the highest levels in Hollywood. They drink blood of young kids. This is a fact. That's why the next thing to be exposed will be all the pedophilia that is going to come out of Hollywood and come out of Washington, D.C. The human sacrifice and the cannibalism has been going on for years
  16. ↑ Mazza, Ed (October 20, 2017). "Trump-Linked Pastor: Hollywood Is Full Of Satanists Who Drink Children's Blood". Huffpost. Oath Inc. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  17. ↑ Denker, Angela (April 18, 2018). "'We Are Heavily Armed. -The Pastors'". Sojourners. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  18. ↑ Aaron, Charlene (November 20, 2017). "After Deadly Church Shooting, Rodney Howard-Browne's Church Warns 'We Are Heavily Armed'". Christian Broadcasting Network. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  19. ↑ Holt, Jared (March 20, 2018). "Rodney Howard-Browne Says Only 'Divine Intervention' Can Save America". Right Wing Watch. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
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