If I have a friend who thinks he is a Christian, and yet believes in this latter kind of (delusional) faith, do you think going over the following passage with him would do any good?
Any suggestions welcome.
quote:
"The adepts of faith-cure look upon disease as something subject to “faith,” namely to what they call faith. This faith simply appears to be a conviction that what they want shall and will take place. This is not the faith of which the Scriptures speak, it is not Christian faith. It is a man-made thing, and when mistaken for Christian faith a terrible delusion. Disease is not subject to this man-made faith of faith-curists any more than to strong mental impressions generally. Christianity has nothing to do with it, for pagans may have this faith. Disease is not subject even to Christian faith, so that when a faithful Christian prays to be healed, healing will certainly take place. St. Paul had faith, and prayed in faith to be healed of a thorn in the flesh, yet God answered him by allowing the affliction to remain, declaring: “My grace is sufficient for thee.” 2 Cor. 12:7-9. The great function of Christian faith is not to shake off disease, but to trust in Christ, to embrace forgiveness and salvation, and to submit to His will, which is often that we shall be sick and suffer. The plea of faith-curists, when they fail, that the patient had not faith, is an empty excuse to explain away failure. Some have the “faith” of the faith-curists, and yet remain sick and die; others get well without it."
From: Lenski. “Faith Cure and Christian Science” in Loy, ed. The Columbus Theological Magazine. Vol. 18, 1898. LutheranLibrary.org
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GJ - Lenski was ahead of the rationalists, who were plentiful back then as well. The essence of curing by faith in the Bible is the idea that believing - or having positive thoughts - is curing.
I have often heard people write on Facebook, "I am sending positive thoughts to you," which sounds like a new and emission-free power source. I am not the target, so I have not had the chance to test it.
The original New Testament, in Greek, is mostly comprised of common words from the time, so it is called Koine Greek, common Greek. Most of the time, the Greek word in use at the time is what we read in the Scriptures. People will focus on one word and use the word out of context. The extremists of this style are said to suffer from studying Kittel, an alphabetical set of volumes practicing this magic.
The meaning comes from the context and familiarity with it. That is why so few pastors know the New Testament. They look at a Greek word they do not know and fly away with the claims of some source. There are also entire verses removed for the sake of clarity! - typical ESV and NIV, plus RSV and NRSV, and Beck.
I follow Luther's approach of knowing the entire Bible serves as a unified truth, the Book of the Holy Spirit. That is God's intention, in contrast to those who pick a verse - or just a phrase - and run off in every direction without anchoring the claim with various Scriptures.
The vacuous Objective Justification parsons and their Church Growth allies are prisoners of rationalistic nonsense. It is not surprise that some of the loudest advocates of both have become atheists.
