o \ m ^ p e T c e VV\<$Vs Science and the Bible by Bolton Davidheiser Chairman, Science Division Biola College EXTRA SENSORY PERCEPTION (3rd article in series)
Unlimited opportunities in India and West Pakistan for women doctors, nurses, technicians and evangelists to reach the neglected women of the Orient. Unless Woman Doctors are added to Staff of some hospitals our ministry must be greatly curtailed. Young Christian women are also urgently needed for orphan age, rescue home and Bible training school in India, and high school and Bible training school in Japan.
A sem in a r ON ESP, or extra sen sory perception, was held at the geles during June, 1965. In this highly respectable academic environ ment ESP was accepted as a fact, and the chief concern was the con tinuing search for an explanation of it. Perhaps the clue to that for which they searched went unrecog nized in their decision not to limit themselves strictly to ESP but also to consider in their research the phenomena of spiritism. Christians know, or c e r t a i n l y should know, that the phenomena associated with spiritism (which its adherents prefer to call spiritual ism) are forbidden in the Bible. When it is genuine and not fraudu lent, spiritism is based upon the ac tivities of evil spirits, and the Bible says very clearly that-demons play a part in the affairs of men. In this scientific and non-believing age it is common to confuse some diabolical activities with mental illnesses. Susy Smith, who is said to be an authority in this field, has written a book on ESP. The reader will find that discussions of ESP shift easily into discussions of the phenomena of spiritism, and back again. Susy Smith, cal Is psychokinesis (the influence of mind over matter) the Siamese twin of ESP, and says they are so much alike that often they are distinguished only with pedantic exactitude. This includes the power some people claim to possess to make dice fall as these persons desire, more often than the dice would by chance. It also in cludes the influence of “ unknown psychic powers” over material ob jects. This influence occurs when chairs move for no observable reason or when dishes fly across the room. These and similar phenomena have been reported numerous times. A number of “ magicians” of the sort who admittedly base their per formances on deceptions have chal lenged spiritist -mediums to do some thing which the “ magicians” cannot duplicate. As Susy Smith points out, the mediums do not accept the chal lenge, because they work without de vices for deception, while the “magi cians” who challenge them will not work without the use of deception.
(The word magician is here used with quotation marks because there are also real magicians who perform unusual feats through the employ ment of diabolical powers without deception.) Houdini proposed a test in which he would try to send a message to his wife after his death. It is com monly believed that the test failed, but Susy Smith says that a medium named Arthur Ford gave Mrs. Hou dini a message in 1929, and that she wrote a public letter confirming that this was the message her husband intended sending her if he was able. She later rescinded it. The Bible strictly forbids attempts of the liv ing to contact the deceased, and in stances of alleged contacts which are not fraudulent on the part of the medium appear to be dealings with impersonating demons. It seems that nearly everyone has at some time or other had an experi ence which appears beyond natural explanation, such as knowing before the news arrived about something which happened at a distance, or a foreboding about something un expected which happened subse quently. Such experiences should not be encouraged. If they come from an evil source, much more harm than good comes from developing them. If they come from the Lord, then as we are committed to Him there is no need to develop unknown powers. There are on record many cases where people have been led by a strong urge to do something unusual to help someone else, and to find later that it was the direct answer to the other person’s prayer to the Lord for a particular need; and cases where people have suddenly felt a strong urge to pray for someone, later to find that the person was in grave danger at the time. There is no reason to believe that the Lord would help people to do such things as call the order of cards in a stack more accurately than by chance, when these people are not committed to Him. The only proper contact with the supernatural for the Christian is prayer in Christ’s name. Christians should avoid anything which involves the possibility of con tacting unknown supernatural pow ers, whether it be spiritism, ouija boards, or ESP.
University of California at Los An
THE WUMS, founded in 1860, is undenominational and evangeli cal. Write for information and literature. Woman’s Union Missionary Society 156 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 10 NEW F ILMS AHANSEN'S c a l l us /\ CHURCH FOR TITLES A j y L M S Phone I * |< Hollywood 3-3155 mm 6034 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, Calif. 90028 ( RUSHING TORUSSIANS
for 31 years. We need your financial help to continue supporting our mission ary work among Russians and others. W rite for free, new booklet by Peter Deyneka on recent trip to Russia. CHRISTIANITY IS ALIVE IN RUSSIA. S L A V IC G O S P E L A S S O C IA TIO N Peter Deyneka, General Director Dept. K, 2434 N. Kedzia Blvd., Chicago, III. 60647 ^
PRAY FOR DEAF AFRICANS
Forgotten. Neglected. Misunder s t o o d . Handicapped physically. Need they be handicapped spirit ually too ? We earnestly appeal
for your prayer support. A Bible-centered evan gelism and education using specially needed approaches. Write: Christian Mission for Deaf Africans P.O. Box 1452 Detroit/ Michigan/ 48231 THE CONVERSION CENTER Inc. A soul-winning mission to Roman Catholic priests, nuns and people. 500 million Roman Catholics lost without love, trapped by traditions, paralyzed by popery, deceived by the Devil. 47,000 priests, 138,000 nuns dedicated to “ MAKE AMER ICA CATHOLIC.” Will you help keep America free to evangelize the world? Pray, give, write for soul-winning material. 18 W. Eagle Rd., Havertown, Pennsylvania Rev. Alex O. Dunlap, Director W A N T E D ! ! Used ears for use by Missionaries on furlough. In donating your used car for this worthwhile purpose, you will receive a tax-deductible receipt for top re tail value. Write: ASSISTANCE IN MISSIONS, Inc. Box 3232, Glendale, Calif.
THE KING'S BUSINESS
30
Made with FlippingBook Online document