3. The Early Church Fathers

4. Justin Martyr (100-165AD) “For numberless demoniacs throughout the whole world, and in your city, many of our Christian men exorcising them in the Name of Jesus Christ… have healed and do heal, rendering helpless and driving the possessing devils out of the men, though they could not be cured by all the other exorcists, and those who used incantations and drugs.” Justin Martyr (100-165AD) “For numberless demoniacs throughout the whole world, and in your city, many of our Christian men exorcising them in the Name of Jesus Christ… have healed and do heal, rendering helpless and driving the possessing devils out of the men, though they could not be cured by all the other exorcists, and those who used incantations and drugs.”

5. Origen (185-254AD) “Origen wrote his great treatise Against Celsus to take pagan thinking apart piece by piece, and here he spoke in several places of how Christians “expel evil spirits, and perform many cures” - many of which he had himself witnessed. Or again, “the name of Jesus can still remove distractions from the minds of men, and expel demons, and also take away diseases.” Several such statements occur in this work, which was written especially for the intellectual leaders of the pagan community.” (Morton Kelsey) Origen (185-254AD) “Origen wrote his great treatise Against Celsus to take pagan thinking apart piece by piece, and here he spoke in several places of how Christians “expel evil spirits, and perform many cures” - many of which he had himself witnessed. Or again, “the name of Jesus can still remove distractions from the minds of men, and expel demons, and also take away diseases.” Several such statements occur in this work, which was written especially for the intellectual leaders of the pagan community.” (Morton Kelsey)

6. Irenaeus (flourished 175-195AD) “Irenaeus attested to almost the same range of healings as we find in the Gospels and Acts. All kinds of bodily infirmity as well as many different diseases had been cured. Damage from external accidents had been repaired. He had seen the exorcism of all sorts of demons. He even described the raising of the dead. His pagan readers were well aware of these miracles of healing, as he makes clear, since this was often the path to conversion for pagans, as well as the means of bringing bodily health to both Christians and non-Christians.” (Morton Kelsey) Irenaeus (flourished 175-195AD) “Irenaeus attested to almost the same range of healings as we find in the Gospels and Acts. All kinds of bodily infirmity as well as many different diseases had been cured. Damage from external accidents had been repaired. He had seen the exorcism of all sorts of demons. He even described the raising of the dead. His pagan readers were well aware of these miracles of healing, as he makes clear, since this was often the path to conversion for pagans, as well as the means of bringing bodily health to both Christians and non-Christians.” (Morton Kelsey)

7. Irenaeus (flourished 175-195AD) “There is no indication that Irenaeus viewed any disease as incurable or any healing as against God’s will. Indeed, the whole attitude he voiced was that healing is a natural activity of Christians as they express the creative power of God, given them as members of Christ by the Holy Spirit.” (Morton Kelsey) Irenaeus (flourished 175-195AD) “There is no indication that Irenaeus viewed any disease as incurable or any healing as against God’s will. Indeed, the whole attitude he voiced was that healing is a natural activity of Christians as they express the creative power of God, given them as members of Christ by the Holy Spirit.” (Morton Kelsey)

8. Mark 16:17-18 “… and so many other things of this kind have happened, even in this present time, that it is not possible for us either to know of all of them or to count up all of those that we have knowledge of.” Mark 16:17-18 “… and so many other things of this kind have happened, even in this present time, that it is not possible for us either to know of all of them or to count up all of those that we have knowledge of.”

9. Mark 16:17-18 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” Mark 16:17-18 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

10. Augustine (354-430AD) “… and so many other things of this kind have happened, even in this present time, that it is not possible for us either to know of all of them or to count up all of those that we have knowledge of.” Augustine (354-430AD) “… and so many other things of this kind have happened, even in this present time, that it is not possible for us either to know of all of them or to count up all of those that we have knowledge of.”

11. What happened?

12. 1. Thomas Aquinas

13. “I can write no more. All I have written seems so much straw compared with what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.” 1.Thomas Aquinas “I can write no more. All I have written seems so much straw compared with what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.”

14. 2. The Reformers

15. “Both Calvin and Luther felt keenly compelled to challenge the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. I admit this is greatly over- simplified, but the reasoning went like this: ‘Since the Catholics are using healings to validate false traditions, the healings must either be false or the work of the devil.’ The reformers cried out for a return to the objective authority of Scripture and, in the process, became quite anti-supernatural.” (Randy Clark) “Both Calvin and Luther felt keenly compelled to challenge the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. I admit this is greatly over- simplified, but the reasoning went like this: ‘Since the Catholics are using healings to validate false traditions, the healings must either be false or the work of the devil.’ The reformers cried out for a return to the objective authority of Scripture and, in the process, became quite anti-supernatural.” (Randy Clark)

16. 3. The Age of Reason “If it couldn’t be explained, it didn’t happen.” 3. The Age of Reason “If it couldn’t be explained, it didn’t happen.”

17. 4. Liberalism & Fundamentalism

18. Sarah Edwards

19. Charles Finney

20. John Wesley