Dear Friends in Christ,
In spiritual renewal circles there is always the inherent danger of discarding past spiritual insights and ministry styles when some new and exciting revelation in ministry comes along. The very proponents of some new spiritual insight in their enthusiasm to share far and wide can have a tendency to infer that if you are not really on board with their new style of ministry you are somehow lacking in spiritual insight and growth. I personally felt such a "put down" as part of a prayer ministry team on one occasion at a conference renewal event which strongly upheld that we must learn to pray with our eyes open. I frequently pray with my eyes closed and on this occasion when I slipped into my old pattern of eye closure I was openly reprimanded by the spiritual leader for doing so. Perhaps you too have felt similar rebuffs suggesting that you are not quite "with it". Lets all be very careful of falling into the trap of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater " and in implying that our style of ministry is the only sure way. To me that all reflects a sign of spiritual elitism and insensitivity not at all pleasing to God.
Recently, I participated in a workshop pertaining to a relatively new ministry known as "Theophostic Prayer Ministry". Its founder Dr. Ed Smith coined the term Theophostic from two Greek words which translate "The Light of God". This new approach to inner healing certainly seems to meet the basic test of orthodoxy being Trinitarian in its foundation and upholding Jesus as the true healer. The founder postulates that one's personal emotional pain comes from misinterpretation or "lies" embedded in one's personal memories but not from the actual memories themselves. The prayer ministry is none- directive in approach and involves re-entry into the past painful experience, embracing the lie and asking God to speak into the experience. The Video I watched with others would suggest that inner healing in this process is usually instantaneous.
Having spent many years in counselling and prayer ministry I began to feel as the workshop unfolded that perhaps all of my non-theophostic past approach had been rather futile. Dr. Smith , a gifted and seasoned counsellor and founder of Theophostic Prayer Ministry, readily admitted in the Video presentation that he had found little improvement over the years in the overall functioning of people having been exposed to more traditional methods of counselling undergirded with prayer. At one point in the presentation I briefly sensed an inner temptation to discard everything I had ever learned about spiritual counselling and prayer ministry and plunge into Theophostic Prayer Ministry, hook, line and sinker. And therein I believe lies the ever present danger in spiritual renewal circles when something new and exciting comes along of "throwing out the baby with the bathwater".
In retrospect, I suspect that I found Theophostic Prayer Ministry as a new approach to inner healing initially intriguing because it tends to suggest fairly quick answers to rather complex personal issues. My own years of experience in the counselling and prayer ministry, however, caused me to pause and ponder this new ministry approach in more depth. I began to recall that inner healing in my own prayer ministry experience had often been more of a progressive nature than an immediate event. At the same time I could recall how my heart had indeed been strangely warmed when I had seen inner healing of deep wounds gradually unfold in someone's life as the underlying hurts had been exposed more and more over a period of time to God's healing presence. Yes, indeed, I did remember occasional instantaneous healings but that had certainly not been the norm in all of my years of spiritual counselling. At the same time the more prolonged healings were very real.
All that I am really saying is that whenever the new wine of some new ministry is being offered my caution would be not to "throw the baby of past spiritual tradition and insight out with the bathwater". My advise would be to hold on to the rich spiritual insights of the past and with much prayer and consultation with other Christians just gradually allow the Lord to do any reshaping for your future ministry and mine. Above all else lets refrain from ever inferring that other Christians have not quite arrived in their spiritual journey if they do not totally subscribe to our particular style of ministry. May we continue to make love our aim in renewal ministry and I am certain then that the Lord will put everything else into its proper place.
Every Blessing,
- Bishop Malcolm Harding.
Bishop Malcolm is the ambassador of ARM Canada and was formerly the Episcopal bishop of the diocese of Brandon.
He can be reached at 204-726-5738, E-mail: mharding@mts.net
The Rt. Rev. Malcolm Harding
Episcopal Visitor to ARM