Derren Brown - Miracles for Sale?

Derren Brown, the ‘innovative entertainer’ has captivated audiences for years with his mind games, illusions and trickery. His latest project was shown on Easter Monday on Channel 4 in the UK and targets so called ‘Faith Healers’.

In trailing the programme Derren says 'You are about to see a world where greed and deceit raise their ugly heads, where lives have been needlessly lost and where hope, the most precious gift of all is pedalled at a price....’ The project featured an actor being given a crash course in biblical heresy, shown techniques on manipulating audiences and taught charlatan trickery on how to appear to heal people from deafness,blindness and shortened limbs.

Thought 1:
If people are manipulating the vulnerable and needy to satisfy their ‘Greed’ then I’m with Derren in wanting them to be exposed. Certainly the people shown on the programme wouldn’t be given any opportunity to speak from platforms of any churches I am aware of.
If anyone is knowingly claiming ‘cheap tricks’ as miracles from God, then they need to be brought to account. Lies, manipulation and deceit have no place in the Gospel of Jesus.


Thought 2:
There were significant generalisations in the programme that reflected a real lack of research. The programme showed circumstances where audiences were manipulated into believing miracles were being witnessed. In the hours, days and weeks following, the longevity of any relief from their physical disability would become sadly clear.
But there is a danger that many truth loving, people of integrity, with hearts of compassion and lifestyles dedicated to serving the needs of the vulnerable could be implicated wrongly. I and thousands of other Christians in this country will regularly pray for ill people or those in need. Our motivation for doing so is:


1. A compassion for the persons pain, need or disability
2. A belief that God, who we believe designed us, can be a masterful physician and repair things that go wrong


Does everyone get healed? No. But some do and if the researchers had so desired, they could have found medical documentation of ‘unexplained miracles’ that have resulted in cured patients. I’m deeply saddened that there are those in our world who use trickery to con people, but I’m encouraged by those who follow the example of Jesus and faithfully pray with others to genuinely help them find comfort, hope and healing. These are not faith healers – they are compassion filled Jesus followers!


Thought 3:
There are questions to be asked about the ethicality of employing techniques of deceit to expose deceit. A number of times in the programme it was clear that the production team were uncomfortable with the lies they were spinning to try and pass off the actor as a ‘faith healer’. Was this justified or was it just the ‘best angle’ to create a controversial TV programme? Maybe Derren cares so much about exposing this issue that he took no money from it but I suspect these dubious ethics maximised the programmes popularity and earned the production team a nice little earner.


Has the programme changed anything?
Not really. As long as the world has both greedy and needy people within its borders there will be unscrupulous attempts to manipulate and take advantage. All of us, particularly the church should ensure we are not indifferent to such practise and oppose them when seen. However the programmes generalisations may cause some confusion by failing to refer to the featured examples as extreme and unwelcome to the large majority of churches and we could take this opportunity to respond by telling good stories of genuine hope and healing found, not in the crossed palms of a slippery con man, but in the palms that were on the cross.

Go with the flow

Near gale force winds and high mountain top walks don’t usually go hand in hand but I was so determined to get my kids off their computer games that I was going to mobilise them into the world of fresh air and physical exercise whatever the conditions.

Warm, sunny weather was definitely not on the day’s menu so we were suitably dressed, ‘triple glazed’ in our most resilient winter clothing. We pulled into the car park at the base of the mountain and felt the parked car being shaken by the aggressive wind as it whistled over the bodywork. I looked over my seat to see the look of disbelief on my kid’s faces – they didn’t protest in words, but I knew they were thinking that their dad had lost the plot.

‘Come on kids – time to get out!’ I said with an unreal sense of enthusiasm. ‘Let’s get some fresh air!’ As we tried to gently open the car doors, the wind decided that a more dramatic approach would be appropriate and swung them open at high speed. The fresh air I had been commending rushed through the car and proceeded to taunt us all with ferocious slaps in the face. ‘Make sure you do up your coats kids’, I advised as we battled our way out of the sieged vehicle.

We began to make our way up the steep footpath but this felt more like a ‘push’ than a walk. Each step encountered an invisible resistance which required us to contribute much more energy than we had come to expect from this incline. We pressed on past the fallen branches and the upturned wooden benches, regularly waving off the onslaught of kamikaze leaves that were attacking our faces like iron filings being drawn to a magnet. Our strength was being tested and our muscles were being exercised more than was normally necessary.

Conversation was limited out of fear of what may enter on opening our mouths but we pressed on. I was determined to get to the top and my kids knew that it would be folly to try and dissuade me. Our winter coats were beginning to behave like kites and it was possible to feel the lift as we ascended to the most exposed area of the summit. This was hard work and I was beginning to wonder if I should have made my youngest carry an anchor just to make sure he stayed on the ground.

One of the images used for the Holy Spirit in the scriptures is that of wind and the writer of the gospel of John reminds us that ‘The wind blows wherever it pleases’. God, who cannot work in any other parameters than those of love, justice, truth, mercy and faithfulness, chooses which way he decides to go – where He decides to go and what He decides to do are completely His choice. It is all too easy for us to set the course of direction that we believe the Spirit should ‘blow’ and ask for Him to follow but this is not our prerogative. He chooses and if we go against His choice of direction then resistance will make our life difficult. It’s not that God is resisting us, but more that we are resisting Him. It is our call to discern which way the wind of the Holy Spirit is blowing in order to follow. If He changes course so should we.

Before I reached the summit of the mountain I came to the conclusion that resistance was futile and out of fear of seeing my kids fly off into the distant horizon we turned around and went with the wind. What a joy it was to experience the wind accelerating our journey and aiding our steps.

Do you know which way the wind of the Holy Spirit is blowing in your life, family, church or ministry? If not take time out to discern and discover, and then go with the flow – it will make all the difference in your life.

Confidence in what?

Italy is not a million miles from England but I was unable to get a direct flight from Birmingham airport to the needed destination in Pisa, resulting in a need to take a connecting flight in Paris. On checking in I was issued with my boarding passes for both flights and assured that my baggage would automatically be transferred from one plane to another.

The first flight went very well - on time, turbulence free and pretty roomy for such a bargain price. The pilot landed with great skill and the runway tarmac held the full weight of the plane creating an unspoken sense of relief in the cabin. Bonjour France!

Checking I still had my passport and boarding cards I disembarked and made my way to the terminal building where my connecting flight was due to leave. I had plenty of time but was keen to get to the correct departure gate as soon as I could. I passed through the necessary security checks and took my seat in the departure lounge.

I had 30 minutes until the gate was due to open and kept myself entertained with the continued reading of a good book. Airports are often announcing things over the speaker system but only on rare occasions does it ever seem relevant. The many screens hanging from the ceiling and walls give the most critical information regarding flight times and departure gates and so the voice sounded without much attention from me. I noticed that the same message was being repeated and the voice sounded increasingly anxious with each reiteration. I lifted my gaze from the book and listened carefully.

‘Could Mr Mark Pug please report to the departure desk?’ After a split second of bemusement at someone having a similar name to my own, I quickly considered that I should enquire to see if it was actually me they were trying to contact. Indeed it was! The poor exasperated lady behind the desk looked half relieved to see me and half annoyed that I had taken so long to respond. In broken English, she began to explain that there were less seats available on the plane than people who had bought a ticket – the result being that I would be unable to get on this flight. The apparent ‘good news’ was that another flight would be leaving in the morning on which they had reserved a seat for me.

In some circumstances a complimentary night in a good hotel in Paris with some financial compensation for the inconvenience may be an acceptable offer but I was due to preach just two hours after my booked flight landed in Pisa and I simply had to be there. I smiled and for a moment considered carefully about whether I should try and communicate with the little French I learned in High School but realised that saying ‘My name is Mark. I am Eleven years old’ was not the most relevant piece of communication in this circumstance and so stuck to what I know.

‘I have to get on this flight’ I protested. ‘We’re very sorry sir but there are no seats available’ came the reply. I retorted ‘You don’t understand, I need to be on that flight and my boarding card complete with seat number is evidence of my right to do so!’ She explained further that they acknowledged it was their mistake and that they were very sorry for the inconvenience. I thanked her for her apology but said that she needed to find a way of getting me onto that plane – they had to fix their mistake. I continued to hold firmly onto the boarding card.

There would have been a time when I wouldn’t have been so persistent – a lack of confidence would have eaten away at my position and caused me to just accept the situation but my insistence was confident because I knew that in my hand I held the ‘rights’ to be on that flight. Amazingly they found a way to make it happen and I got on the flight, arriving at the church in good time to preach. I know it wouldn’t have happened had I not stood my ground with confidence.

Confidence is an important part of our Christian journey and it comes from knowing who God is and what He has promised. When our enemy sows doubt into our minds, Gods truth gives confidence. It doesn’t come from a strong personality but from a revelation of God. Hold the promises of God in your hand and be confident as you walk into their reality. Be confident in His work of Salvation, His ongoing work of sanctification and His promises to guide your steps. His work on the cross has made it possible for our entry into His presence - nothing more, nothing less. Stand firm, stand your ground and be confident in God!