Book Synopsis:
From the well-renowned, bestselling series exploring the life of Jesus and what it means to be a Christian, The Case for Miracles Student Edition tackles tough questions about God, Jesus, and miracles, offering historical evidence that miracles are possible. With content tied to his adult title, The Case for Miracles, this book is also ideal for students who want to learn how to share their faith and knowledge about God with others. Mixing light-hearted prose and a conversational style with facts, research, and true stories, The Case for Miracles Student Edition brings the miracles and ministry of Jesus to life.
My Review:
3.75/5 stars. I absolutely believe in miracles, and I believe that they still happen today, but I'll admit that I'm a bit more skeptical when it comes to this topic. I liked this book, and it made me think more about miracles, but there was a kind of ableist tone throughout that I took issue with. It's my least favorite of the "the case for..." books I've read so far.
The first part that rubbed me the wrong way was when it talked about a trial/experiment to test the power of prayer to heal people in Mozambique. Prayer is powerful, I'm not denying that, but the people they prayed over in these tests were blind and deaf. It was talked about as if having a disability is a terrible disease that needs a cure. A couple phrases from the book that stood out in a negative way were: "diagnosed with deafness" and "healed of blindness." Yes, there are legit medical conditions and diseases that need healing and curing, but being blind or deaf without any illness is not one of those things.
As someone who is visually impaired, I had a very personal reaction to the way disability was treated. I know that I wouldn't want a cure for my blindness. It's a big part of who I am and I've had a lot of great experiences and met a lot of amazing people because of it. I don't want people to pray for healing for me; that's condescending.
Moving on to the positives, I liked the discussion of the miracle of creation and the fine-tuning of the universe. That is a big argument for God, because that perfection could only be created by an intelligent designer. I also liked that it briefly mentioned having a balance with how you treat miracles, because I agree. They still happen today, but they aren't an everyday occurrence than humans can do.
The last chapter before the conclusion gave an answer to a big question/argument people have against miracles, and God's existence in general. They ask, "why hasn't God healed me or someone close to me?" and think God must either not exist or be cruel. A good answer, which this chapter talks about, is that God does everything for a reason. We don't always understand it, but we know that it will work out for good in the end.
Overall, this book made me think and definitely changed my attitude toward miracles a little bit. It brought up a lot of good points and had great stories/examples, but the aforementioned issue was a big negative for me.
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