Miracles Today

by Craig S. Keener

Do miracles still happen today? This book demonstrates that miraculous works of God, which have been part of the experience of the church around the world since Christianity began, continue into the present. Leading New Testament scholar Craig Keener addresses common questions about miracles and provides compelling reasons to believe in them today, including many accounts that offer evidence of verifiable miracles.

This book gives an accessible and concise overview of one of Keener's most significant research topics. His earlier two-volume work on miracles stands as the definitive word on the topic, but its size and scope are daunting to many readers. This new book summarizes Keener's basic argument but contains substantial new material, including new accounts of the miraculous. It is suitable as a textbook but also accessible to church leaders and laypeople.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction, Church History, Audiobook, Religion

304 pages, Paperback

Published October 19, 2021

About the author

Craig S. Keener (PhD, Duke University) is professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author of many books, including Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts, the bestseller The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, The Historical Jesus of the Gospels, Gift and Giver, and commentaries on Matthew, John, Romans, 1–2 Corinthians, and Revelation.

Reviews

[George P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one denies that the Bible contains accounts of miracles. Furthermore, no one denies that people claim to experience or witness miracles even today. The question is whether putative miracles are supernatural works of God or merely anomalies that await a natural explanation.

In 2011, New Testament scholar Craig S. Keener published Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts. He offered a robust scholarly defense of two claims: (1) “eyewitnesses do offer miracle claims” and (2) “supernatural explanations … should be welcome on the scholarly table along with other explanations often discussed.” Unfortunately, the book’s size (1,200+ pages) and cost ($75) put it out of the reach of non-academic readers.

With Miracles Today, Keener offers an apologetic for miracles that is accessible to a larger audience in terms of both size (300 pages) and cost ($24.99). It is not an abridgment of the two-volume work, however. Rather, it is an original work with new accounts of contemporary miracles not included in the academic study.

Keener organizes his material in seven parts. Parts 1 and 7 deal with philosophical and theological issues. Parts 2–6 offer scores of documented, contemporary, eyewitness accounts of healings, resurrections, and nature miracles from around the world. The healing miracles include cures of multiple sclerosis, cancer, blindness, disability, and skin diseases.

Keener scrupulously footnotes his sources, some of whom are known to him personally. Wherever possible, he includes the testimony of doctors and notes whether the miracle was instantaneous or took time, whether it was total or partial, and whether the patient remained symptom free over a long period of time.

One of the most striking accounts is the healing of Barbara Commiskey Snyder, who from ages 15 to 31 suffered from multiple sclerosis. Prior to her healing, she had been confined to her bed for four years, unable to care for herself at all. Then, on June 7, 1981 — Pentecost Sunday — Snyder heard an audible voice say, “My child: Get up and walk.” And she did. Her doctor documented her case, and Keener interviewed her in 2015 — still free of MS 34 years later!

Keener does not deny that some apparent miracles have natural explanations, such as psychosomatic cures, spontaneous remission of cancers, and the like. (Nor does he deny that even miracle-believers face difficult questions, such as why God doesn’t heal in some cases.) However, accounts like Snyder’s — and many others in the book — strain the credibility of natural explanations for all of them. Whether people accept or reject miracle claims, then, depends on the background assumptions they bring to these accounts.

Those with an open mind just might find Keener’s apologetic persuasive.

Book Reviewed
Craig S. Keener, Miracles Today: The Supernatural Work of God in the Modern World (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2021).

P.S. If you liked my review, please click “Helpful” on my Amazon review page.

P.P.S. I wrote this review for the fall 2021 issue of Influence magazine. It is posted here by permission.

[Walter Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what it says it is. Keener is a New Testament scholar who has a primary research interest in miracles. He has a much larger, two volume set of documented miracle cases across the world that is intended more for an academic audience. This book is something of a more popular level version of that set, except there isn't a lot of overlap between the miracle accounts in the larger work and this one. Instead, Keener discusses scores, or perhaps even a few hundred, more miracle accounts throughout history (mostly focusing on the 20th century to today), in direct dialogue (and refutation) of David Hume's argument against miracles (specifically his circular argument that miracles don't happen because every modern thinker knows they don't happen). Keener focuses on well documented cases and sets a high bar to screen out possible fakes.

I really appreciate the documentation and presentation of the miracle accounts in this book. These accounts present a difficult problem for those who do not believe that miracles are possible today (whether for atheistic or religious reasons). Sure, you can dismiss almost any miracle case a fake, psychosomatic, or as an anomaly, but after a while there is a true cost for continued dismissal. I'll admit that I am quite skeptical when it comes to miracle claims, but I will not put God in a box. I think this book presents a compelling case that God still works in the world today.

I really appreciate the levelheadedness of Keener throughout the book. He notes that not all miracle claims should be taken seriously, that miracles don't always happen, and that there is no specific formula that always results in a miracle (as if we could control or strongarm God). He also shows that miracle claims don't always just happen among charismatic groups. He presents miracle accounts from groups that he disagrees with theologically. If anything, he biases the sample towards miracle claims from those in groups not known for stressing miracles or groups that dismiss them all together. God does not always act in the same way, under the same conditions, or only with a specific type of Christians. This is similar to the miracle accounts we find in scripture.

If you want to hear the case for miracles from eye witness testimony and documented accounts, this is the book for you.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Craig Keener (PhD, Duke) provides a succinct and overwhelming case for the relevance of miracles today. I am not Pentecostal like Keener, but his reasoning, evidence, and theology of miracles is unparalleled. He engages philosophy, Scripture, and modern events with the careful eye of a researcher and makes a conclusive case that God still performs miracles today. He is also an engaging storyteller when it comes to presenting the many miracle accounts he has compiled.
While I may not agree with all of the miracle accounts, methods, or ministries in which these occur (Keener doesnt either), the book as a whole is a valuable read to anyone uncertain about the topic. His last ~20% of the book dug into the Scriptural basis for miracles, a subject he engages with much skill and wisdom. He also dispels many common myths and bad theology of miracles in this latter portion, so if you as a reader don't want to engage each miracle account in the bulk of the book, the final chapters are well worth the read.

Note: This book is an abridged version of Keener's 1,100 page authoritative work on miracles which I have not had the opportunity to read.

[Nelson Banuchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent testimonies of miraculous healings in modern times with sources and documentations cited in the "Notes" section. Keener provides a balanced look at the issue of the miraculous which should encourage believers to God's tangible revelation of Himself in Christ in the world today and challenge the atheist's worldview on the basis of science, as this book provides evidence of the behavior of the physical and natural world through observation, experimentation, and testing as being affected by the reality of God.

What is no less important is that Keener provides and appendix discussing (A) Did Prayer Make things Worse?, (B) Some of Hume's Arguments (Hume denies the miraculous), and (C) False Signs.

Also, Kenner cites where sources and documentations may be obtained (if available) in the "Notes" section at end.

This book is a companion for the layman to his two-volume scholarly work, "Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts," from which Keener takes some of the accounts from. However, most of the material is new and not included in the two-volume work.

[Zak Schmoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will start this review by sharing my personal persuasions. I believe that miracles can happen and do happen. I believe that God can and does heal people. I believe that there are things that happen, and we simply cannot find a naturalistic explanation for them.

Despite all of these intellectual affirmations, if I am being truly honest with all of you, I am not always looking for miracles. This book is quite eye-opening as Keener documents numerous examples of miraculous events from all over the world. This popular level approach to miracles should, at a minimum, cause you to consider, if you are a pure naturalist, what to make of events that seem to defy explanation and cause you to think about whether or not divine intervention is a better explanation for highly unlikely or impossible phenomena than the alternatives.

As someone who likes to think and write about disability, perhaps this is an angle I will have to approach and engage with in my future writing.

[Jared Pritchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who don't believe there is evidence of miracles occurring in the modern era, or who are looking for some further encouragement that they do happen. The book chronicles over a hundred medical events which are very hard to explain without some form of supernatural intervention. There are many very strong cases in this book, and many, many others that all together give the evidence needed for a person to reasonably conclude that miracles are possible.

[Ken Reese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Framed how much I was influenced by empiricism.

[Beth Tolley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

I did enjoy the book, and the many, many accounts of modern miracles. I was hoping for more commentary and story elements but this definitely read as a research book. That aspect made it difficult to fully appreciate the amazing accounts.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides a condensed, updated, less daunting, and more accessible version of his 2011 book (which has over 1,000 pages), Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts. It covers a wide variety of miracles from all over the world, and the in-depth bibliography in the back assures me that the author really did his research. However, it leaves out a lot of Catholic miracles (e.g., Fatima, Eucharistic miracles, etc.).
.....................

HOW MUCH EVIDENCE DO YOU NEED TO BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?

Some people (especially atheists or believers of a different religion) see miracles as invitations to learn more about God (as they challenge their current beliefs). For example, the author (Craig Keener) used to be atheist but had an open mind and a desire to know the truth, so he is now Protestant. Other people (especially people who are already Christian) tend to more readily accept miracles as extra reasons to be grateful to God. Other people (like David Hume) are so adamantly against miracles that when they hear about a miracle, they keep raising the bar about what they require before accepting it as a miracle.

Why is this last category against miracles?
-They limit their beliefs to their own limited realities/ experiences. “Hume and his critics used an imaginary case to argue back and forth about whether it is rational to consider testimony for miracles. In this imaginary story, Dutch visitors told a South Asian ruler that in their own country people could ride horses on rivers frozen as hard as stone. The ruler concluded that these visitors must be liars, since their report contradicted reality. Hume argues that the ruler was correct to disbelieve them, given his local reality. Hume’s critics argued that the ruler was wrong because he limited reality to his own experience and so denied the eyewitness experience of others. We cannot always extrapolate from the settings with which we are most familiar to all settings universally” (29).

-They immediately dismiss cases where the witness is “uneducated”. “Hume dismissed some healing reports by stereotyping the reporters as ignorant and uneducated. Aside from the fact that it does not take any specialized education to notice that one is no longer blind or deaf or that water now looks, smells, and tastes like wine, the prejudice is unfair. While education can make us less gullible, some kinds of education can also make us more skeptical than we need to be about particular topics. // Moreover, there are, in fact, plenty of educated eyewitnesses of miracles. This is why I have sometimes mentioned witness; doctoral degrees in the book. Degrees do not by themselves make witnesses more reliable, but they do challenge the prejudice that education persons do not witness events they experience as divine” (29).

​-They immediately dismiss cases where they weren’t there to have seen the miracle happen with their own eyes (like Doubting Thomas, even though witness accounts are valid in other cases, like legal investigations). “Although we always need to evaluate witnesses’ reliability, eyewitness testimony is accepted as a form of evidence in law, journalism, sociology, anthropology, and (in my line of work) historiography. When eyewitnesses are otherwise credible people with something to lose, we normally value their testimony over the skepticism of nonwitnesses. // For example, imagine that, as an officer is interviewing witnesses to an accident, a passerby interrupts: ‘That’s not what happened!’ The officer may invite the passerby to give an account of what he witnessed. What would you think of this passerby’s approach if he responded, ‘I didn’t witness anything happen. I wasn’t there. That’s why I know it didn’t happen!’ We probably wouldn’t be inclined to take his opinion very seriously. Nor would we take it more seriously if even a hundred nonwitnesses offered the argument that, because they were not present, an event did not happen. // Why should it be any different in the case of miracles? One does not even have to start with the premise that God exists to accept evidence for miracles; one simply has to be open-minded about the possibility. And if evidence supports the authenticity of some miracles, then there is reason to be open to the possibility of other ones. Those who dismiss all claims for miracles have often never even looked at evidence for any of them” (27).

​SOME MODERN MIRACLES HAVE BEEN CAUGHT ON TAPE!

We need to be weary of some filmed miracles (because with enough effort and resources, the videos can be faked). However, one case that seems legit is the filming of Delia Knox’s first steps in 22 years! Delia was in a car accident that left her paralyzed from the waist-down. She’d been to various healing services, but she’d begun to lose hope since well-intentioned pastor after pastor prayed for her and confidently tried to lift her from her wheelchair (similar to what was done in the first Barbara case in the prologue) to no avail. Eventually, at one of these healing services, Delia finally started to feel sensation in her legs again! Some critics claim that because Delia was being assisted with her first steps (and didn’t have her atrophied muscles instantly healed, like the second Barbara in the prologue, Barbara Cummiskey), then is the healing dramatic enough to be a miracle? Other critics claim that the healing was so dramatic that Delia must have been faking her paralysis for 22 years so that she could later claim a miracle. But who would want to give up walking for that long just to make a point? And it would be hard to fake the emotion that was on her face while she was humbly taking her first steps. “How can one explain the disappearance of paralysis after twenty-two years? Since Knox was now obviously able to walk, some internet critics insisted that she had simply faked paralysis for twenty-two years so that she could claim healing now. They were actually suggesting that someone would endure more than two decades of not walking in public just to claim a miracle later! This sort of skeptical speculation convinced me of only one thing: that some hard skeptics will go to any lengths to avoid believing. Some who demand evidence are really not open-minded enough to accept any. Before my own conversion, I was an atheist, but I valued truth enough to want to follow where the evidence led. Fake miracles exist, but this one cannot qualify as such” (52).

​SOME MODERN MIRACLES HAVE BEEN REENACTED IN MOVIES!

For example, the case of American teenager John Smith coming back to life (with limited brain damage) after drowning has been re-enacted in the 2019 movie “Breakthrough” (pg. 152). However, there are many more miracles out there than those that have been chosen to have movies based on…

ARE SOME MIRACLES DUE TO THE PLACEBO EFFECT?

While the placebo effect may explain some events, many of the miracles mentioned in this book are too drastic to have been the result of an attitude change. “The change was too sudden and dramatic to be attributed to the placebo effect” (214). Plus, in the case of Delia Knox, she had already given up hope on healing services (after being plopped and flopped from her wheelchair too many times from pastors trying to raise her to her feet). So if the placebo effect would have worked on her, then it wouldn’t be likely to have happened 22 years after her accident.

​WHY DO SOME PEOPLE GET HEALED, BUT NOT OTHERS?

(Pg. 68): God healed Wayne’s brother (Dallas Pullum, who was declared brain dead after getting into an accident on his 4-wheeler) right before he was pulled off life support. Wayne prayed a lot and had convinced his mom to extend Dallas’ life support for one more day (on the agreement that Wayne would come home and get some rest and have Ronald drive him back to the hospital if he really wanted to say bye to Dallas one more time). But by a miracle, when Wayne returned to the hospital, Dallas began showing signs of recovery (since he was squeezing others’ hands not once but multiple times), and within a year regained all physical ability and graduated high school with honors! However, years later, Wayne lost Ronald. Why did God save Dallas but not Ronald? “The child for whom Leo Bawa prayed for a few hours was raised (see chap. 30), Yet when Leo prayed for his own best friend, the friend was not raised. // Danny McCain, who testified to the healing of his toddler brother’s burned skin (see chap. 22), also recounted to me that Danny’s first son, Nathaniel, contracted spinal meningitis at the age of four months. Many people prayed for Nathaniel, but five days later the child died. Why did God heal one child dramatically and let the other die? Quoting Job, Danny responds, ‘The Lord gives and the Lord takes; blessed be the name of the Lord’” (220).

IS FAITH REQUIRED TO EXPERIENCE A MIRACLE?

(Pg. 32, 209): The author mentions many cases (both in modern times and in the Bible) where people were healed when they were desperate but didn’t necessarily have any faith in God/ Jesus. “God was reaching out in a special way to these precious and desperate people who had never before known about Christ’s love for them” (33). ​“I do believe in a God who hears the desperate cries of his children, whether these cries are directly or implicitly addressed to him… If God answered only prayers that were theologically precise, probably few people of any theological persuasion would be healed” (55).

DOES PRAYER ACTUALLY CHANGE GOD’S MIND?

-(Pg. 68): Wayne believes that God sometimes changes outcomes due to prayer. But does prayer ever change God’s mind, or does prayer just change us/ make us more aware of our reliance on him?
-(Pg 173-174): The author states some statistics of how cases where people prayed resulted in a higher likelihood of healing, but is this accurate?


WHY DOES GOD ALLOW SOME PEOPLE TO SUFFER FOR SO LONG BEFORE FINALLY CURING THEM?

-(Pg 117) Brian LaPooh took his first steps without leg braces for ten and a half years (due to a spinal cord injury). But afterwards he was processing why the accident had to happen in the first place? And why did God let him suffer for so long before healing him?
-(Pg 147) Sifra Ndawu was resurrected after being killed by cancer. But after the cancer was gone, she was processing why God let her suffer (and why God let her parents grieve) for so long before raising her/ healing her?

MIRACLES ARE INEVITABLY TEMPORARY.

When miracles do happen, they inevitably don’t cure us of all our worries. For example, C.S. Lewis married Joy Davidman in 1956 so that she could legally stay in England, but they were denied a church marriage since she was divorced. In 1957, Joy collapsed and her body was found to be full of cancer (and she was expected to only have weeks to live). Anglican priest Peter Bide prayed for her and performed a Christian marriage ceremony, after which Davidman miraculously recovered. Joy and Lewis enjoyed three years of marriage together before cancer returned and she died. “One of the downsides of living is that we eventually die — though any life at all is ultimately a gift. No healing in this life is permanent, if only because this life is not permanent… Our fullest physical hope is ultimately the resurrection of our bodies when our risen Lord returns. Present healing is just a foretaste of that future promise” (212). “Marital bliss, like any other blessing, is temporary; yet it is still a gift to be enjoyed while one has it. In retrospect, Davidsman’s remission was a gift to both of them; but it was at best only a shadow and reminder of the perfect healing that awaits” (213).

​DO WE EVER TRY TO TEST GOD TO PERSONALLY PROVE HIS EXISTENCE/ POWER TO US?

It is entirely up to God (not us) when He chooses to produce a miracle. “Sometimes we want to see miracles to prove that God (or we) can do what is supernatural versus what is merely ‘natural.’ Although Jesus used his authority to heal people in need, he kept his identity secret from the public for as long as possible. Jesus refused when the devil, even quoting Scripture (Ps. 91:11-12), wanted Jesus to show off his power by jumping off the pinnacle of the temple (att. 4:5-7//Luke 4:9-12). Ignoring works that God has already done, then asking God to prove himself just to get what we want, is faithlessly testing him (Ps. 78:18-20; John 6:26, 30-31). …Both in Scripture and in accounts of genuine miracles today, God often likes to surprise us. The fact that Psalm 91:11-12 speaks of God’s protection does npt mean we should jump off the high point of the temple” (200). “He does not jump through our hoops or submit to our tests for him, but he remains available to those who, drawn by the signs that he does offer, will dig deeper and learn more” (233).

SHOULD WE RELY ON MIRACLES?

We need to take action when we can. Miracles are intended to be a last resort when no others means are necessary, and even then it is up to God. “God usually performs dramatic signs either when people desperately need them or when he is getting people’s attention for the good news of Christ’s love in a special way” (201). “The Vatican rejects healing claims from those who shun medical help ‘to rely solely on faith.’ Most Protestants likewise respect empirical medicine. Everett Cook, a Pentacostal church planter who mentored me early in my ministry, told me many stories about how God answered prayers for his family over the decades. But once he also told me about his recent encounter with a Christian who had a growth on his nose. // ‘You’d better see a doctor,’ Everett warned. // ‘I’m healed!’ the man insisted, apparently believing that if he insisted on it enough, God would make it happen. // The next time Everett saw him, the growth was larger. ‘You really ought to see a doctor,’ Everett suggested. // ‘No, I’m healed, bless God!’ the man insisted. // The third time Everett saw him, the growth was quite large. This time the man admitted, ‘Maybe I should go see a doctor.’ // Everett’s point in recounting this story to me was that God heals, but he also expects us to use common sense. ‘God provided me a job and health insurance so I can go to the doctor,’ he explained. ‘That’s no less God’s blessing than direct healing is’” (201). “Miracles do not, and are not intended to, resolve every problem in this world. Miracles are foretastes of a better future, and they show us what God cares about. Jesus miraculously healed the sick, delivered those afflicted by spirits, fed the hungry, and protected his followers from lethal storms. God cares about people’s health, hunger, and safety. This means that when God is not doing a miracle, those who care about what God cares about should use whatever natural means at our disposal to meet the same kinds of needs” (202).

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE ANSWER IS “NO”?

Faith is recognizing that Jesus is trustworthy no matter if He answers our prayers or not. “Jesus said that even a mustard seed — the tiniest amount — of faith can move mountains (Mark 11:23) … Trusting God is not so much a leap in the dark. It is a step into the light” (210). “In Scripture, faith sometimes expresses itself in desperate acts — acts driven by Jesus being our only hope. The Bible recounts that the woman with the flow of blood forced herself through the crowd to touch Jesus. It was against the rules for someone in her condition to touch people, but she was desperate; only Jesus could help her (Mark 5:27-29). // Others were desperate enough to tear up a neighbor’s roof to get their friend to Jesus; Jesus calls their determination faith (Mark 2:5, though presumably they were expected to help fix the roof afterward). The Syrophoenician woman would not give up petitioning until Jesus granted her petition (Mark 7:26-30); Jesus refers to her persistence and self-humbling as faith (Matt. 15:28). Jesus lets her overcome his objection and make her case, as God welcomed Abraham, Moses, and a bold widow to persist in intercession (Gen. 18:23 – 32; Exod. 32:11-14; 34:9; Luke 18:1-8). Sometimes the answer ‘no’ is an invitation to persevere, to show faith, until the answer becomes ‘yes.’ Standing firm in stubborn faith, continuing to call on Jesus’s name rather than simply giving up without a fight, is biblical. // But what happens when the answer is no — period? That was the Father’s answer to his own son in Gethsemane. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, ‘You will be done,’ thinking of God’s kingdom values that include healing and restoration (Matt. 6:10). But when Jesus prayed, ‘Your will be done,’ the Father’s will for him was the cross (Matt. 26:42), needed for the greater good. The world’s condition of rebellion against our creator was too serious for anything less to remedy it. Even in that case however, God’s ultimate answer was a yes (Heb. 5:7-9) — in the resurrection. No matter what we may suffer in the present, the assured past event of Jesus’s resurrection is the promise of eternal life with him when God also transforms our bodies someday. We celebrate God’s power over sickness and spirits, but the greatest cause for celebration is eternal life with Jesus (Luke 10:20)” (209). “Faith means that God is still trustworthy whether or not a specific miracle we pray for happens” (211). “The cross ultimately shows us that, no matter how deep the darkness, the injustice, the agony — when God seems silent in the face of our pain — God is at work even there — indeed, especially there. Because an empty tomb declares that the cross is not the final word” (228).

GOD ALREADY WON THE WAR FOR US, BUT WE STILL NEED TO BE STRONG DURING SOME BATTLES.

Even though the war could already be basically won (i.e., from Jesus’ resurrection), there might still be some battles that we have to face (regardless if we have extra help through miracles) until victory is officially declared (i.e., until we make it to Heaven). “Once the Normandy invasion succeeded (D-Day), the outcome of the war was clear; the Nazi regime’s defeat was just a matter of time. But battles continued and soldiers kept dying until the final collapse of the Nazi regime (V-E Day). We, too, live between the times of the spiritual D-Day and the final V-E Day, continuing the war but now with full knowledge of the outcome” (226).

[Chris Sobbing · Rating 5 out of 5]

More of a follow-up to the two volume epic, but able to inspire of its own accord. Well researched, and Dr. Keener's voice is always a delight.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure whether or not I was explicitly raised a cessationist (someone who believes that the miracles in the New Testament happened but were a limited-time-only deal), but I know that by the time I reached adulthood, I functionally held that view. I've never personally seen a miracle in the hard sense, so it seems like some argument is needed to reconcile the claims of the Bible with the seemingly un-miraculous day-to-day of life.

Enter Craig Keener. Craig Keener is no crank. He's not some slimy televangelist with a jet paid for by donations. He's not even one of those apologetics writers that treats pieces of circumstantial evidence as ironclad proof or tries unduly to tip the scales on apologetic arguments.

Here's what Keener is: He's a professor at Asbury Seminary and a well-respected New Testament scholar and commentary writer. His theology is orthodox is most senses, but he comes to positions in his scholarship that some would find liberal or leaning-atheist: he argues that, outside of Mark, the Gospels were written after 70 AD and thinks Mark is early because it shows Jesus and/or the writer did not know that the return of Christ and the fall of the temple would not happen together. He maintains that the long ending of Mark is not original to the book. He holds an egalitarian position towards women in the church.

All this to say that, while a lot of ink has been spilled within the church over evidence of miracles, it is rare to see a centrist or reputable Biblical scholar approach the question.

Miracles Today is actually Keener's second book on the topic. His first is a two volume scholarly affair that I own but have yet to read. This slimmer volume comes a decade later and is meant for a more popular audience. But the focus is different as well. In Miracles (the first work), Keener's broad thesis was that people claiming to have seen or experienced miracles were incredibly common, providing a practical rebuttal to Hume's argument against miracle. As I understand it, this work does delve into plenty of miracle accounts, but many?/most? come to the reader thirdhand, and there is less emphasis on whether the miracles in question actually happened.

Here in Miracles Today, Keener is making a stronger case that God does actually work miracles today. Some of the miracles, having happened decades or centuries ago, are recounted from other works. But a majority of them have been personally researched by Keener. If you follow the notes to the back of the book, you find that he has interviewed someone (or sometimes multiple, independent someones) about the details and veracity of the claim. Sometimes, depending on the part of the world, there is medical documentation available. Moreover, some of the claims come from people Keener knows well- even family members.

While the first few chapters are spent in introduction and a summary of the argument against Hume from the earlier work, the meat of the book is the miracles. Overall, there are somewhere between 100-200 accounts included, and plenty of them are both A) well documented/researched by Keener himself and B) sufficiently miraculous to leave anyone but the most skeptical scratching their heads in wonder. Some of the accounts may be bogus, but the possibility that all of them are seems well beyond probable. There are instant healings from burnings, tumors disappearing, raisings from the dead, multiplied food, and even a few cases of walking on water. Crazy stuff!

There are also a few chapters at the end that deal (quite ably) with difficult questions- most notably, why are only some people healed?

All of it is narrated in Keener's voice, which I've come to appreciate in his other work. He's often humble and self-effacing, and he writes with great clarity.

This book won't hit everyone in the same way. As Keener notes, for some skeptics, virtually no proof would be good enough. And some more charismatic Christians might yawn and say "Of course God works miracles- I don't need a book to prove it." But for someone like me, a functional cessationist with an openness towards a more charismatic position, this book is a revelation. I nibbled away at it slowly, not wanting it to end. The fact that God still intercedes physically (among other means) in lives around the world is an exciting thing that has changed my walk and bearing towards God.

[Philip Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I had been meaning get to his 2 volume work for years but have been unable to track it down. I'm even more excited to get to it after going through this one.

I'm stoked Keener wrote this book. In some ways this is a book I wish I'd had at the beginning of my Christian journey just to be able to think this through in a careful and measured way. I liked this book because Keener is reasonable and thoughtful throughout, recognizing that there is always going to be controversies and uncertainty around this topic. As such, we must approach the data with a humble mindset, knowing that there is no way to perfectly ensure that we don't treat some genuine miracles as nothing special, and some things that are nothing special as genuine miracles. Such is our fallibility, and we must try to avoid being overly suspicious and overly gullible. Genuinely curious people are going to have to sift through the fact that there are crazy people who are right into their miracles and as a result, jaded people who are still theists, but very non-expectant and cautious. Further, he's willing to face head on (as we all should) that miracles pop up in all sorts of contexts and groups that I'm uncomfortable with or strongly disagree with, and sometimes outside of the Christian faith altogether. Rather than packing his bags and going home, Keener deals with this, and is willing to live with the tension. Perhaps what God is up to in the world is more complicated than you think. Perhaps God has his people in that denomination that you have concerns about. Can we live with the fact that a certain group might have eccentric things going on but also that good things are genuinely happening? I also liked this book because he doesn't just document a bunch of miraculous events, but actually engages in the ideological/philosophical conversation around it as well: He interacts with Hume, seeks to lay out a theological framework, and responds to objections to supernaturalism (really well, I thought), by showing the circularity of naturalistic materialism and the limits of the scientific method. C.S. Lewis would have been proud. Related to this, I also liked that this book is modest enough in its claims that cessationism and continuationism are kind of a moot point for interacting with its position. For sure, there are things in there that cessationists will find weird (I think that would be true for most continuationists too, to be fair), but the book doesn't spend too much time advocating a particular theological framework and practical methodology here. Rather, Keener's point is simple: we live in a supernatural world in which many things occur that cannot be explained by natural causes. I also liked that Keener doesn't make the mistake of falling into an over realised eschatology, but unpacks some good already/not yet eschatology, showing that miracles are a "power of the age to come" and not the norm or even common in this stage of God's redemptive plan. Suffering and death still marks the present age and we should expect to see these alongside miraculous intervention. Why we get each specific measure of one with the other is often known only to God. Lastly, I really like this book because it's just handy to have a published work that compiles a lot of miraculous stories that reasonable people simply have to reckon with. We live in a strange world.

[Conrade Yap · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miracles have always stumped people, both believers, and unbelievers alike. Both theists and atheists have been at opposing ends of the spectrum. The former maintains reasonable faith that does not contradict science. The latter insists that faith and science are incompatible. Author and professor Craig Keener is familiar with such arguments. From his wide interactions with atheists and unbelievers who are skeptical of the Christian gospel and the reality of miracles, the root of the problem is not the miracles per se, but the underlying philosophies stubbornly maintained. Such a mindset often leaves no room for things that are out of the ordinary or unexplained by science. Keener helps us understand the scope of science and the place of philosophy. Both should not be mutually exclusive. Part One is a foundational section on how we can think about miracles and supernatural happenings around the world. Having personally seen and experienced the presence of miracles in his life, the author is particularly keen on debunking David Hume's absolute disqualification of miracles. After helping us think through the "God vs Nature" debates and the presence of "credible witnesses," Keener gives us copious examples of eyewitness testimonies and the frequency of miracles. While it is interesting that many of these witnesses happen to be among Pentecostal and charismatic circles, it is quite eye-opening to have medical professionals trained in their respective specializations admit to supernatural interventions. Many of these testimonies could be found in the author's earlier and larger volume called "Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts," published in 2011. In fact, that could arguably be Keener's magnum opus, going by the awards and recognition it has garnered so far. This book updates and supplements that compendium.

After addressing David Hume's key objections, Keener turns to the credibility of witnesses, that while some might prove too anecdotal for academic assurance, it is compelling that many of these witnesses had been trained professionals, educated academics, and top scientists. We read about testimonies regarding healing and unexplained supernatural incidents. We also read about the tests and verifications conducted to authenticate these events. One thing is clear. While we can quickly debunk some of them, it is yet another to try to dismiss all of them! After all, there are still many mysteries in this world that defy common understanding. The author also dives into New Testament accounts of miracles and draw some comparisons with modern-day occurrences. Couple with stories of people and nature miracles, we have in one volume a powerful set of stories to open our minds and hearts to the working of the supernatural in our natural world. Keener then concludes with some helpful ways to think about non-miracles, non-healing, and when God doesn't seem to answer our prayers.

My Thoughts
Let me offer three thoughts about this book. First, this book can be a unique resource for doing apologetics. Several decades ago, one of the most eloquent philosophers named CS Lewis wrote about miracles, having experienced how his sick wife incredibly recovered from illness and gave him three of his best years of togetherness with her. A crucial line of thought he gives us is this: "I use the word miracle to mean an interference with Nature by supernatural power." In doing so, Lewis helps us the place of both Naturalist and the Supernaturalist, that they do not necessarily contradict each other. In that sense, nature can be filled with miracles even when they defy science or rational thought. Just like Lewis, Craig Keener introduces himself as a former atheist who had become a man of faith. He realizes that many atheists often are as closed-minded as their accusations about people of faith being dogmatic in what they believe in. Like Lewis, Keener uses this book as a form of apologetics, first to defend the reality of miracles, and second, the reasonableness of faith.

Second, for believers who are skeptical or unable to make rational sense about miracles, this book gives a balanced approach on how or what to think about supernatural events. Written with academic credentials and honest wrestling with things both natural and supernatural, Kenner has given us a compelling book to help us approach miracles with a humble heart. We ought to be open about miracles happening not only in this world but also in our own personal lives as well. Be careful not to let our intellect and academic pursuits lead us down the spiral of unbelief and denial. If there is any reason to be optimistic about good things happening in life, this book supplies many instances.

Finally, books that affirm God's work in this world encourage us in ways that philosophy and the sciences cannot do. There is a place for scientific discoveries and also a space for contemplation of the divine. Science does not have all the answers to life simply because there are many things that exist within the domain of mysteries. Philosophies too can be fleeting. Just because we cannot explain something does not give us the right to dismiss the occurrence. Faith not only fills in the gap, but it can also give rise to hope. In this book, we have ample reasons to hope even in the midst of hopeless situations. Perhaps, for the stubborn naysayers, Matthew 13:58 gives us a gentle reminder, that Jesus "did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." Thus, believers should not be surprised with atheists and skeptics refuse to entertain any possibility of miracles or acts from a supernatural origin.

Craig S. Keener (PhD, Duke University) is F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and writes regularly at www.craigkeener.com. He served as the 2020 president of the Evangelical Theological Society and is the author of thirty books, including a four-volume commentary on Acts and commentaries on Matthew, John, Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, 1 Peter, and Revelation.

Rating: 4.75 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Academic and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

[Marcas · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, Craig Keener conveys some good critiques of Hume and often arbitrary social constructs that write off miracles by way of circular reasoning and unfalsifiable philosophical presuppositions. This is important groundwork. It is vital that we dispel the illusion of neutrality claimed by the 'sceptic'. You can see this in some of the reviews of Keener's book. By folks who are nowhere near sceptical enough of their own underlying assumptions and don't know how hermeneutics works.

For more on these prior hermeneutic and epistemological concerns, see Dr Wayne Cristaudo's critical history of modern philosophy, Dr Jens Zimmerman's books, Paulos Gregorios on 'The Enlightenment', the writings of Michael Polanyi, or professor Nancy Pearcey.

After clearing away some of the deadwood of hermeneutical and epistemological naivety, Dr Keener looks at different types of claims and evidence, not collapsing all into one genus. This is a most important clarification.

In this book, there are many fascinating cases from around the around the world and through the ages: looking quite systematically at different kinds of expectations, biases, motivations, and so on.
He also considers different kinds of miracles: healing, nature miracles, and so forth.
However, one must go beyond that in wrestling with the possibility and type of miracles. Here, he frames the issue within a Biblical context, focused on relationship, the mission of the church and role of God's signs and wonders in communicating both. Keener delineates the contours of our relationships with God, other Christians, and so forth.
Alongside a great variety of case studies, he shares some interesting anecdotes from his own atheistic background, later Christian period, and experience with (possible) miracles.

Some of the accounts are well documented medically, have been backed up by different eye witnesses without probable means, motive, or opportunity for deception. We work here with metrics like that of a court. These are apparently, at least at times, beyond reasonable doubt.

Profound physical changes are recounted, with maladies disappearing as if they were never there, fully functioning brains even after they have been starved of oxygen beyond the time of six minutes when supposedly irreparable brain damage sets in, and much more.
Some of the stories are remarkably touching, often filled with dramatic suspense and blessed resolution. Some contrary cases, like that of the late great Nabeel Qureshi will break your heart and hold us in tension. Whilst we sit in that tension, let me share a few of the former examples that have resonated with the author, as recounted in a recent interview:

"One of the first in the book is that of a young woman on her deathbed, almost completely paralyzed from multiple sclerosis. She heard Jesus’ voice calling her to rise and walk, and she was instantly healed so thoroughly that she didn’t even have to contend with atrophied muscles. All three of her doctors have confirmed the account in writing, laying their own reputations on the line. She lived for 40 more years with no recurrence, passing away only recently from COVID-19, much to the sorrow of those of us who knew her.

Another story is of a woman blind for 12 years, instantly healed during prayer, a fully documented case now written up in a medical journal. There are some others so remarkable that I initially hesitated to include them in the book, lest someone disinclined to believe them would discount all the others.

One account that I almost always share is the one that some years ago began shifting my own perspective. There’s no medical documentation, because it happened in a place where no doctors were available, which was probably partly why a miracle was needed. I had heard the story before, but it was when I interviewed Antoinette Malombé in Congo that I learned the details. Malombé’s two-year-old daughter Thérèse cried out that a snake bit her; Malombé found her not breathing, and she ran for about three hours with the toddler on her back to where a family friend was doing ministry. He prayed, and Thérèse began breathing again; the next day she was fine. Even though irreparable brain damage starts after just six minutes without oxygen, Thérèse had no brain damage; she later achieved a master’s degree and just recently retired from ministry.

This is far from the most dramatic case, but it got my attention because Antoinette Malombé was my mother-in-law, and Thérèse is my sister-in-law. Not to doubt one’s mother-in-law, but we confirmed the story with the family friend who prayed for her..."

Each of these, he considers as means of God's special divine action in history. This special action does not go against 'the laws of nature' as a closed physicalist picture would have it, but suspends them. To suggest the former is a category error and an example of circular reasoning. This is a qualitative distinction that renders much probability speculation superfluous.

Craig suggests that God uses these extraordinary events for His mission. For example, as a means of breaking through the honour and shame restrictions of different cultures, condescending to help alleviate those who do not have access to reasonable medical services, and so on. Often these people need a miracle to believe in, and become meaningfully involved with, Jesus and His church.

This approach raises many questions in its own right, but they are interesting questions to consider. In theory, there is no self-evident reason to write these claims or questions off but we must be prudent: drawing upon philosophy, historical scholarship, hermeneutics, theology, et cetera.
I am still not entirely convinced by or comfortable with some of the claims made, how they have been received, what it says about God, and so forth. However, I am more open in some ways to God's special action in history today and was challenged to think from new angles. One must consider differing iterated alternatives to discern what is good, for whom, and at what costs. Therefore, this book implicitly calls on a little humility.

Miracles Today is written for a popular audience, more so than Craig's previous (huge) tome and is blessed and cursed with the commensurate limits for such a book. It will actually be read by a wide audience, but runs the risk of being more easily and readily misunderstood. Plus, he can't always develop his points in tighter arguments. There are a few places where I thought this was quite evident: failing to make a distinction between a qualitative and quantitative argument at one point that I recall.

I took this into account when reviewing the book. Whilst there are some points I wished he had backed up, they may indeed be fleshed out in the bigger more academic book. He isn't going to answer all of the readers questions about miracles and, as I have noted, will raise many new questions.
However, I think he has done a good job in both directions. Answering many of the most relevant questions, showing the arbitrary nature of some of our philosophical biases, and making the reader ask some more interesting new questions along the way.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a common mantra among many skeptics today that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". This particular formation of the idea was initially put forth by astrophysicist and science popularizer Carl Sagan, but the philosophical underpinnings can be traced back to the notorious 18th-century skeptic David Hume. The claim that supernatural miracles happen today is, to many, an extraordinary claim indeed. The mistake made by many skeptics, then, is to assert that for any individual miracle account to be accepted as plausibly the result of divine intervention, the evidence for it must be incredibly strong (often, far beyond what we could reasonably expect for any event).

However, there is another way to answer this argument—a cumulative case approach. Hundreds of miracle accounts, each one with decent evidential support, combine quite strongly and make a truly extraordinary case for the supernatural, one that cannot be ignored by any sincere seeker of truth. Craig Keener has compiled such a cumulative case in his terrific book Miracles Today, a resource that will encourage believers and challenge skeptics for years to come.

It's difficult to tire of reading the miraculous accounts put forth in the book. Keener devotes pages each to accounts of the lame walking, the deaf hearing, the blind seeing, the dead being raised, and even nature miracles such as storms rebuked in the name of Jesus and food multiplication. Most of these miracles occur in distinctly theistic contexts, usually right after a prayer for a miracle in Jesus' name. While there are definitely some accounts which could be plausibly explained as the result of fraud, coincidence, or merely being mistaken, the sheer number of inspiring stories chronicled in these pages deserves thoughtful consideration from everyone. Many of the accounts are of the sort that could not possibly be explained away apart from outright deception: the claimant is deliberately lying about what they allegedly witnessed. This puts the ardent materialist in a rather unfortunate conundrum—do they, for the sole purpose of retaining their worldview, accuse countless people of fabricating these stories, in a situation where they wouldn't dare suspect fraud under other circumstances? Or do they give up their causally-closed philosophy altogether and recognize that the time has come to move on? Suffice it to say, this is not a comfortable read for materialists.

Encouraging, stimulating, and persuasive, Miracles Today represents an academically rigorous yet accessible contribution to the conversation on the miraculous.

[Cal Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Empirical evidence for miracles in the modern world.. a lot of them. And this is Keener's condensed more reader friendly version. His prior more academic work "Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts, 2 Vols." was much more extensive.

This includes recorded events of miraculous healings and even people being raised from the dead happening across all cultures, all denominations, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox. Keener points out that if you had to be 100% theologically correct for God to do a miracle in your life then no one would ever see any miracles.

He also talks about why miracles don't always happen and why people aren't always healed no matter the amount of faith. Basically because God knows all things and decides when is best and how to move in a certain way - a lot of the time happening where the gospel is being preached for the first time. Faith isn't a force to be yielded. It is God that heals. Even when people are healed naturally or over a long period of time that is God's providence. He is in control of all things.

Or sometimes it is the soul he is healing, which will last forever, unlike your physical body. I could give a personal testimony of this in my own life. "It was good for me to be afflicted, so that I might learn your decrees." Psalm 119:71

Keener argues that modern medicine is an extension of Gods mercy (which makes sense since "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father" James 1:17) He also points out that this is why God does more things like raising people from the dead in a place like Africa where they have one doctor per ten thousand people.

This book has countless, tear jerking stories - each one could be their own book or movie. One in particular that was actually made into a movie; "Breakthrough" about a boy who drowned and was dead for 45 min and his mother prayed for him in the hospital and he came back to life and walked out of the hospital 2 weeks later with zero brain damage.. like nothing happened. If you don't read the book go watch that movie. And if you don't believe in miracles or a Miracle worker then read this book and ask yourself; what amount of evidence would it take for you to be convinced?

Keener sums it up brilliantly, "Although this book is about miracles, the Gospel tells us something deeper than miracles. Miracles are signs of God's love for us, a foretaste of the future. But the Gospels also recount the message of the cross. Jesus's first disciples were excited about the miracles, but they were terrified by the cross. Yet the cross ultimately shows us that, no matter how deep the darkness, the injustice, the agony-when God seems silent in the face of our pain-God is at work even there-indeed especially there. Because an empty tomb declares the cross is not the final word."

[Tim Baumgartner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do miracles exist today? Well, look no further as this book's author is the premier scholar on the topic. Craig Keener previously wrote a 2 volume book on the topic over 1,000 pages, but this is a much more condensed version, but with some new stories.

I think in a similar way to how philosophers and the general public have used anti-supernaturalist David Hume's arguments as to why miracles don't exist since the late 18th century, today's society is getting more and more exposed to the REALITY of miracles through Keener's widespread research.

It covers a WIDE variety of types from ALL the liveable continents:
-cancer
-blind
-deaf
-dead and raised
-spinal injuries
-etc.

The book brings up definitions (at the start), and, at the end, what happens when they don't occur.

But again, this version is VERY readable and I think it would be CRUCIAL for ANYONE striving to see whether God exists and His influence on our world TODAY to get this book in your personal library and SPREAD THE WORD!!!

My wife and I basically read a chapter together a day (I actually forget when we finished reading it). They are generally short--less than 10 pages.

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since his academic 2 volume work on miracles is a bit daunting for the average person to pick up and read, Keener has compiled another collection of documented reports of miracles from around the world and put them in a more readable format. He has the miracles divided by type, location and other classifications into bite size chapters that are usually around 6 pages long.

This is a very encouraging read and a reminder that God does still work in supernatural ways in the world. I was impressed by the level of research and documentation that Keener provided. The beginning of the book talks about definitions of miracles and debates around them, and the back of the book tackles why there is suffering in the world and what happens when God doesn't heal. My husband and I read this together a chapter a day or so which is the only reason it took me so long. On my own I could have devoured this in a few days. Highly recommended.

Notes on content: Death, disease, and dangerous situations are involved in many of the true stories related.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first chapters of this book were very academic, probably too much so for me and I got a little lost. Admittedly, the book is written for medical professionals and I am not that. He spent a lot of time trying to refute some Hume guy's arguments against the possibility of miracles, and I didn't need to read that, I already believe in them. But I give it four stars because the chapters that detail the medically documented and attested miracles are absolutely amazing. I say I believe in miracles, but not because I've seen any firsthand, so I'm a little skeptical still when all I've seen is TV evangelist healers who just seem phony to me. But the stories in this book are enough to make a believer out of anyone with an open mind! I even know (secondhand) one of the people whose story is in this book, it's the cousin of one of our church members! It was a very thorough treatment of the topic, very well researched and written, and I gobbled it up in about a week. Worth the read if you can get past the first couple chapters!

[Noah Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspirational, emotionally moving, and both theologically and logically sound book recounting stories of modern day miracles (mostly medically attested) that reflect those described in the Bible.

Condensing his larger work “Miracles” and making it more accessible, Keener is still thorough enough for the skeptic to be convinced while also inspiring and encouraging the faith-filled.

He gives a brief but solid theology of suffering and healing at the end of the book, however the book is designed primarily to recount the stories and present the evidence of God doing miracles in our day. So if you’re looking for a book of theology and practice of healing ministry this book does not claim to be that, nor is it that.

I found it personally encouraging, inspiring, and eye opening to read so many stories of Gods wonder working power all over the world today, and I felt the invitation and conviction to pray to see and to participate in more of it in my own life.

[Caleb Stelk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great (audio)book! I loved listening to how God has performed miracles around the world and within the US in recent years. The book’s set up to basically be a collection of miracle accounts, using eye witnesses, medical documents, news, and testimonies as evidence for their validity. It’s like sitting down in a coffee shop with the author and listening to them share story after story of how God has moved in crazy ways.

I’ve been listening to this here and there this semester and it’s really challenging me to see God as a miracle-worker. Am I praying bold prayers for lost people in the dorms to come to faith? Do I expect God to move in ways I can’t comprehend? I’m learning to expect great things from a mighty God. He is a mighty God! He is a miracle worker! And He will do all He has planned to do! If you read this I hope it encourages you as well.

[Ian Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

People in the west (including Christians like me) have an anti-supernatural bias, inherited from David Hume. We ask, “Why don’t miracles happen today?” Or “Why don’t miracles happen in the West?” The answer is simply, “They do.” Evidence for the miraculous comes in the form of eyewitness testimony, video documentation, and medical records. The naturalistically unexplainable happens in the context of prayer today. Of course, one could assume an unknown naturalistic explanation that coincides remarkably with prayer and many do so because their worldview commitments require such but this no more rational than assuming special divine action within the created order in response to prayer, and, in fact, in some cases it’s less rational to do so.

[Adam Bloch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had the two-volume predecessor to this book for a long while but haven't taken the time to read it, so I was excited to see this shorter version (although it's still a decent size). The concept is a great idea, but quite often the execution is strange: This is meant to be a collection of verifiable miracles, but often the verification is simply akin to "I heard this from someone I trust" and many others, while amazing, don't exactly seem as miraculous as undeniable divine activity should perhaps be. That said, one can remove all of those accounts and still come away with a robust collection of things that sure seem miraculous.

[Kyle Inman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy 5-stars, and I’d say a must-read for literally anyone. Incredibly well-researched and documented, Dr. Craig Keener assigns such a high bar to recording the miraculous and still sees it met with shocking frequency. This is an incredible witness, and I’m so thankful for this abridged version - the originals are MASSIVE tomes - which are absolutely perfect for the everyday reader. Reading these stories will move you in some way no doubt, and for me, they further restored belief in those moments God intervenes in undeniable ways. I just want to be the kind of person that, when called by a stranger in a hospital one afternoon, would show up to pray healing over them if they asked me to…

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compelling, documented cases of unexplainable events -- unexplainable by ordinary science as we know it.
In many cases, I would have liked enough detail to be able to look up the news stories of the event as it happened at the time -- because many of them say they were in the local news reports, such as a child drowning and rescue, etc.
But some would never have been in the news reports -- things like crossing a swollen river. The person crossing the river just walked across, believing it was only a couple feet deep -- when in reality it was very swollen by rains to perhaps four feet deep!

[Tristan Sherwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent study by Craig Keener. Part 1 and Part 7 provide some great food for thought, raising and wrestling with the big questions surrounding miracles, while Parts 2 to 6 provide account after account of food for hope.

What I liked most is that Keener is not an anti-intellectual and nor is he anti-medicine. He rightly celebrates both. As he says often, skepticism is important or we risk being gullible. But, he also notes that we should be skeptical of our skepticism.

Great book. Explores the topic of miracles in a balanced and inspiring way.

[Joshua Schwisow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a remarkable book filled with documented stories from all over the world. I was surprised by the level of detail and thoughtful theological nuance in analyzing these events. I have disagreements at points with Keener, but it is over all an excellent book. Much of the theological analysis at the end is very nuanced in dealing with this topic. Worth the read. A bit repetitive with so many stories but that is partly the point of the book: though miracles are rare, they are perhaps far more frequent than we realize.

[Marcy Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this, I'm looking forward to diving into the author's two-volume scholarly work on the topic, which I also own.

I think it's very difficult for those of us who have always lived in a Western country to set aside the secular skepticism our society has fed us since childhood. This book is full of evidence that miracles still happen, so at some point we have to ask, how much evidence will it take to convince us?

I listened to this as an audiobook.

[Evgeni Nedyalkov · Rating 5 out of 5]

The very first book on the miracle topic written in the only way I can tolerate at the moment which is the kind of scientific approach! I really enjoyed a lot performing a meaningful reflection on meticulously presented well documented and analyzed data. I liked the honest approach instead of widespread healing now literature nova days! Highly recommended data set on the topic as well as apologetic ready bullet!

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this volume Craig Keener has successfully translated his earlier (and quite large) "Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts" into a more approachable volume for college and seminary level readers. An enjoyable (and encouraging) read for Christian readers that comments on the philosophical, theological, and lived experience components of divine action.