THE MORAN FILES: HIS FAITH & HIS FIGHT
A.A. Allen, Faith Healer & Prosperity Teacher
Used Lies & Trickery During Crusades. Bing Alcoholic. Fled Bail On Drunk Driving Charges. Died Of Liver Failure.
A.A. Allen Revival Telecast
The Faith Foundation Of Nathanial Moran
In an article for The Atlantic titled, America Without God, Shadi Hamad writes, “As Christianity’s hold, in particular, has weakened, ideological intensity and fragmentation have risen. American faith, it turns out, is as fervent as ever; it’s just that what was once religious belief has now been channeled into political belief.” This perfectly describes Nathaniel Moran, an ideologue from Whitehouse, Texas, who graduated at the top of his class, was appointed to West Point, formally studied the Russian language, graduated law school, was elected city councilman, next county judge, and finally to the U.S. House.
To better understand the drive Congressman Moran has to engage in today’s fake Culture Wars, it is essential to look at his formative influences, which charismatic Christianity undoubtedly guided.
Today, Moran is a South Spring Baptist Church member. This conservative south Tyler church agrees with the “The Baptist Faith and Message as adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 1963 with the 1998 amendment,” known in some circles as the “Evil Woman Theology,” which strictly defines marriage as an institution where a woman must submit to her husband and further prohibits female leadership within the church. This statement has been of grave concern to women’s rights advocates, and this theology is considered a driving cause of much sexual and physical abuse within the S.B.C.
But Moran was raised in an even more fundamentalist household devoted to pentecostal healing evangelicalism, the prosperity gospel, and holiness. Dale Moran, his father, graduated from, then served as a professor and Dean of Students at Miracle Valley Bible College, founded by scandal-prone healing evangelist A.A. Allen.
Who was A.A. Allen, Moran’s guide and mentor?
Allen was a faith healer & prosperity teacher whose ministry was based in Miracle Valley, Arizona, a community founded by Allen. Allen famously held tent revivals nationwide, including one in Tyler, TX, claiming to cure cancers and even raise the dead (watch the video in the link above).
Among even stranger claims are Allen’s pickled diseased demons, which he cast out, then captured, and kept in mason jars. This charlatan even would add chemicals to his forehead to make a cross appear, which audiences loved (see actor Steve Martin mimic this technique in Leap of Faith). Hank Hanegraaff, a renowned apologist, documented Allen’s use of trickery in revival services. More examples include Allen claiming to change single dollars into twenty dollar bills, make fat melt off the obese, and have miracle oil flow from his hands onto the heads of those he laid hands on.
During the mid-70s, Rev. Dale Moran moved the college from Arizona to just south of Tyler (Flint/Bullar area), where it was rebranded/renamed the East Texas Bible College. Later that same decade, Dale also moved R. W. Schambach’s (an associate of A.A. Allen who apprenticed under his ministry) ministry headquarters from Pennsylvania to Tyler, TX.
Rev, Moran eventually became the General Manager of Schambach Revivals, serving until the mid-80s. R.W. Schambach’s ministry was known for its similarity to Allen’s, although not nearly as given to trickery. It too, focused heavily on black and poor audiences which were later subjected to intense direct mail campaigns promising health and wealth and most importantly donations to his ministry.
During the 80s, the Moran family became involved at the Rose Center Assembly of God (Tyler, TX), which later joined another church to become Cornerstone Church of the Assemblies of God. Interestingly, Rose Center hosted A.A. Allen’s miracle tent revival trip to Tyler where meetings were held just off West Erwin in North Tyler. Family members would continue affiliation with the Assemblies of God for years to come.
The Moran family patriarch and his wife can be credited with raising sons committed heart and soul to a decidedly charismatic theological worldview, foremost among them Nathaniel Moran. How these influences steer Congressman Moran is still to be decided.
