burden of guilt of man's sin,
and a
victory wrought for us upon the
Cross.
Nevertheless, it is clearly true that
the recognition of the nearness of
our friends who have died, and of
their progress in the spiritual life
and of their continuing concern for
us, cannot do otherwise, for those
who have experienced it, than add a
new immediacy and richness to their
belief in the Communion of Saints.
There seems to be no reason at all
why the Church should regard this
vital and personal enrichment of one
of her central doctrines with dis-
favour, so long as it does not dis-
tract Christians from their funda-
mental gladness that they may come,
when they will, into the presence of
their Lord and Master, Jesus Christ
Himself, or weaken their sense that
their fellowship is fellowship in Him
It is claimed by Spiritualists that
the character of many events in the
Christian revelation, as recorded in of
the Gospels, is precisely that of
psychic phenomena, and that the
evidence for the paranormal occur-
rences which Spiritualism has ad-
duced strongly confirms the histor-
icity of the Gospel records, in the
sense that they also are records of
paranorma1 occurrences, including
instances for example, of clairvoy-
ance (in the story of Nathaniel)
of materialisation (in the feeding of
the five thousand, and above all in
the narrative of the Resurrection
appearances). |
The miracles of healing are ac-
claimed as closely parallel to the
healings performed through mediums.
It is strongly urged that if we do not
accept the evidence for modern
psychical happenings, we should not
apart from long tradition, accept the
Gospel records either.
It is certainly true that there are
quite clear parallels between the
miraculous events recorded in the
Gospel and modern phenomena
attested by Spiritualists. And if we
assert that the latter must be doubted
because they have not yet proved
capable of scientific statement and
verification, we must add that the
miracles, and the Resurrection itself,
are not capable of such verification
either.
We must therefore ask what the
proper Christian grounds of belief
in these central truths of Christian-
ity are.
The answer to this question is
clearly that we believe upon a basis
of faith, and not of demonstrable
scientific knowledge.
Our grounds for this faith are to
be found either in a direct mystical
assurance that Jesus of Nazareth as
we have received Him, is indeed
God's word to us, or, more broadly
in the apprehension of ethical and
spiritual values.
We do not accept the Gospels
because they record wonders, but
because they ring true to the deepest
powers of spiritual apprehension
which we possess. |