William Wade Harris was born around 1860 in Liberia, into an interfaith family. His mother was Methodist; his father followed traditional African religion. Young Harris was baptized and educated by Methodist missionaries, but his faith remained nominal for decades.
Vision in Prison Cell
Everything changed in a prison cell.
In 1910, Harris was imprisoned for political activities. There, in his darkest hour, he had a vision that transformed him utterly. The angel Gabriel appeared in his cell. With a sound like rushing water, the Spirit descended upon him.
"You are not in prison," the angel assured him. Gabriel told Harris he was God's last prophet, commissioned to bring the gospel to all those not yet converted. He was to destroy traditional religious objects and baptize new believers.
Prophet Emerges from Prison
Emerging from prison around 1912, Harris donned a white robe and turban, grew a white beard, and took up a cross-shaped staff, a Bible, a gourd rattle, and a bowl for baptism. The biblical image was unmistakable.
Harris's message was simple: burn your idols, keep the Sabbath holy, and be baptized immediately. Unlike mission churches that required years of instruction before baptism, Harris offered transformation on the spot.
Mass Baptism Transforms West Africa
The response was unprecedented in African history.
In just eighteen months during 1913-1914, walking through Ivory Coast and neighboring regions, Harris baptized over 100,000 new converts. Entire villages burned their traditional religious objects. The revival swept through communities like wildfire.
The French colonial authorities, alarmed by this mass movement, expelled Harris in 1914 and destroyed his churches. But the faith he planted could not be uprooted. The Harrist Church, founded after his death in 1929, continues today with over 200,000 members across West Africa.
Harris created the largest mass movement to Christianity in African history. A man who heard God's voice in a prison cell became an instrument of transformation for an entire continent.
