This one doesn’t.
Why not? Obviously nobody does.
I am not sure that it is even appropriate to claim the apostles had supernatural powers.
I doubt they did.
Instead, the Apostles performed supernatural acts when moved to do so by the Holy Spirit.
The difference may seem subtle, but it isn’t really.
A creature with a supernatural power can do supernatural things “on demand” or as the person chooses.
A person who can do supernatural things when moved by the Holy Spirit to do supernatural things may not be able to do those supernatural things whenever he chooses.
It is a possible difference to consider.
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I am reading the book ‘The case for miracles’ by Lee Strobel. I have read about half the book and so far, it has presented much evidence for miracles. I recommend the book for anyone interested about miracles happening in modern times.
Strobel recommended the book ‘Miracles’ by Graig Keener as the best theological book written about miracles. I bought the book but have not yet read it. It is a two-volume book having much pages, 3049. I read that this text was originally intended as a footnote to Keeners commentary on Acts (a huge four-volume commentary) but Keener decided to write a separate book after he noted that the footnote exceeded 200 pages. Keener seems to be a thorough theologian.
There seems to be strong evidence that prayers by “born-again” Christians have a significant positive effect on healing, even published peer-reviewed studies.
A cessationist might say that God answers prayers, although the apostolic gifts have ended. I don’t know if this is a relevant difference. Maybe after reading the book by Keener I have a better understanding about the difference.
Evidence that sick are healed during prayers in a miracle-like way do not mean that all sick are healed by prayers. Most sick, even believers, do not experience a sudden healing. I guess that is why miracle-like healings are called ‘miracles’. Why some are healed and others not, that is something I do not know.
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Spiritual healing is not just a case of a quick prayer. I can barely cover it in a twenty-minute sermon. Suffice it to say that the final say is God.s so we will not always understand it.
Richard
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Thanks for the reference.
What a relief, you didn’t trot out the ol’ Pentecostal “insufficient faith” explanation.
I do not like that one. It has the sound of claiming that healing is dependent on us, not God. God heals when and where He decides, that is not our work.
Faith does have a role when we pray. We would not pray confidently if we would not believe that God can heal and that He listens to our prayers. Yet, our faith is not healing the sick, God heals.
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It is not only the faith of the healer but also the faith of the one to be healed.
The Element of God’s purpose has already been acknowledged.
Richard
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Keener’s Miracles Today is a condensed version of Miracles. I started listening to the audiobook, and at 12 hours, it’s substantial and so far I haven’t come across any fluff.
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Ha! That’s so rich!
I discovered him through his lectures on Revelation, and then read the book he wrote with his wife Impossible Love. I even wrote him not to long ago on his YouTube page and he kindly responded.
He’s a true gem. And while I can appreciate NT Wright’s scholarship, and even read some of Jesus and The Victory of God, there is something about how Keener engages historical criticism, his experience, his faith, that draws me more to his scholarship.
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I am only aware of studies that showed no difference, though those are arguably invalid as anonymous prayers for anonymous patients are hardly the types of prayer we usually think of. In any case, if you have references, it would be appreciated. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/health/longawaited-medical-study-questions-the-power-of-prayer.html
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You’re asking him to cite references from Keener’s 2011 book: Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts .
BTW, It occurs to me that this may be the time for a spin-off or a new thread specifically dealing with Keener’s magnum opus cited above.
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I don’t think we can scientifically study prayer. How do you prevent God from acting on a control group
that nobody is praying for? God is not like a drug being tested.
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Thou shalt not put the Lord your God to the test…
Sort of ruins any sort of study, scientific or otherwise.
I can vouch for the effectiveness of prayer, but there is no proof as such other than perhaps the people involved, and as one of them is my wife it might be deemed inadmissible.
Richard
We have objective evidence (they are not subjective experiences), if the witnesses’ factual testimonies are not discarded by denialists.
Nor do I.
Careful, friend. You run the risk of over-simplifying who does what, when, where, and how.
As Hamlet said: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
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Mark 11:24. “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
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Matthew 7:7-11. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?”
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James 4:3. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
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John 14:13-14. "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
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Philippians 4:6-8. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
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John 15:7. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
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Matthew 21:22. "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
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Luke 18:1-8. “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”
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Luke 11:13. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
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1 Kings 3:5. “In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.”
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John 16:24. “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
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Psalms 37:4. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
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2 Corinthians 5:7. "For we walk by faith, not by sight: …
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An anecdote from my past: My four parents and stepparents were Deaf, from infancy. For a brief time during my 9th year, I attended a Pentecostal Holiness church with a friend’s family, and eventually my stepmother went with me to see why I was interested. I well remember elderly Brother Deatheridge, seeing my stepmother’s deafness, seizing on the opportunity to get the Lord to answer prayer. And, with my stepmother’s permission, he gathered a couple of other members of the church around my stepmother to pray her deafness away. My 70-year old stepmother was amused; and I was amazed, even at the age of 9, that grown adults would lay hands on my mother and pray for such a silly thing. Needless to say, my stepmother was as deaf after the heartfelt prayers as she was before them.
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Strobels book includes information that is revealing.
A much cited study (STEP project) concluded that prayer had no impact on healing. The weakness of the study was who they selected to pray for the patients. According to Strobel, the only ‘protestant’ selected to pray was from Silent Unity of Lee’s Summit. That movement is not classified among mainline Christians, most would say that it is not Christian, although it uses the label (Unity School of Christianity) - mainly a blend of esoteric stuff from different religions. The leaders of the movement have denied that prayer works miracles.
It matters who is praying.
In an interview with Candy Gunther Brown from the Indiana University, Strobel includes information of some scientific studies and their weaknesses. For example, one common weakness is that it is often difficult or impossible to separate the effects of psychosomatic improvement from ‘supernatural’ effects.
Brown tried to eliminate the weaknesses by concentrating on deaf and blind persons living in areas where miracle-like healings are common and where modern medical help is not available to poor people. In a case study with 24 subjects, almost all subjects received major improvements in hearing and vision during prayer. The study was published in Southern Medical Journal, and was later replicated in Brazil with comparable results.
If you want more information, I recommend reading the books.
Any witnesses will be deemed biased. And we know that only those who believe already will be witnesses so perhaps the accusation is correct?
The Gospels may view miracles as signs but… God cannot be a God of faith if His influence or actions could be proved and verified.
A Cessationist will never be able to disprove that belief. Otherwise God would be known and Universal.
Richard
Ha! A good reason to write a separate book!
She did not believe, and neither did you. That is enough
The Church members should have known better. I trust they left with true humility?
Richard