The Nearly Perfect Crime: How the Church Almost Killed the Ministry of Healing

by Francis S. MacNutt

Healing prayer, although central to the Gospel, was diminished by Christians until it almost disappeared. Reviewing the history of healing prayer, MacNutt calls for its restoration.

Genres: Theology

256 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

Reverend Francis S. MacNutt, O.P.

Reviews

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Francis MacNutt book for me to read. I enjoy his conversational yet thoughtful- scholar way of writing. He writes, I suppose, the way he would speak to you in gentle pastoral instruction. This book travels from Jerusalem at Pentecost (and actually earlier with the disciples during Jesus’ ministry) all the way through to the US in the 2000s as it follows the rise and fall and rise again of prayers for healing. MacNutt was one of the first Roman Catholics to be involved in the charismatic renewal and draws on his experiences as well as his knowledge of church history and theology from his PhD studies.

[Chaffee Viets · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely fantastic walk through the history of Christian healing (and to a lesser extent, the charismatic gifts). I read MacNutt's Healing almost ten years ago, and it is just as good. For anyone, Protestant or Catholic, who wonders why Christ's mission and Peter's/Paul's ministry of healing, exorcism, etc. seems to have disappeared in modern Christian churches, MacNutt does a stellar job of presenting his theory. This is not a scholarly history, and there are times I would like to have seen better citations. However, for most Christians, this book presents clear and honest assessments of Catholic and Protestant contributions to the decline of healing ministry through the ages. It is a bold call to rediscover these gifts, which the Holiness churches have already done and small segments of larger churches have begun to do. Highly recommended.

[Adam Gellert · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book, recommended to me by the Gateway Church Freedom team when I was going through training recently. If you like Christian history, you'll love this account of how the ministry of healing went from an expected and accepted part of the Christian Church, to an almost dead bystander. Redemption was coming in the last century, though, as the Holy Spirit moved powerfully in the entire Church. Fascinating read from a former Catholic priest, Francis Macnutt. A definite must-read!

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Francis at his very best...seeker of truth and justice!