Article September 12, 1931 Issue

When a bishop declared, as reported in the Gazette of...

Francis Lyster Jandron, Committee on Publication for the State of Michigan,—Kalamazoo

Gazette

When a bishop declared, as reported in the Gazette of May 13, that "faith healing, as such, is one form of irreligion," he placed himself, unintentionally no doubt, in much the same position as the learned men of Christ Jesus' day who accused the Master of healing the sick by irreligious means. More significant than the bishop's proofless assertion is the lively interest in spiritual healing now shown by many churches. An official body of the Anglican church, for example, recently petitioned its archbishops to prepare rites for healing through prayer. Such an awakening can hardly be deemed irreligious, regardless of attempts sometimes made to counterfeit spiritual healing by the harmful methods of will-power or hypnotic suggestion.

When the bishop further declared that John Wesley lived longer than Mary Baker Eddy, he went contrary to the facts as recorded in standard encyclopedias. And perhaps he will concede that Wesley's longevity, notwithstanding early physical infirmities, may have been due to his faith in God's power to heal, at least as much as to his faith in medicines. Certain it is that it was after her condition had been pronounced hopeless by a physician that Mrs. Eddy was healed by spiritual means alone. It is fair to point out also that Wesley's great evangelical work was accompanied by proofs of spiritual healing.

As long as there is a demand for medical treatment, it is right that it should be available for those who desire it. It is equally right that those who do not desire it should not have it forced on them. But not even the reputed efficiency of medical treatment can blind Christians to the great fact that God's power is still present to heal.

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