John Alexander Dowie - Theology and Influence

Theology and Influence

Dowie was a restorationist and sought to recover the "primitive condition" of the Church. He believed in an end-times restoration of spiritual gifts and apostolic offices to the Church. He was sometimes described as "Elijah the Restorer", "The Prophet Elijah", or "The Third Elijah". He was also an advocate of divine healing and was highly critical of other teachers on healing. This criticism largely stemmed from differences of opinion on the use of "means" or medicine; Dowie was for total reliance on divine healing and against the use of all forms of medicine. He opened a number of healing homes where people could come for instruction in healing and for specific prayer. He emphasized faith in God, "entire consecration", and holiness.

Dowie was a forerunner of Pentecostalism, and many of his followers became influential figures in the early twentieth century revival. Though Dowie did not visit South Africa, some of his followers went there as missionaries between 1904 and 1908 and established churches at Wakkerstroom and Charlestown on the Transvaal-Natal border. After the missionaries left, these churches proliferated into a number of denominations of African Zionism, all claiming their origin in Zion, Illinois, which together constitute the largest group of Christians in South Africa.