Dr Peter May is a retired GP who has taken a particular interest in claims of miraculous healing.

Dr May is not a thorough-going sceptic.  He is a Christian who has served the church in a variety of ways over many years.  He believes that God answers prayer, and that this might lead to the improvement or recovery of a sick person.  He believes that the miracles attributed to Jesus actually happened.

But he does not believe that ‘Christ-like’ miracles occur today.

May cites the criteria that were articulated by Cardinal Lambertini (later Pope Benedict XIV) in 1735.

According to Lambertini, the miracles recorded in the Gospels usually shared the following characteristics:

1. ‘the illness was incurable (such as congenital blindness, kyphosis of the spine, a wasted arm, paralysed legs or death of four days duration);’
2. ‘the conditions were generally non-remitting…Most could not resolve spontaneously;’
3. ‘the healing was almost always instantaneous, usually at a word of command…;’
4. ‘there was no other therapy to account for the recovery…;’
5. ‘the healing was complete…’ The deaf man could hear clearly.  The paralysed man was able to walk away, carrying his own bed.

It follows (writes May) that if people are claiming miracles in the name of Christ today, their claims should be tested by these criteria.  And, if they are so tested, then they all – without exception – fall short.

I regard this as a substantial challenge.

But I also think that Dr May’s thesis is slightly weaker than he thinks:

• In demanding medical certification of a miraculous claim, May is asking for something that was, of course, not available in Jesus’ day.  So why accept all of Jesus’ miracles, but none of today’s healers?
• Dr May would (I’m sure) accept as historically factual the apostolic miracles recorded in the book of Acts.  So, we need a ratonale (which I haven’t read in May’s written works) for helping us to understand why and when these apostolic miracle sceased.
• There might be a middle ground, to be explored biblically and theologically, whereby we can accept that ‘Christ-like’ miracles rarely, if ever, occur today, but that God may be pleased to grant ‘lesser’ miracles in answer to prayer and/or mediated by those with the relevant spiritual gifts.

See this article, by Dr May.  Also this this discussion, involving Dr May, Dr Craig Keener and Joshua Brown, and this response to Dr May’s paper.