Between Two Worlds

I wonder how many of you have heard of Theophostic Prayer Ministries. It is a form of prayer ministry started about eight years ago by Ed Smith. I continue to hear anecdotal reports—both from within the church and from the mission field—of those who believe it is a revolutionary way to heal emotional woundedness from the past.

The staff of Community Evangelical Free Church in Elverson, Pennsylvania, wrote A Biblical Evaluation of Theophostic Ministry (2001). (There is also a PDF version.) It is an extremely helpful document, explaining not only what Theophostic Prayer Ministry is, but why it is unbiblical and hinting toward the “more excellent way” of soul care set forth in Scripture.

The only scholarly evaluation of Theophostic (to my knowledge) is the work of Phil Monroe and Bryan Maier, entitled A Theological Evaluation of Theophostic Ministry, published in Trinity Journal (2003). While Monroe and Maier make a number of helpful points, I believe that the CEFC review (above) is the more insightful and persuasive of the two.