Counterfeit Miracles

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Benjamin Warfield chronicles and explains the false and discredited miracles performed since the Middle Ages, and puts forth cessationism as an explanation for the miracles described in the Bible. A committed believer in the power of Christ, Benjamin Warfield strongly disagreed with aspects of modern Christianity on the nature and credibility of miracles. Familiar with a vast array of examples from over the past thousand years, Warfield shows how many miracles were exposed as falsehoods. The rejection of miracles is, for the author, part of his Protestant identity: the Catholic notion that miracles may still occur, is falsehood and superstition. For the author, miracles appeared and belonged solely in the Revelatory Period - the ancient time in which Jesus lived and preached his principles to followers. Their appearance is not frequent or spontaneous, and is always justified by a series of prefacing events. Their origin is with God and God alone, and each carries a decisive explanation.

This book discusses the supernatural in Scripture, including the scope and significance of events and embodiments.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1918 Edition.

Benjamin B. Warfield chronicles and explains the false and discredited miracles performed since the Middle Ages, and puts forth cessationism as an explanation for the miracles described in the Bible. A committed believer in the power of Christ, Benjamin Warfield strongly disagreed with aspects of modern Christianity on the nature and credibility of miracles. Familiar with a vast array of examples from over the past thousand years, Warfield shows how many miracles were exposed as falsehoods. The rejection of miracles is, for the author, part of his Protestant identity: the Catholic notion that miracles may still occur, is falsehood and superstition. For the author, miracles appeared and belonged solely in the Revelatory Period - the ancient time in which Jesus lived and preached his principles to followers. Their appearance is not frequent or spontaneous, and is always justified by a series of prefacing events. Their origin is with God and God alone, and each carries a decisive explanation. Warfield draws a distinction between the wonders which God is capable of, and the purpose and function of the church. The notion that the church is capable of finding miracle workers or even having clergy or adherents perpetrate miracles is starkly wrong: for the author, miraculous events such as healings came about solely as a result of divine intervention, not as a worldly product of man.

For as long as the idea of "miracles" has been in the public sphere, the conversation about them has been shaped exclusively by religious apologists and Christian leaders. The definitions for what a miracles are have been forged by the same men who fought hard to promote their own beliefs as fitting under that umbrella. It's time for a change. Enter John W. Loftus, an atheist author who has earned three master's degrees from Lincoln Christian Seminary and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Loftus, a former student of noted Christian apologist William Lane Craig, got some of the biggest names in the field to contribute to this book, which represents a critical analysis of the very idea of miracles. Incorporating his own thoughts along with those of noted academics, philosophers, and theologians, Loftus is able to properly define "miracle" and then show why there's no reason to believe such a thing even exists. Addressing every single issue that touches on miracles in a thorough and academic manner, this compilation represents the most extensive look at the phenomenon ever displayed through the lens of an ardent nonbeliever. If you've ever wondered exactly what a miracle is, or doubted whether they exist, then this book is for you.