by David J

Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty

"You Can Be Healed: How to Believe God for Your Healing" is a book by Billy Joe Daughtery, founder of Victory Christian Center (VCC), Victory Christian School (VCS), and Victory Bible Institute (VBI). Daughtery was also the interim president at Oral Roberts University (ORU) of which he and I are both alumni. In addition to being a graduate of VBI and ORU, I am also a founding member of VCC and a former student of VCS. In VBI, we had a class that was so important to him that he taught it himself. It was on healing. To summerize a semester in a few words, the premise was that Christ died for our sins and also our healing. Not only is salvation a free gift for all who accept it, healing is also a free gift for anyone who believes. I won't claim to know who wrote the various parts of the bible or why, but a plain text reading of several of the authors would lead to this interpretation.

Last month, Billy Joe Daughtery was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Thousands of people around the globe (VBI has schools in over 85 countries) began praying for his recovery. The church web site listed several specific things for which to pray, white blood count, cell count etc. Last Sunday morning at around 4:00 AM he died at the age of 57. I feel horrible for those he preceded in death including his wife, several adult children, and even his mother.

My question as a recovering Christian is: If Christ does not heal everyone who asks him, why should we believe that he saves everyone who asks him? It is a sobering thought to those that still believe in a hell/lake of fire. Perhaps this is the one time that the true peace that passes understanding is left to those of us in recovery. His theology was clear that salvation and healing were both paid for at the cross. If healing, that we can witness, is not available to everyone, why should we believe in salvation?

I am glad that knowledge (not faith) has delivered me from the fear of death that his theology instilled. For those left behind, I am sure they will continue to pray and believe and ...?