MALONEY & ME

Let me wrap up this study with some personal notes on my attempts to gain a little information from the Maloney ministry, CFNI, and another school where he ministered.

I shared, above, my experience at a Chicago area Korean church. Let me tell a little more about that, then a response detailing the other side of the coin, straight from Maloney headquarters.

I am thinking of sending a list of Maloney's miracles to those called his friends to confirm with them that they saw what he claims to have seen.

First, a little more of the details from that Korean church. (Specific names and dates available upon request.)

I must say I was turned off by the style of ministry that night. The general pattern was, he would talk gently to a person, patting them on the head, stroking them, generally calming them down, then... a SHOUT. There it is! His implication was that the Spirit of God had now arrived and was doing things. The person inevitably was startled, and I imagine some of them did "feel something."

I felt something too. Akin to anger, I think. If I was gently talking to you, then suddenly shouted in your ear, you'd feel something, too! I felt that people were being manipulated into thinking they had experienced a God moment.

In the course of the meeting, he mentions to some Japanese attendees that he was not permitted to enter their country because there was a million dollar contract on his life. He jokes later that he was insulted that people only thought him to be worth a million. He would have assumed much more.

Somehow this struck me as odd and inappropriate. If a man had a contract on his life, should he even bring it up in public? If all the danger has passed, why not explain to the rest of the people there exactly what he was talking about? If not, why mention it? Did even the Japanese have any clue what he was talking about? Was I the only one in the dark about this cryptic message?

He mentions two more miracles in his talk that night . He claims that Albany, Oregon, experienced a shock wave throughout the community because of a miracle healing. All the metal in someone's arm, totally disappeared. No date given.

Then there was Kalamazoo, Michigan. No date given. A girl who always had to cover the right side of her head, because she had no ear (!) suddenly got one. That created a sensation in the High School.

I jumped right on those two events as soon as I got home, looking - in vain - for some internet story about either of those places. Surely some journalist would have picked up on something so incredible! Nada. Not a whisper.

Are we dealing with the Brian Williams syndrome here? But in Williams' case, things did happen. He just wrote himself into the story, Forrest Gump style. In these cases, we search high and low for proof that these events even took place.

So I wrote to the Maloney website to see what they would say about all this. Here is the letter:

I was at your meeting at (a Korean ) church in Illinois 1-16-15.
You mentioned a shock wave created by the disappearance of metal from an arm, in Albany, Oregon . I was unable to find evidence of such on the Internet . Could you point me to the documentation and/or witnesses?
You also mentioned an ear being restored in Kalamazoo . That also did not show up on a preliminary search. I'm sure you can help me find evidence of that miracle too, including the name of the school where she shocked everyone. Thanks. Bob, in Niles.

The answer came by a member of the Maloney family and ministry. He first directed me to a website that does Medical Research so that perhaps I could track down a miraculous healing. he seemed to think I did not believe in miracles. I do.

He suggests it is highly unlikely that I would find evidence of a miracle on the Internet. I beg to differ on that one. People who get excited, tell someone. Things can go viral pretty quickly in our high tech age.

He goes on to tell me that he cannot release any documentation," to protect the privacy of the people who have given us direct testimony".

Yes, there is documentation, there are eyewitnesses. But "it is our policy not to share them." He even claims that the vast majority of the people healed did not want their information released! The response to a spectacular healing would be overwhelming.

Something doesn't ring true with that explanation. But I have heard it before.

Then he shares with me that his team has witnessed "hundreds, perhaps thousands, of miracles". But he will offer proof of none, and I am left either believing his word, or not. Not a great place to be.

Here is my reply on January 17, 2015:

Thank you for this kind reply. I have heard such reasoning from Bill Johnson's organization.

But it still leaves us in the dark, forced to trust simply the word of the speaker. You and I know there are many charlatans out there. I do not suggest such for brother Maloney, but how can I know, if something isn't visible?

Jesus worked real miracles with real witnesses and offered no protection plan for those healed.

His witnesses eventually cost him His life.

I want to believe you, but the facts do not add up. If a girl received a new ear, and a school was blown away by it, that would be on national news. But not a peep, and nothing traceable on the internet.

All I need is the name of the school, or any Avenue to trace down even one miracle performed through Dr. Maloney.

Only one.

If you cannot produce that I am led to only one conclusion. And the distribution of that conclusion would seem to be even worse results than the supposed harm to those healed (many of whom would love to tell their stories! )

Why are we saved and healed except to glorify Jesus?

Too many people place undue faith in faith healers. They walk out of meetings unhealed and discouraged . I wonder how many turn away from God...

Evidence . We need evidence !

In his final terse response, the brother Iet me know that he appreciated my candor, but "we simply do not release such information"...

After beginning serious research about this man, I decided to at least try for some personal information about him. I began with the school where so many of his miracles were performed. Surely here I would be blown away by support for James Maloney. Surely they know of the great success being enjoyed by one of their illustrious graduates, not to mention one of their former teachers.

The school librarian did not know him, but she was given my initial email, which ran as follows:

(March 3, 2015)
I am Bob Faulkner, a podcaster (believer) in the Chicago area. I'm doing a research paper on a Mr. James Maloney.

His book of 2008 (Dancing Hand of God) mentions Christ For The Nations Institute quite often. Back in the 1970's he was evidently a student at CFNI, and he later was a teacher there?

Could you let me know what degree(s) he received there, and in what capacity he served CFNI as a teacher?

Anyone with firsthand knowledge of miracles he performed or experienced would be a blessing to me, also. Thanks

The librarian quickly got back to me, asking when he taught there? That seemed odd. I thought they would know all that.

But I replied:

James Maloney claims to have been a student there in the 70's.

He then claims that he was a teacher there. I am assuming he earned a degree or 2 there?

He also claims that miracles were performed in his class that covered such topics, The Theology of Healings and Miracles. 200 students attended this class at times, he says. He tells the story of a time when God told him there were 30 students in the class with deformities. All were healed. No date is given. I'm sure that an incident like that would have made the headlines, at least at your school, if not nationwide.

In the library where you work (I presume) another incident occurred. 50-60 men met in that library all night. At 4 am the room "swooned". all were slain in the Spirit. They lay as dead for 20 minutes. Someone is walking up the steps to the room (You are not on a ground floor?) Hears the flopping of sandals. It is Jesus, and his garments cover various men before He leaves. Again, this is an event that must have shaken the campus, and been recorded somewhere.

If it happened.

He first arrived in 1973, I believe, as a student. That is the only date given in his book "The Dancing Hand of God." He mentions CFNI multiple times. He now is called Dr. Maloney, but it is not plain in the book where the doctorate came from.

I am not a skeptic or an unbeliever. I am in fact a licensed minister and truly believe in miracles for today. But there was something about this book that started the red flags flying, if you know what I mean.

Whatever you find will be so very helpful. Thanks!