The Christian's Healing

"The true Christian life, true spirituality, is not merely a negative not-doing of any small list of things. Even if the list began as a very excellent list of things to beware of in that particular historic setting, we still must emphasize that the Christian life, or true spirituality, is more than refraining from a certain external list of taboos in a mechanical way." —Francis Schaeffer (True Spirituality) Every Christian needs some form of healing spiritually, emotionally and physically. The overwhelming number of healing resources available for the Christian is exhausting. There are many authors with many views, some claiming to be Christian. The lists and requirements go on ad infinitum. As Christians we need to know that our spirituality can be seriously altered if we allow false teachings and dark practices to become the staples of our total healing and well-being. Any healing practices must first be carefully researched and verified as to whether they are in line with the Christian worldview and are theologically sound.  True spirituality involves knowing the ultimate effects that a healing practice may have upon total well-being, not just developing a list of practices to stay away from. It understands the eternal threat some practices pose if embraced and integrated in experience. Francis Schaeffer says it well:  "The Bible makes the possibility of healing very clear, and our experience confirms this teaching. We have seen times in which God reached down into history and completely healed, either physically or psychologically, at a certain point of time. But we must point out that both Scripture and experience show that while sometimes God does this, sometimes He does not. This is not always a matter of faith, or of the lack of faith. God is personal, and He has his own purposes: God is not a mechanical dispensing machine. Just because a person is not healed physically, we must not assume that this necessarily implies a lack of faith. . . . (True Spirituality)

The Magic of it All

The Scripture is clear on all types of occult art and practice. The use of crystals, jewels, dust of precious metals, tarot cards, ritualistic use of plants, animal parts, and other elements, metaphysical and transcendental meditation, and any sacrificial ritual is clearly anti-theistic in nature. The worship of nature is not the same as worship of the Creator of nature. God can and does use the beauty of nature, the healing principles of plants, and the healing retreats of deep reflection, contemplation, and prayer to achieve his healing work. God is not the inventor of magic, nor does he need it to accomplish his complete work of healing in his highest creation of humankind. C. S. Lewis warns that beyond the obvious practical benefits of modern scientific advance, there may emerge a kind of religious energy very much like the old occult arts:  There is something which unites magic and applied science while separating both from the "wisdom" of earlier ages. For the wise men of old, the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality, and the solution had been knowledge, self-discipline, and virtue. For magic and applied science alike the problem is how to subdue reality to the wishes of men. (The Abolition of Man) To be continued.