I’m resurrecting this thread because I recently discovered my Fundamentalist/Evangelical in-laws reading a book by MacNutt.
I’ve read the CHM website (
christianhealingmin.org/index.htm), and while it specifically states that MacNutt is a former Catholic priest, it says nothing else about the Catholic Church or any Protestant denomination except the Episcopal Bishop of Florida. However, the website states that it is an “ecumenical” organization that is not financially supported by the Episcopal Church.
The
website states that:
I find this statement to be horribly ambiguous. What is meant by “church”? What is meant by “God’s message of Healing”?
Is this “church” the “Body of Christ” that has Christ as its head? If so, how exactly does Christ ignore any integral part of His own Gospel? It would appear that there is a faulty ecclesiology at work here. I wonder if this is the typical “ecumenical movement” error of confusing the Church with the heresy of pan-Christianity.
Is “God’s message of Healing” confined only to healing physical or mental ailments, or does it include the more important healing of spiritual healing (after all, our spiritual health determines how we are to spend eternity). If “God’s message of Healing” includes spiritual health, I fail to see how the Church has ignored this message. The Church has constantly held the sacraments (specifically of Penance and Reconciliation, the Eucharist, and Anointing of the Sick) in high regard and as essential elements for one’s health and wellbeing (spiritual and physical). I wonder if this is the common error found in
some charismatic groups that the most important healing is that found at the hands of charismatics (not the healing found through the sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ).
I would really like some answers to these questions by someone who knows more about MacNutt and CHM. After reading the group’s website, I’m simply not convinced that this man nor his organization are in line with the teachings of the Catholic Church. The website certainly does not say as much, and it appears that this reticence for some reason is intentional.
