discipleship | mission | practical theology

This week is an Integrated Study Week; where a particular subject is looked at through the whole range of subject s covered in a normal weeks lectures.  Along side this there are sessions with a guest speaker bringing experience and wisdom on the subject.

This current ISW is on Health and Healing and we have Rev Chris Mackenna from St Marylebone Healing and Counselling Centre.

It has been a fairly full week since my particular course has only 2 sessions a week normally and this ISW means I need to attend doctrine, OT, NT etc etc.  Aside from that it has been a thought provoking week in all kinds of ways.  The low point and high point was watching a recording of a series that I think was broadcast on TV a few years back.  This documentary followed a two people who claim that miracles of healing occur in their ministires; Benny Hinn and Reinhard Bonnke.  Showing these videos in a college of students primarily from liberal / catholic / low evangelical churches was a brave thing to do and it took the student body the best part of 24 hours to debrief themselves and calm down. I am sure there will be some long term damage for some of us!!

For myself; even though I have seen this kind of ministry before, although have never been to either a Hinn or Bonnke rally / service, I still found the experience quite disturbing.

The parts of the video that we watched concluded by showing that the 5 people they had names and addresses for from the Hinn meeting had not actually been healed as was claimed on stage. In many ways this affirmed our groups belief that this sort of ministry ought to be legislated against.

However, my question is what if one, even one of those claimed to be healed on stage were in fact healed!! As was said by Chris Mackenna; I am sure there are people who have been blessed greatly at such meetings.  My point is that grace does not justify.  Even if someone was healed at such a meeting it does not justify the way Benny or Richard conduct their meeting or ministry. In the same way that it would not justify mine or yours either!

God, it seems to me, does not wait for us to get it right before he visits in his sovereignty.

More reflections about this ISW week of health and healing later.