An Essay on Faith Healing

Abstract

Victor J. Weyland’s essay, An Essay on Faith Healing (1969), addresses the confusion surrounding modern “faith healing” practices and evaluates them in light of Scripture. Weyland distinguishes between miraculous healings performed by Christ and His apostles, divine healings granted in answer to prayer, and psychosomatic or suggestive cures often claimed by contemporary healers. He emphasizes that true gifts of healing served to confirm God’s Word and were accompanied by other apostolic signs, which are absent today. Modern faith healers, Weyland argues, distort biblical teaching by linking physical health to saving faith and denying God’s purpose in permitting sickness for discipline or spiritual growth. He critiques their reliance on emotional manipulation, psychological suggestion, and deceptive practices, noting the lack of verifiable miracles and the danger of despair their theology fosters. Weyland concludes that such movements are contrary to Scripture and serve as a satanic distraction from God’s revealed plan of salvation, urging Christians to reject these false doctrines and trust God’s grace in sickness and health. Abstract prepared by Microsoft Copilot (GPT‑4).