Season One Episode 6: From Fitzroy to Zion

Dead and Buried Podcast

On August 31 1885 John Alexander Dowie arrived at the Free Christian Tabernacle in Fitzroy Melbourne to find his pastor’s room destroyed from a suspicious explosion. Months earlier, he had been imprisoned for preaching on the streets. These processions drew both crowds of the faithful and jeers from local hecklers. But Dowie's knack for attracting controversy would only continue following his move to America, the imagined land of opportunity.

This episode traces Dowie's rise from humble beginnings to the world's first celebrity faith healing preacher. Outspoken about the moral issues of his time, Dowie got as good as he gave - lampooned by the press as the 'Prophet for Profit'.

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