If you missed my interview on Listen UP TV click on following link, then click on the October 1, 2006 air date of “Sick & Tired.”

My 6 minute interview is about three quarters of the way through the program.

www.listenuptv.com

For your reading convenience I’ve place a condensed version of the Q & A session, as printed on the Listen Up TV website, below.

Q & A WITH DR. BRAD BURKE

“Does God still do miracles of physical healing?”

“Yes, like most Christian medical doctors I believe God is still performing miracles of physical healing today – healings that cannot be explained by natural forces. But are these miracles common in our day and age? Does God promise to heal us of our cancer, our diabetes, and our debilitating spinal cord injuries every time if we just have enough faith? The answer is no. Genuine miracles, like the spectacular miracles Christ and the apostles performed 2000 years ago are very rare today.”

“Some Christians believe they are living in “perfect health” because they have so much faith. From a medical doctor’s perspective, though, there is no such thing as “perfect health.” We all get sick, age, and die physically because of the curses God pronounced on mankind in the Garden of Eden. Every cell in our body is pre-programmed for death. Some experts in aging believe that the destructive aging process starts as early as in the womb. All this fits perfectly with what the apostle Paul says in 2 Cor. 4:16, “Outwardly we are wasting away… “ and Romans 8:22, “the whole creation has been groaning.” It is because of these curses, a revelation of God’s justice that we age, suffer, and die. A person once said, “Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.” It is so true.”

To see the plethora of investigative research carried out on some of the greatest modern day faith healers, I would recommend reading my book, Does God Still Do Miracles? in particular chapter 2: Faith Healers: God’s Servants or God’s Embarrassments?

Can you help us with our understanding of the “No miracle” cures? Are there cures that aren’t really miracles?

Fortunately for us, most of our aliments and symptoms are cyclical or self-limiting and disappear on their own. God has ingeniously hard-wired our bodies to heal themselves. Could this be one reason why tens of thousands of people every year claim to be healed at healing services all over the world? Or are these healings really genuine miracles—healings that cannot be explained by natural forces? These are just some of the tough questions I set out to answer in my book.

For answers see pages 55-98, Does God Still Do Miracles?

What about People who think they are better but are still sick?

An emergency room doctor once shared with me two stories. He was working one night in the ER and a girl came in with seizures. He asked the mother why she had stopped giving her daughter the seizure medications. The mother replied, “She has been healed of seizures, these are convulsions.” The mother earnestly believed that God had miraculously healed her daughter of seizures so the medications were no longer needed.

Another case involved a woman with rectal cancer. Just after it bled the first time God supposedly healed her of her bleeding. And she let things go. The next time it bled, the cancer was metastatic, having spread to other parts of her body.

Just because the symptoms disappear or seem to change does not necessarily mean that God has cured the underlying illness or disease. As a medical doctor I know that just because someone can stand up out of a wheelchair and perform deep knee bends or say he or she is pain-free does not necessarily mean the disease is gone. Numerous reports tell of people who stopped taking their medications or stopped seeing their doctors because they were pronounced healed in faith healing services. Tragically, as seen above, the results are sometimes fatal but rarely does the public see this side of the story.

Or no cure at all?

My grandmother who I was very close to believed that God promised her perfect health if she had enough faith. When she was seventy-two years old, though I watched her battle breast cancer. One day she confided to my mother, “When I finally beat this cancer I’m going to write an article to Reader’s Digest and tell everyone what my Jesus did for me!” She never got a chance to write that article. My grandmother had more faith in God’s power to heal than anyone I know—yet she still succumbed to the cancer. Even though she didn’t say very much at the time, I knew that her belief in “God’s absolute promise to heal” was tearing her apart on the inside as her physical body wasted away on the outside. If someone believes that all sickness and suffering is caused from a lack of faith, then that person will never understand God on the issue of suffering. And he or she will likely find themselves at some point in life deeply depressed, bitter, and distraught as they come face to face with relentless suffering and death.

What is the balance between prayer and modern medicine?

It’s a balance between trusting God that his sovereign will is perfect, and using the wisdom he has given us to make wise choices. When our car breaks down we usually seek out the help of a mechanic. When our house needs a new roof we seek out a contractor. So when our body breaks down, and we’re suffering from unrelenting disease, it only makes sense that we seek out the professionals most knowledgeable and skilled in treating our physical sickness. Showing up at a doctor’s office is not an embarrassment to our faith; it’s affirmation of our God-given wisdom.

Unexpected healings are always wonderful, whether they can be explained by natural forces or only by a miracle from the hand of God. God may not grant us an instant miracle on the spot. But that doesn’t mean our heavenly Father isn’t right beside us, holding our hands, hugging us close to his chest, crying with us, grieving with us, every step of the way. If someone is sick I would encourage that person to pray for healing while seeking out competent medical help. But I would also encourage him or her to rest contentedly in God’s grace, goodness, and perfect sovereign will, confidently trusting him to do what is best.

What is your book “Does God Still Do Miracles” about?

“Does God still do Miracles” takes seriously Paul’s mandate to “examine everything carefully.” Some of the most fascinating and up-to-date medical and investigative research is examined in an attempt to uncover the truth about what is going on in faith healing services and healing shrines around the world. A new generation of believers wants answers—no matter how controversial the truth may be.

What is the greatest miracle in our time?

The spiritual transformation of a soul from death to life is truly the greatest miracle of all. Only by understanding this can we fully appreciate God’s personal and intimate working in our lives.

An MD Examines: Does God Still Do Miracles?
by Dr. Brad Burke