Counterfeit Miracles

It is more than a hundred years since B. B. Warfield first delivered the lectures that would be published as Counterfeit Miracles . It is more than fifty years since the Banner of Truth first republished the book. Yet the issues that Professor Warfield addresses continue to trouble the church, in the same and different forms.

Today, the so-called ‘Charismatic movement’ is a broad entity, comprising both those who would hold firmly to otherwise orthodox interpretations of Scripture, and those whose teachings range far into the territory of heterodoxy. Sadly, the performance of ‘miracles’ by wealthy celebrity ‘televangelists’ emanating especially from North America and Sub-Saharan Africa continues to draw many people away from the simple truths of the gospel.

Warfield’s study continues to be an important contribution in this field, in which he addresses the cessation of the charismata; patristic and medieval ‘marvels’; Roman Catholic ‘miracles’; the influence of Edward Irving in promoting the continuance of the charismata; faith-healing; and mind cure.

The contemporary manifestation of the various charismatic movements may appear different to what has gone before, but at their heart, the same false assumptions will be found. Warfield does much, in a clear and intelligent manner, to allay these misunderstandings.