I spent most of my life in a Church that does not emphasize that much on the supernatural. We believed in God, of course, we believed in prayer and the workings of the Holy Spirit, but we never really talked about how God might work in miraculous ways. We prayed for healing, but we were always super cautious and added "your will be done", you know, just in case God doesn't make anything happen. This was one of the reasons I have always been very skeptical of healing ministries and more charismatic groups that really emphasize supernatural workings. Now, there is no shortage of groups like these that are unbiblical and fraudulent. Some of these ministries straight-up scam innocent, ignorant people. Being the once-reformed superfan that I was, I swung the pendulum so far in the other direction I just discredited any miracles altogether.
However, as of late, I have been conducting more research on biblical miracle accounts, and I stumbled upon a few books that speak on the topic. Miracles Today and Craig's earlier 2-volume set on miracles were the first on my list. Upon reading these accounts, my mind has changed. God still works powerfully today, in both "natural" and "supernatural" ways!
Overview
Miracles Today primarily deals with Keener's research on miraculous accounts in the modern world. However, Keener begins the book by defining what a miracle is. He also deals with some of the arguments and presuppositions people hold that is anti-supernatural. The main addressee is David Hume, who is quite an influential individual when it comes to the anti-supernatural sentiment that is very popular in the western world today. I think Keener does a fine job with the defense. He also gives some positive evidence on why a supernatural worldview is not irrational as well as some miscellaneous information and stats regarding miracles.
Keener then moves on to various (by that I mean a whole lot) accounts of different kinds of miracles. These are eyewitness accounts, oftentimes coupled with doctors' testimonies and other forms of proof. Keener conducted this research himself. Being a historian, Keener is very careful. Keener provides accounts of miraculous healings (blindness, deafness, leprosy, cancer, physical disabilities, and more), even accounts of resurrections! What's more, he even showcases examples of natural miracles, such as miraculous weather changes and walking on water!
Finally, Keener addresses certain theological issues regarding miracles. Such as spiritual factors, when miracles don't happen, and what the Bible says about the purposes of miracles. There is a lot more that I haven't covered, read for yourself.
Why Read This?
As mentioned before, I have held a sort of an "anti-supernatural" view as many of us do today. We must examine ourselves, is this because we lack trust in God? If we did believe in a God who created the universe from scratch, can He not show up once in a while to eradicate some cancer cells? Are we scared because this assertion seems silly to the world? You search your own heart to find out.
This book has greatly strengthened my faith. It's well and good to trust in God without seeing, in fact, those who do so are greatly blessed. But let's be real, seeing someone miraculously healed from a deadly disease after prayer would be amazing! Though we don't get to experience these accounts personally, just knowing that there are so many credible accounts of miracles out there has brought great confidence and comfort to my heart.
In addition to this, Keener's treatment of the theology of miracles is great too. This is not a book that tries to tell you that as long as you have enough faith, anything will happen for you. Rather, it gives true facts, and also a well-rounded teaching of what the Bible actually says about miracles. You will walk away from this book with realistic expectations and a renewed appreciation of why God chooses to reach down into the natural realm at certain times. Spoiler alert, He does it to get people's attention so they would seek Him, He also does it to showcase His love and compassion to those who really need Him (and know it).
Potential Pitfalls
As with any second-hand (in Keener's case, third-hand) accounts of anything, a healthy dose of skepticism is always helpful in discernment. If you're going to use any of these accounts as proof, you better take a good look at Keener's footnotes to see how legit they actually are.
We should be extra careful with miracles nowadays because false prophets operate in Jesus' name all the time. And they do perform signs! We must realize that miracles do not add credibility to someone's ministry, the only measures we should use are God's Word and what kind of fruits they bear. Evil Spirits can disguise their workings as divine miracles, but evil Spirits cannot reproduce the fruits of the Spirit that only the Holy Spirit can.
Lastly, don't go looking for miracles for the sake of miracles, if you do that, you've missed the whole point. You should not test God either, it's up to Him to perform a miracle, if He says no, you have no right to call Him a phony. Chances are, you will never experience a miracle in your life. But look around you, look at the world that God has made, and look at the work He has done in your life, are those not amazing miracles hiding in plain sight?
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