In this informal round-table discussion with 1950s Davidian spokesperson Dudley Goff, Dr. James D. Tabor (UNC Charlotte), and Dr. Philip Arnold (Reunion Institute, Houston, TX) explore the origins of the Millerites, the Seventh Day Adventists, and the early Davidian movement led by Victor Houfeff, that flourished from 1935-1959 outside Waco,…
The big news this morning, as I woke up thinking about April 19th–as I have done for the past 26 years–was that the gripping new scripted six-part mini series titled “Waco” starring Taylor Kitsch as David Koresh and Michael Shannon, as FBI negotiator Gary Noesner, produced by Paramount Pictures in 2018,…
I have written a lot about the April 1993 tragedy outside Waco Texas where the apocalyptic group we came to know as the Branch Davidians were confronted by the BATF. Most experts now agree, including the conclusions of several Congressional hearings, that the whole thing was unnecessary from start to…
So much has been in the media over the past two decades on the 1993 Waco tragedy with a plethora of new TV specials marking the 25th anniversary in 2018. Sorting through the mass of information is a daunting task. In terms of the older productions I recommend in particular…
In terms of perspectives on the 1993 Waco disaster I would particularly recommend the following in order for anyone who wants to get up to speed on what went on, right and wrong. The first chapter of Why Waco is available on-line: https://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520208995 but the rest of the book gives the whole story.…
I have been invited to join Mike Collins “Charlotte Talks,” on WFAE our local NPR station, this Monday, Feb 12th, at 9am, for a Waco Redeux, with the “real” characters, namely survivor David Thibodeau and FBI chief negotiator Gary Noesner—both of whom have published books on the subject. The show is…
January seems to be the month for a host of retrospective TV documentaries and specials looking back on the disasterous events outside of Waco, Texas during the 51 day siege of the Branch Davidian Mt Carmel Center in 1993. As a result David Koresh and 80 of his followers died,…
I want to thank my dear friend of over 45 years, Dr. Philip Arnold, with all his dignity (Ph.D. in New Testament from Rice University) and courage to put himself out there this way! He is a fine scholar, a philanthropist extraordinaire (https://reunioninstitute.net), a devotee of the historical figure of…
April 19th has become a day of infamy in American history with the Branch Davidian tragedy in Waco, Texas in 1993, and the horrible Timothy McVeigh Oklahoma City FBI building bombing in 1995. Next year marks the 25th anniversary of Waco. As some of you know this hits home with…