Today I read a review on the website of Brethren brother J.G. Fijnvandraat of Ouweneel’s book Heal the Sick. Ouweneel and Fijnvandraat used to be close allies and were often mentioned in the same breath. Those days are over. Fijnvandraat sharply criticizes Ouweneel and his book. He even calls the book “harmful” in terms of its “overall tendency.” Here is an excerpt:

“I had been told before that he (=Ouweneel; AP) had allowed Joshua to lay hands on him, but I didn’t want to believe it. Yet here it is in black and white. The thought of it makes me shudder. Suppose Joshua is not trustworthy after all and has questionable connections (or are we not allowed to entertain that possibility and must simply take it for granted that everything is fine with the man?), what are, or could be, the consequences of this laying on of hands? What dynamis might possibly be transmitted through it? Ouweneel often speaks of a deliverance ministry or prayer for deliverance. Could it be that he himself is in need of deliverance?”

Meanwhile, it appears that Ouweneel himself has also distanced himself (to some extent) from T.B. Joshua, whom he had previously praised so highly. Fijnvandraat writes:

“Shortly before I was about to begin revising my preliminary notes, I came across a report on July 8, 2004, published in Gemeentenieuws, the newsletter of the ‘Assembly of Believers‘ in Utrecht. It contains an account of a statement that was read to the believers on March 7. Among other things, it includes a personal statement by Willem J. Ouweneel. In it, he indicates that he has certain objections to the person and ministry of T.B. Joshua, although these do not go nearly as far as the objections expressed in some books. He also states that he no longer has any contact with Nigeria and has no plans to visit T.B. Joshua’s church.”