From the Editor:

"I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

Faulty as individual churches may be, they are or hope to be the Body of Christ that includes young and old, and people of all stages of development. The Eucharist proclaims that we all belong to each other in Christ, and that we should love and serve each other and the world.

Psychic research doesn't do that, and if we treat a private spiritual group as a church we are in danger of missing out on the all-embracingness that is characteristic of churches.

belief Psychic research however does have something vital to say, i.e. that the spiritual world is a reality, that we are immortal souls, and that it is good if we can discover this not only in the teachings of the church, but in our personal experience. We really only understand the teachings of the church when we have experienced what the church is talking about.

So, valid as many of the things spoken about in the journal may be, study of these things doesn't do what the church tries to do. What psychic research does do, is to point out that spiritual events that are described in the Scriptures, and spoken about in church, are part of the natural order of things that can be discovered today. They do “help our unbelief”.

ASPSI We are greatly privileged to reproduce a publication of the Academy of Spirituality and Paranormal Studies Inc. in full, the MARCH 2009 issue of THE SEARCHLIGHT. “The Mission of the ASPSI is to discern, develop and disseminate knowledge of how paranormal phenomena may relate to and enhance the development of the human spirit.” If you support their aims, and would like to receive their academic journal, together with a print edition of The Searchlight you can subscribe here.

Synchronicity, a window into the Kingdom of Heaven - Michael Cocks

Abstract: Two cases of apparent precognition are seen in terms of synchronicity or meaningful coincidence. One case involves the well-known precognitive automatic writing of M Verrall rs Verrall, the wife of a Cambridge don, the other involves the dream of Joakim Thoresson, then a theological student in Gothenburg, Sweden. Both cases are seen as windows into an understanding of The Kingdom of Heaven, as taught by Jesus. Read this article

belief [In our journal THE GROUND OF FAITH we give many examples of Spirit at work. Not all examples that we give are equally significant, but they are all reminders that ultimately physicality itself may be the illusion, or perhaps Spirit seen in a different modality, but that Spirit is the only reality....We could suggest that the task of the church, while acknowledging the varying phenomena of the Kingdom, is to lead us to true Communion with the Source of all things, and to pray, in the words of Jesus, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”]

The paranormal phenomena called "Charismatic"

Note by the Editor, Michael Cocks
It would be interesting to read through the following series of articles, and to consider these perhaps controversial questions:
These claim to show the activity of Spirit in one form or another: Parapsychology, Psychic Research, Spiritualism, Pentecostalism, Catholicism, sincere worship of whatever form, love and service of others, and creativity.
a. Which, in your opinion, are dubious manifestations of Spirit, and why?
b. What could be the value of each approach to Spirit, and in what circumstances?
c. When you have read the articles, have you been stimulated to enlarge the field in which you hope to encounter Spirit at work?
This is the series that could be studied:-
You could read the four articles by Nate Cull, together with his sermon.
You could study the article and the website of Pastor Paul Cull.
Also the quotation from "St. Stephen"
* * * * *
Four articles by Nate Cull, inspired by his recent stay at a little Pentecostal church in a slum of Friburgo, Brazil, of which his brother Paul Cull is a missionary pastor.

Slain in the Spirit

[cf. Wikipedia article]After 'speaking in tongues', one of the classic Pentecostal manifestations is ‘being slain in the spirit’.

It’s a horrible name for what is actually a very beautiful and normal experience.

Unfortunately, because it is an experience which can be stage-managed to look very visually spectacular, it’s also something which many Pentecostal preachers turn into a demeaning circus act, and because of that it’s become a symbol of everything wrong - everything loud, crass, overbearing, gullible and greasy - about Pentecostalism.

paulschurch1 This is why I want to talk a little bit about the experience - at least my spectrum of experiences which include this - and explain how and why it works, as far as I’ve figured it out. Because this thing, even more than ‘tongues’, happens a lot in what we do here in the little church in the slum, and it should not be something to be frightened of, nor should it be something to be taken advantage of. Read the article

[The little church is on the ground floor, the pastor lives on the first floor, and above is a roofed patio.]

The Azusa Code

[cf Wikipedia article]
The African Methodist Episcopal Church in Azuza St LA. "Today, the revival is considered by historians to be the primary catalyst for the spread of Pentecostalism in the 20th century"I think we are very much not your everyday standard Pentecostal church by local Pentecostal church standards. We’re not very religious about our religion. We don’t wear formal black suits and we don’t dance or chant our way into hysteria. We laugh and joke even while strange stuff is happening. But last night I spent most of the first hour just quietly weeping at the pain of the world because I couldn’t do anything else. By the end of the night we were staggering around laughing like drunks again. Quite a few people spent time on the floor owing to not being able to stand up straight.

The little church in the slum (in Friburgo, Brazil) that my brother pastors, is a member of a network called (in English) Partners in Harvest Read on...

The Salvation Army and paranormal phenomena

General Booth

It’s not commonly understood that before Azusa Street, the Salvation Army experienced the same kind of paranormal phenomena now called ‘Pentecostal’ or ‘Charismatic’. Many readings of Salvationism as a social movement seem to consider that its primary force was merely enthusiastic zeal and forceful preaching. Paranormal events are notoriously difficult for people who have not personally experienced them to recognise, so they often get quietly edited from mainstream biographies and textbooks. It’s not deliberate suppression, just a failure to notice the unbelievable.

But when you look at documents from the era, it’s obvious that there was more than simple emotionalism at work. If we have experienced the Toronto Blessing phenomena, it’s very easy to recognise the same events occurring in the 19th century. Read the rest of the article

Wesley’s Ghosts

http://natecull.wordpress.com/2009/02/08/wesleys-ghosts/

In the 18th century, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, the religious and social movement which transformed Great Britain and America and set the stage for the modern evangelical church, also appears to have experienced these ‘Pentecostal’ phenomena. In fact, some references in his journal suggest that they formed a large part of the whole experience of his preaching and ‘method’.

What would be very interesting to know is exactly what other paranormal phenomena occurred to the leader of the Methodists.

Read on.

You can read Nate Cull's sermon on his experiences in Brazil here

A letter from Pastor Paul Cull

An excerpt from the letter: "It was wonderful to see one little boy, perhaps 7 or 8 years old, who received such a powerful anointing that he would walk around, place his hands on people, and many would fall under the power of the Spirit. One elderly gentleman, who received ministry from the kids, told how he had seen a vision of "the Lord's garden" and physically smelt the fragrances of the flowers. There were also manifestations of the Lord's presence in the form of speck or flecks of what mostly looked like gold appearing principally on the children, teens and youth." Read the whole letter
Paul Cull's website is http://www.paulcull.org/paul/pmwiki.php?n=Main.HomePage

ASPSI An Interview with The Rev. William Stainton Moses

Tymn by Michael E. Tymn

Abstract: An Anglican clergyman and English Master at University College, London during the latter half of the 19th Century, The Rev. William Stainton Moses is most remembered as both a gifted physical and mental medium. This “interview” is based on his books, Spirit Teachings, More Spirit Teachings, and Spirit Identity. Except for words in brackets, inferred and added to permit a proper flow or transition, the words are his verbatim. The questions have been tailored to fit the responses.

staintonmoses “With the even tenor of this straightforward and reputable life was inwoven a chain of mysteries which, in whatever way they may be explained, make that life one of the most extraordinary which our century has seen.”

So wrote Frederic W. H. Myers, the Cambridge scholar turned psychical researcher, of The Rev. William Stainton Moses, in his 1903 classic, Human Personality and Its Survival of Bodily Death. Read the whole “Interview”

St. Stephen on the Gifts of the Spirit

Some may think ill of the Editor for talking to a saint through a medium. So be it.
Conversations continued over seven years. This is what Stephen had to say about receiving Gifts of the Spirit: Stephen

§19 September 1, 1973 Firstly, each and every soul does receive. Each one, when we feel love, is receiving. We all receive every second of the day and night, God’s love, sunshine, rain, food for the body, the mind, the soul, the love of others and much more. I receive also, I receive from you, I feel the willingness here with myself, to serve the Lord. To receive this feeling from others is a gift that comes to me from yourselves. Receiving is basically the awareness and feeling of God within you as you are within Him.
    When a child dresses itself, when a child eats, when a child plays with its toys, it does so in acceptance, not in wonder. For a child knows that these things are there as a right of love, by the grace and love of its father. Therefore these thing can be enjoyed simply and without question by the child.
     Now take another child, one that does not know its father, one for instance that lives with other children in a home for orphans. The child is told, “These are gifts to you from this or that organisation, this was given for our use from yet another organisation and a kind person has supplied you with this.” Each child, the one who knows its father and the one who does not, has the same things. But the one who knows his father, has what can be received by no other!
       So our first step in being able to receive is to know that there are not diverse organizations throughout the universe some mysterious union or club that supply us with these things. These thing come from our personal Father. We should ask for grace to receive from the Father, for without this true concept of our Father, we become lost and we have not received.
       Everything without exception is received from the Father. The whole of the present moment is received. Knowledge, intuition,guidance are only aspects of what is received.
http://thegroundoffaith.net/stephen/

Other relevant e-journals, blogs and publications

Victor Zammit's Weekly Treasure Trove

Visit the archives of Victor Zammit's weekly newsletter at http://www.victorzammit.com/archives/index.html for hours of fascinating reading. When you open this website you have the opportunity to request that these emails be sent to you every week, something that we strongly recommend

SurvivalAfterDeath.org.uk

We strongly recommend this site, as a source of much interesting material.

http://www.survivalafterdeath.org.uk/

Public Parapsychology

Editors' notes: Public Parapsychology is one of an increasing number of web sites that we should be aware of.. and subscribe to. Try this url: http://publicparapsychology.blogspot.com

http://www.afterlifedata.com/

The Largest Database of Afterlife Description & Analysis on the Internet

“This web site is a compilation of information on the afterlife and other related critical concepts, such as the purpose of life and reincarnation, as they relate to souls here on earth. We have not created this site to convince anyone of the validity of this information, we simply invite you to read through the data, explore the sources we have used and visit other sources to learn more. Using spirit sources from Afterlife101.com and respected authors like Michael Newton, Allan Kardec, Jane Roberts and others, the results of our first investigations reveal 94.8% agreement on a variety of very specific topics. We believe this web site contains the largest correlation of spirit communications about the afterlife, all from respected sources, available anywhere. We will continue to expand this data as information is made available to us and our research expands.”

Near-Death.com

Click http://www.near-death.com/ for hours of fascinating reading

Greetings! My name is Kevin Williams and I am the owner and webmaster of this website. Over the years, an increase in the public interest in near-death experiences (NDEs) has helped make this website very popular on the internet. My goal is to transform this website into the "Grand Central Station of NDEs." My mission is to help connect people with information and resources concerning NDEs and NDE research for the purpose of understanding death and thereby understanding life in a way that brings tremendous joy and love.

For people who want to know a little bit about me, I say, "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" All joking aside, here is how I describe myself: middle-aged, computer scientist, cable news junkie, manic depressive, universalist Christian with Gnostic and Tibetan Buddhist leanings, former Montana cowboy, U.S. Army veteran, social liberal, economic conservative, single Californian, internet addict, and last but not least, NDE evangelist. I am also the author of "Nothing Better Than Death" on the subject of NDEs. Continue reading

Read also http://www.near-death.com/experiences/reincarnation08.html A long list of extraordinary coincidences between the lives of Abraham Lincoln and John Kennedy..

Electronic Voice and Instrumental Communication:

AA-EVPWhitePaper.pdf
http://evp-itc-australia.org/

http://austevp.com/

Book Review

Elaine Moss: Contact Points

The author Elaine Moss was born in Leeds, Yorkshire in 1938. Following the war and its aftermath which had a profound influence on her, she became interested in what happened to individuals when they died. The author pursued her interest in the subject as the years went by and has studied spiritual and psychical matters in great detail. Contact Points is a book containing nine essays describing her personal experiences of contact with those on the other side of life and culminates with a probable contact being made via computer. (From the back cover.)

The editor has an especial interest in this book, since the probable contact was made on his computer. See: http://www.elainemoss.com/author.html

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