Article November 29, 1919 Issue

Under the caption, "Miracles and Medicine," is a quotation...

C. W. Hale

Marion (Ind.) Chronicle

Under the caption, "Miracles and Medicine," is a quotation from a sermon which a minister refers to numerous places in the Bible which he claims limit healing to the apostolic age and record God as indorsing medicine, medical treatment, and physicians as the properly authorized channels for healing work. While direct mention is made of Christian Science, the attack is made upon spiritual healing, and the inference is that the Scriptures oppose the methods employed by Christian Science. I would like to correct any erroneous impression that this sermon might give. Taken as a whole, it seems to be a zealous effort to interpret, if not distort, the Scriptures to make them conform to preconceived ideas and prejudices, and to justify an inability to heal the sick through the teachings of so-called orthodox churches of to-day.

The claim is made that the healing of the sick in the time of Jesus, and during the apostolic age, was given as a sign to convince unbelievers, regardless of the fact that even while Jesus was doing his healing work he said no sign should be given to "an evil and adulterous generation." Evidently Jesus considered the healing of sickness the result of the truth he taught, and not a sign to convince doubters and unbelievers, and his teaching would indicate that the regenerative and healing work followed as a necessary consequence of the understanding of that truth both in his own work and that of his followers.

The assertion that those who claim to heal the sick in any other way than by the power of medicine "have not the Lord's way, because God endorsed medicine and physicians," is disproved completely by the very references given in the sermon, especially when read in connection with the context. Taking one reference as an example of this, we read in Jeremiah as follows: "There is none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing medicines." Can anyone by any stretch of imagination or otherwise conceive of this as an "endorsement" of medicine, as our good brother claims? Surely this cannot be, especially when we read on and get the immediate context and the climax of the statement, which says, "For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord."

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