Sunday, April 24, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
In the Name of Jesus
The contemparary church would do well to follow the example of the early church, not to ignore the demonic, but to focus attention on Jesus, who defeats the demonic. Undue concern and involvement with the demonic has often been seen as opening oneself up to its influence. The well-known passage of C.S. Lewis from his preface to The Screwtape Letters bears repeating here:
There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.
Kart Barth issues a similar warning that the Christian and theologian "must not linger or become too deeply engrossed [in the demonic, as]...there is the imment danger that in so doing we ourselves might become just a little or more than a little demonic." In other words, we should pay as little attention to the demonic as is pastorally possible. Yet we should confront the demonic as much as is pastorally required.
One of the noticeable, though not entirely unique, aspects of the exorcistic technique of Jesus and the early church was its extreme brevity. For Jesus, this probably arose out of his sense of power-authority over the demonic; for the early church it came from their sense of reliance on Jesus. In relation to the contemparary church we can probably conclude that verbosity is an indication of spiritual powerlessness and a lack of discernment.
The New Testament writers held that exorcism was a confrontation between the divine and the demonic in which the demonic was defeated. In the exorcisms among the early church the incantation, the words or prayers of the exorcist were important, not because of any inherent 'power' to evict the demon, but because they brought about a confrontation between Jesus and the demonic. To pick up this trajectory today would be to conduct exorcisms so that the demon is confronted not by words, the exorcists, the sacraments, the Lord's Prayer, nor even the church-but by Jesus. As Tertullian, at the end of our period, put it: The demonic "is defeated by the pressure of divine grace."
Graham Twelftree
There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.
Kart Barth issues a similar warning that the Christian and theologian "must not linger or become too deeply engrossed [in the demonic, as]...there is the imment danger that in so doing we ourselves might become just a little or more than a little demonic." In other words, we should pay as little attention to the demonic as is pastorally possible. Yet we should confront the demonic as much as is pastorally required.
One of the noticeable, though not entirely unique, aspects of the exorcistic technique of Jesus and the early church was its extreme brevity. For Jesus, this probably arose out of his sense of power-authority over the demonic; for the early church it came from their sense of reliance on Jesus. In relation to the contemparary church we can probably conclude that verbosity is an indication of spiritual powerlessness and a lack of discernment.
The New Testament writers held that exorcism was a confrontation between the divine and the demonic in which the demonic was defeated. In the exorcisms among the early church the incantation, the words or prayers of the exorcist were important, not because of any inherent 'power' to evict the demon, but because they brought about a confrontation between Jesus and the demonic. To pick up this trajectory today would be to conduct exorcisms so that the demon is confronted not by words, the exorcists, the sacraments, the Lord's Prayer, nor even the church-but by Jesus. As Tertullian, at the end of our period, put it: The demonic "is defeated by the pressure of divine grace."
Graham Twelftree
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Dr. Rebecca Brown
A Letter from Peter Hoover to a Friend about Rebecca Brown
I am thankful you had the spiritual perception and common sense to realize that people should not be reading the "Rebecca Brown" books. They will not bring anyone closer to Jesus, nor will they help avoid evil, because they are untrue. They are fiction (bad fiction at that) presented as fact, and the Lord Jesus has never needed such literature to help his cause.
For twenty years “Dr. Rebecca Brown” whose real name is Ruth Bailey, and who certainly is no longer a doctor, has been widely recognized as a fraud, and her books a hoax. Already in the 1980s, she was living in what appeared to be a questionable relationship with Edna Elaine Moses, the middle-aged woman she was purportedly trying to adopt as her daughter.
Every piece of “evidence” presented in the Rebecca Brown books can amply and easily be proven false. No discerning person has taken her seriously for many years — but, unfortunately, the books continue to circulate.
Just to give you a superficial idea of the extent of Ruth Bailey’s hoax, I will post here the following observations from people that have investigated her claims. You could easily find more information about her on your own, in your public library or on the Internet. But because this fraud is so old and so long “blown over” among American evangelicals, most people pay little attention to it anymore:
On October 2, 1984, the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana met to consider Ruth Bailey's license to practice medicine. She refused to attend the hearing and sent no one to act as her counsel or agent. After deliberations, this board lifted Bailey's license (#29402) for the following violations and irregularities:
Bailey misdiagnosed patients including, but not limited to Edna Elaine Moses a.k.a. Elaine Moses A.K.A. Elaine Bailey, Claudia Moses, Lucia Lively, Lucinda Sisson, Kelly Sisson and Cheryl Maynard of "leukemia, various blood disorders, gall bladder disease, brain tumors, and various other ailments and conditions, all of which the Respondent stated were allegedly caused by demons, devils, and other evil spirits." In fact, these "patients... were not suffering from the diagnosed ailments and conditions."
On numerous occasions Bailey stated to her patients "that she was chosen by God as the only physician able to diagnose certain ailments and conditions which other physicians could not because the other physicians... were in fact, demons, devils and other evil spirits themselves."
Bailey gave massive overdoses of Demerol and Phenobarbital to Elaine Moses "to the point where the patient would tolerate 600 to 900 cc injections of Demerol, a fatal dose of which is normally in the 150 to 200 cc range, and up to three times the recommended therapeutic dose of Phenobarbital."
Bailey "gave Claudia Moses, the 15 year old mentally impaired daughter of Edna Elaine Moses who possesses the intellectual age of an 8 year old, numerous injections of Demerol for alleged 'nausea' and allowed Claudia to administer injections of Demerol to herself."
Bailey supplied her patients "with excessive amounts of legend drugs and/or controlled substances without any explanation, instruction or appropriate charting."
Bailey "failed to maintain and keep adequate records or charts on her patients and in several instances failed to maintain any charts or records at all."
Bailey "on numerous occasions falsified patient charts and hospital records and misled other health professionals regarding her patients condition... all to the detriment of her patient's well being."
Bailey "misrepresented and falsified prescriptions for controlled substances" for Edna Elaine Moses. The drug in this case was Demerol.
Bailey believed that she had "the capability of 'sharing' her patient's illnesses in fighting the demons, devils and other evil spirits that were allegedly causing the various ailments" and "without a valid therapeutic reason... self medicated herself with non therapeutic amounts of Demerol." In fact Bailey had "been witnessed routinely receiving non-therapeutic doses of at least 3 cc of Demerol on an hourly basis by injecting herself in the backs of her hands, the inside of her thighs, or wherever she could locate a suitable vein."
Read more
I am thankful you had the spiritual perception and common sense to realize that people should not be reading the "Rebecca Brown" books. They will not bring anyone closer to Jesus, nor will they help avoid evil, because they are untrue. They are fiction (bad fiction at that) presented as fact, and the Lord Jesus has never needed such literature to help his cause.
For twenty years “Dr. Rebecca Brown” whose real name is Ruth Bailey, and who certainly is no longer a doctor, has been widely recognized as a fraud, and her books a hoax. Already in the 1980s, she was living in what appeared to be a questionable relationship with Edna Elaine Moses, the middle-aged woman she was purportedly trying to adopt as her daughter.
Every piece of “evidence” presented in the Rebecca Brown books can amply and easily be proven false. No discerning person has taken her seriously for many years — but, unfortunately, the books continue to circulate.
Just to give you a superficial idea of the extent of Ruth Bailey’s hoax, I will post here the following observations from people that have investigated her claims. You could easily find more information about her on your own, in your public library or on the Internet. But because this fraud is so old and so long “blown over” among American evangelicals, most people pay little attention to it anymore:
On October 2, 1984, the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana met to consider Ruth Bailey's license to practice medicine. She refused to attend the hearing and sent no one to act as her counsel or agent. After deliberations, this board lifted Bailey's license (#29402) for the following violations and irregularities:
Bailey misdiagnosed patients including, but not limited to Edna Elaine Moses a.k.a. Elaine Moses A.K.A. Elaine Bailey, Claudia Moses, Lucia Lively, Lucinda Sisson, Kelly Sisson and Cheryl Maynard of "leukemia, various blood disorders, gall bladder disease, brain tumors, and various other ailments and conditions, all of which the Respondent stated were allegedly caused by demons, devils, and other evil spirits." In fact, these "patients... were not suffering from the diagnosed ailments and conditions."
On numerous occasions Bailey stated to her patients "that she was chosen by God as the only physician able to diagnose certain ailments and conditions which other physicians could not because the other physicians... were in fact, demons, devils and other evil spirits themselves."
Bailey gave massive overdoses of Demerol and Phenobarbital to Elaine Moses "to the point where the patient would tolerate 600 to 900 cc injections of Demerol, a fatal dose of which is normally in the 150 to 200 cc range, and up to three times the recommended therapeutic dose of Phenobarbital."
Bailey "gave Claudia Moses, the 15 year old mentally impaired daughter of Edna Elaine Moses who possesses the intellectual age of an 8 year old, numerous injections of Demerol for alleged 'nausea' and allowed Claudia to administer injections of Demerol to herself."
Bailey supplied her patients "with excessive amounts of legend drugs and/or controlled substances without any explanation, instruction or appropriate charting."
Bailey "failed to maintain and keep adequate records or charts on her patients and in several instances failed to maintain any charts or records at all."
Bailey "on numerous occasions falsified patient charts and hospital records and misled other health professionals regarding her patients condition... all to the detriment of her patient's well being."
Bailey "misrepresented and falsified prescriptions for controlled substances" for Edna Elaine Moses. The drug in this case was Demerol.
Bailey believed that she had "the capability of 'sharing' her patient's illnesses in fighting the demons, devils and other evil spirits that were allegedly causing the various ailments" and "without a valid therapeutic reason... self medicated herself with non therapeutic amounts of Demerol." In fact Bailey had "been witnessed routinely receiving non-therapeutic doses of at least 3 cc of Demerol on an hourly basis by injecting herself in the backs of her hands, the inside of her thighs, or wherever she could locate a suitable vein."
Read more
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