Derek Prince

Derek Prince
Born	(1915-08-14)14 August 1915 Bangalore, India
Died	24 September 2003(2003-09-24) (aged 88) Jerusalem, Israel
Occupation	International Bible teacher, theologian, pastor

Peter Derek Vaughan Prince (14 August 1915, Bangalore – 24 September 2003, Jerusalem) was a Bible teacher whose daily radio programme Derek Prince Legacy Radio (presently hosted by author Stephen Mansfield) broadcasts around the world in various languages.

Early life and conversion

Derek Prince was born in India of British parents and was educated at Eton College and King's College, Cambridge. He was a scholar of Greek and Latin, although at Cambridge he took Philosophy, specialising in logic and studying under Ludwig Wittgenstein. His MA dissertation title was The Evolution of Plato's Method of Definition, and won him a fellowship at the age of just 24.

Under the influence of vice-chancellor Charles Raven, Prince refused to bear arms in World War II, and instead joined the Royal Army Medical Corps. He was posted to Scarborough for training, and while in the Army Barracks he started to read the Bible. As a consequence, in July 1941 he had what he described as a supernatural experience a meeting with Jesus.

Marriage and the growth of his ministry

While serving in Palestine, Prince married Lydia Christensen, a Danish woman 25 years his senior who ran an orphanage in Ramallah and who had adopted eight girls (six of whom were Jewish). Prince strongly supported the establishment of the State of Israel, which he saw as the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, but he left for the UK with the last British convoy out of Jerusalem. In 1949, he resigned his Fellowship at King's College, Cambridge. In the UK, Prince used Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park, London, to encourage people to join a Pentecostal church he was leading at his home in Notting Hill. In 1957, he and Lydia moved to Kisumu in Kenya, where he became a school principal and adopted a Kenyan baby.

In 1962, the Princes moved to Canada, and from there to a pastorate at Peoples Church in Minneapolis, becoming US citizens. From there they moved to Broadway Tabernacle in Seattle where he ministered along with James A Watt whom he had met in Canada. During this time Prince was becoming widely known through his cassette-tape Bible lectures, and he became involved with the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International. This led to a move to Faith Tabernacle in Chicago, and then to Good News Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. In May 1971 Derek Prince Publications opened offices in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.^[1] Derek Prince Publications became Derek Prince Ministries in December 1990.^[2]

Lydia Prince died on 5 October 1975, the same year her biography, Appointment in Jerusalem, was published. On 17 October 1978, Prince married Ruth Baker, whom he had also met in Jerusalem. In 1981 they moved from Florida to Jerusalem where they lived for six months out of each year. The 1980s saw tremendous growth of the ministry.

In 1984 the South Pacific and South African branches of Derek Prince Ministries (DPM) opened in New Zealand and South Africa. The Global Outreach Leaders Program began which made Prince's material available for free to Christian leaders around the world. Distribution reached 200,000 books to 124 pastors and leaders by 1995. Living Sacrifice (in Chinese) began airing under Prince's Chinese name Ye Guang-Ming ("Clear Light" in English).

In 1985 DPM branches opened in Australia and Canada, followed two years later by the UK branch. The Workman God Approves started airing in Chinese as that time. Derek Prince Interpretiruet Biblia also started airing in Russia.

1987 - German missionary to Mongolia heard English broadcast (from Seychelles) and began to translate program into Mongolian.

1989 - DPM-Netherlands office opened,overseeing Eastern Europe and Soviet countries.

The Princes travelled extensively in ministry until Ruth died on 29 December 1998. The following list of countries covers their ministry from 1993 to 1998. Some of these countries were visited more than once: Russia, Germany, Kazakhstan, Hungary, South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey, Poland Bahrain, Cuba, Colombia, Switzerland, France, Portugal, India and England.^[3]

Prince's radio program, which began in 1979, has been translated into more than a dozen languages and continues to touch lives. His main gift of explaining the Bible and its teaching in a clear and simple way has helped build a foundation of faith in millions of lives. Prince's nondenominational, nonsectarian approach has made his teaching equally relevant and helpful to people from all racial and religious backgrounds, and his teaching is estimated to have reached more than half the globe.

In 2002, Prince said, "It is my desire — and I believe the Lord’s desire — that this ministry continue the work, which God began through me over 60 years ago, until Jesus returns."

Derek Prince Ministries continues to distribute his teachings and to train missionaries, church leaders, and congregations through the outreaches of more than thirty DPM offices around the world, including primary work in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.^[4]

Teachings

At the time of Prince's death in September 2003, he was the author of over 50 books, 600 audio and 100 video teachings, many of which have been translated and published in more than 100 languages.^[5] Some of the subjects that are covered in his teachings are prayer and fasting,^[6] foundations of the Christian faith,^[7] spiritual warfare,^[8] God's love^[9] and marriage and family.^[10]

Demons and deliverance

As a Pentecostal, Prince believed in the reality of spiritual forces operating in the world, and of the power of demons to cause illness and psychological problems. While in Seattle he was asked to perform an exorcism on a woman, and he came to believe that Christians could be "possessed" by demons. This was at odds with the more usual Pentecostal view that demons could "possess" unbelievers, but could only "oppress" Christians. Prince believed that his deliverance ministry used the power of God to defeat demons.^[11]

Israel

Prince, who taught on many themes and subjects including the foundational truths of the Bible, was probably most noted for his teachings about demons, deliverance ministry, and Israel.^[12] He strongly opposed replacement theology. His book The Destiny of Israel and the Church argues that the Church has not replaced Israel and that the covenant that God made with the nation of Israel still stands today. Prince also believed that the creation of the state of Israel was the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Derek states in his book Promised Land, "The central theme of biblical prophecy, as it is being unfolded in our time, revolves around the land and the people of Israel. God is carrying out His predetermined plan to regather the Jewish people from their worldwide dispersion and restore them to their ancient homeland."^[13]

The Shepherding Movement controversy

In 1968, Prince joined the Holy Spirit Teaching Mission (HSTM), which linked him to three other Charismatic Christian pastors living in Ft. Lauderdale: Don Basham, Bob Mumford, and Charles Simpson. The HSTM had been founded by businessman Eldon Purvis; but after the discovery of Purvis’s homosexuality the leadership team of the HSTM asked Basham, Mumford, Prince, and Simpson to help in managing the crisis.^[14] Prince and the others changed the name of the HSTM to Christian Growth Ministries (CGM) in 1972.^[15] CGM sought to counter what were seen as excesses within the Charismatic Movement by emphasizing discipleship and pastoral care which later on was abused by those in leadership positions. CGM continued with the publication of the New Wine magazine which began under the HSTM in June 1969.^[16] David Moore, author of The Shepherding Movement, states "Essential for an accurate history of the Shepherding Movement is a complete collection of New Wine. The magazine, published from 1969 through 1986, was the principal publishing voice of the five teachers and the movement."^[17] The group was joined by Ern Baxter, and the five men became known as the Fort Lauderdale Five. Their ministry became known as the Shepherding Movement. Different factions of the movement began to emphasise submission and authority.

CGM’s strong emphasis on submission was controversial. Lydia Prince herself disapproved, and as stories of abuses came out the movement was condemned by Pat Robertson, Kathryn Kuhlman, and the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International. Lydia died in 1975, and when Prince later wanted to marry Ruth Baker, his fellow shepherds prayed about it, and each of them initially felt it was not God's will. Prince chose to submit to their discernment. A short time later each of the men said God made it clear to them it was His will, and Prince was re-married in 1978. Prince believed this was a test by God to see if he would live what he taught.

Prince later left the group and repented in public over being a member.^[18] There are several sermons where Prince commented on the shepherding controversy (sometimes referring to it as "Discipleship Movement").,^[19] even in Ft. Lauderdale years after.^[20]

Publications

Prince published many books and recorded over 600 audio teaching sermons and 100 video teachings.

His books include:

• The Grace of Yielding
• The Foundations Series
• The Destiny of Israel and the Church
• The Last Word on the Middle East
• Blessing or Curse: You Can Choose
• They Shall Expel Demons
• Bought with Blood
• Rules of Engagement
• Faith to Live By
• Through the Psalms with Derek Prince
• Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting
• Marriage Covenant
• God's Remedy for Rejection
• War in Heaven
• Entering the Presence of God
• Promised Land
• Secrets of a Prayer Warrior
• God Is a Matchmaker
• Husbands and Fathers
• Prophetic Guide to the End Times
• God's Medicine Bottle

Bibliography

• Stephen Mansfield, Derek Prince: A Biography (Charisma House, 2005).
• Obituary in King's College Cambridge Annual Report, 2004.

Notes

See also

• Christian Zionism in the United Kingdom

External links

• Derek Prince Ministries, International

Authority control WorldCat VIAF: 68934621 LCCN: n82110151 ISNI: 0000 0001 0858 2883 GND: 123470013 SUDOC: 027083101