Off the Deep End? Evaluating the "Miracles" of a Growing Movement...

I believe in miracles. Let's just get that out in the open. To believe in an all-powerful God who speaks the cosmos into existence is to also believe in a God who can heal diseases, redeem circumstances and supernaturally deliver people. I believe in a gracious, wonderful, compassionate, miracle-working God. Period.

That being said - I am concerned with certain claims being made in a growing movement within Evangelical Christianity related to supposed signs and wonders of a most bizarre sort. The concerns that I am about to raise in this blog may upset you. They may frustrate you. They may infuriate you. But they need to be asked.

One other point of clarification: As an interdenominationally-minded pastor who appreciates and affirms the diversity we enjoy among Christian denominations and movements, I am committed to striving for unity in both the local and universal Body of Christ. I am not known to be a nit-picker with regard to secondary doctrinal differences. I was raised charismatic, educated at a Baptist college, and currently serve in a Heinz-57 denomination known as the Evangelical Free Church of America. I tell you all of this to support the fact that the concerns being expressed are not those of a bitter, narrow-minded critic looking to pick a fight.

My concerns are rooted in the multitude of conversations I have had with individuals who claim that God is - in an effort to manifest His glory - up to certain "miracles" of the most bizarre nature. Among them:

1) "Gold dust" falling out of the air during various indoor worship gatherings

2) Ordinary fillings in poeple's teeth being replaced by solid gold ones

3) Oil (representative of the Holy Spirit) saturating walls in homes & churches

4) Diamonds and other precious gems mysteriously "appearing" in people's beds and sofas (yes, you heard that correctly)

In case you're in doubt, check out this video generated by some associated with an internationally popular movement in Northern California which promulgates these claims:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBWQCyEbbLQ

In fairness, the credit for these so-called "miracles" is usually given to God by their proponents. The human "instruments" from which these miracles flow are often identified as "Apostles" - people through whom God works to manifest these alleged signs and wonders as evidence of the glory of His emerging Kingdom.

While I personally do not believe that Apostles exist today in the same sense as they existed in the New Testament era (one clear reason being that true Apostles were limited to those who personally "saw" the risen Christ with their own eyes - see Acts 1:2-3, 22; 4:33; 1 Cor. 9:1; 15:7-9), this is not my major point of contention. I have never sought to be divisive with a fellow pastor or believer who thinks that Apostles exist in the present day. My issue runs a lot deeper than that. My issue has to do with how these so-called miracles square with the very character of God revealed in Jesus.

Am I supposed to believe that a God who allows children to die daily (by the tens of thousands) from malnutrition and preventable disease is somehow trying to convince the world of His glory by making diamonds appear in the beds of white, middle-class Americans? Should I watch unintelligable home-video-quality clips of supposed "rain" pouring down inside of state-of-the-art worship centers with the best video technology available - and believe that this actually happened but was unfortunately only caught on a home video camera? It almost sounds like that ever-elusive Big Foot or UFO sighting that - in spite of our technologically-advanced age - nobody has ever been able to get a clear photo of!

I don't mean to be sarcastic here. I want to see the glory of God manifest throughout the earth as badly as anyone. I want to see the principles and values of Christ's Kingdom lived out through His Church in ever-increasing ways. But I tend to find God's glory manifest in ways which actually mirror the character of Christ rather than contradict it. Among them:

1) Through the mother who fights valiantly to beat the cancer that is threatening to take her away from her husband and children - and yet never curses God in the fight.

2) Through the 10 year old orphan I met in Rwanda who bravely raises his 2-year old sister in the wake of his parents' losing battle with AIDS.

3) Through the evangelist who - rather than going on TV begging for more money - sells all he has and gives it to the poor.

4) Through the student who resists the lure of viewing a college education as a means to material wealth and instead sees it as a way to serve God and humanity.

Is God the kind of God who is so frivolous that He would plant diamonds in the shag of a carpet in a middle class American home? Would he really turn ordinary fillings into gold while seemingly ignoring the cries of the orphaned 10-year old striving for enough daily sustenance to keep himself and his little sister alive? If so, I'm not sure I want to worship that kind of God.

Do I believe God is a miracle-working God? Absolutely. But I need some Biblical, tangible and socially redeeming reasons to believe that unverifiable, undocumented so-called "signs and wonders" like those I described earlier have anything to do with the character or mission of the God I do believe in. I'm a follower of Jesus - not a snake-oil salesmen. I believe God is good whether He chooses to GIVE or TAKE AWAY. The fact that a stubborn heart like mine can submit to that is probably the greatest miracle of all. What do YOU have to say? I'd be interested in YOUR opinion...