Editorial December 14, 1987 Issue

Christian healing—"a demand of the times"

William E. Moody

There's something about the nature of contemporary society that would try to reduce all things in life, even the sacred, to the level of "fun and games." Recently we noticed a small classified advertisement in a religious magazine. The ad was selling discipleship games and adventure novels, along with fantasy and science fiction, for children.

It wasn't clear from the ad's copy just where the discipleship left off and the science fiction took over. And it was sad to think that young people might be growing up without a proper distinction between the stuff of fantasy and the life-changing, life-giving reality underlying the demands of true discipleship. The ministry of Christian healing that Jesus commended to his followers may be a profound spiritual adventure; yet it's anything but a game or a fantasy.

Christian healing, in its broadest sense, is actually the substance of discipleship. It is not intended for a select few but is a sacred responsibility for every one of Jesus' followers. It is a holy ministry charged with the care of nothing less than all humanity, beginning with love for our neighbor as ourselves. The purpose of metaphysical healing is to cleanse human minds of sin, to bring comfort to grieving hearts, to mend broken lives and broken bodies, to restore the true good that seems to have been lost to so many. This is the work Christ Jesus did. And there is no way to get around his words to each of us: "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." ^{John 14:12.}

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