A. B. Simpson and the Christian and Missionary Alliance

Albert Benjamin Simpson was a faith healer and the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA). Simpson popularized the "holy laughter," a state of spiritual euphoria causing uncontrollable laughing. He also popularized the notion of severing the Body of Christ by declaring certain Christians as "carnal" as opposed to those who are "spiritual." Bible scholars are quick to point out that "There is no biblical basis for the distinction between 'carnal' and 'spiritual' Christians."

The Christian and Missionary Alliance organization was largely responsible for spreading Keswikian theology. Keswikian, or "Higher Life" theology, was the basis for the "second blessing" or "filling with the Holy Spirit" to achieve "entire sanctification" within evangelical Christianity. According to the doctrinal teachings of the C&MA, humans must fully surrender to achieve perfection. Those who were unable were "carnal Christians." Paul Rader, Ralph Rader, and F. F. Bosworth were leaders in the C&MA. Gerald Burton Winrod worked closely with the C&MA when touring with Paul Rader during the time Rader was the president of the organization and spoke at C&MA Conventions. Through these and other key figures in the C&MA, Keswikian theology quickly spread around the globe.

Simpon's lectures on the subject were extremely popular and very profitable. Meetings frequently brought in offerings ranging from $27,000 to $100,000. (between $884,000 and $3.2 million in today's money ) It was suspected that Simpson was using hypnotism to convince the masses to offer such large sums of money as early as 1896. Participants in Simpson's meetings freely gave away cash, jewelry, money, real estate, and more. Some donors wished to recover their donations once they broke from Simpson's spell, but Simpson responded that "a gift once made to the Lord could not be returned." During the revivals, Simpson stressed the urgency of the donations by claiming that the end of the world was at hand, and that the Second Coming of Christ would be brought on by special missionary efforts. Simpson also stressed the urgency of the donations by issuing apocalyptic predictions. When those predictions failed, Simpson pushed the prediction forward, keeping his cult of personality held captive by fear.

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