Dangers in Samaritan Ministries

I cannot say that I am excited about writing this blog post.  I am a member of Samaritan Ministries, and I think it is definitely superior to traditional health insurance.  I would recommend that Christians with traditional insurance seriously consider switching to Samaritan or some similar health-sharing ministry instead.  What I am going to say below does not change what I have written in this paragraph.  I think the fundamental idea underlying Christian health-sharing is wonderful and am very supportive of it.

With that said, there are very clear spiritual dangers in Samaritan Ministries that believers need to be aware of.  I have noticed these types of things for some time, have contacted Samaritan about a variety of them on various occasions, but have not noticed any improvement.  These things are dishonoring to the Lord and grievous to my soul.  Dangers in Samaritan—all of the following illustrated in their latest Christian HealthCare newsletter (February 2013)—include the following:

1.)   Ecumenicalism and the promotion of false teachers.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is glorified on pgs. 10-11 of the Newsletter.  A book promoting him as a “prophet” and a “martyr” is likewise promoted.  The following facts about him are entirely skipped over:

1.     He denied the verbal-plenary inspiration of Scripture, believing that the Bible is only a “witness” to the Word of God and becomes the Word of God only when it “speaks” to an individual; otherwise, it was simply the word of man (Testimony to Freedom, pp. 9, 104; Sanctorum Communio, p. 161). 2. He denied the biblical God, believing that the concept of God as a “supreme Being, absolute in power and goodness,” is a “spurious conception of transcendence,” and that “God as a working hypothesis in morals, politics, and science ... should be dropped, or as far as possible eliminated” (Letters and Papers from Prison, S.C.M. Press edition, Great Britain: Fontana Books, 1953, pp. 122, 164, 360). 3. He questioned the Virgin Birth (The Cost of Discipleship, p. 215). 4. He denied the deity of Christ, advocating that “Jesus Christ Today” is not a real person and being, but a “corporate presence” (Testimony to Freedom, pp. 75-76; Christ the Center, p. 58). 5. He denied the sinlessness of Christ's human nature and further questioned the sinlessness of His earthly behavior (Christ the Center, pp. 108-109). 6. He denied the physical resurrection of Christ, believing that the bodily resurrection is in “the realm of ambiguity,” and that it was one of the “mythological” elements of Christianity that “must be interpreted in such a way as not to make religion a pre-condition of faith.” He also believed that such things as miracles and the ascension of Christ are “mythological conceptions” (Christ the Center, p. 112; Letters and Papers from Prison, S.C.M. Press edition, Great Britain: Fontana Books, 1953, pp. 93-94, 110). 7. He believed that Christ is not the only way to God (Testimony to Freedom, pp. 55-56). 8. He was an evolutionist (No Rusty Swords, p. 143) and believed that the book of Genesis is scientifically naive and full of myths (Creation and Fall: A Theological Interpretation of Genesis 1-3). 9. He adhered to neo-orthodox theology and terminology concerning salvation (Testimony to Freedom, p. 130), was a sacramentalist (Life Together, p. 122; The Way to Freedom, pp. 115, 153), believed in regenerational infant baptism (Letters and Papers from Prison, Macmillan, pp. 142-143) as well as adult baptismal regeneration (The Way to Freedom, p. 151), equated church membership with salvation (The Way to Freedom, p. 93), and denied a personal/individualistic salvation (Letters and Papers from Prison, Macmillan, p. 156). Dr. G. Archer Weniger declared, “If there is wholesome food in a garbage can, then one can find some good things in Bonhoeffer, but if it be dangerous to expect to find nourishment in a garbage can, then Bonhoeffer must be totally rejected and repudiated as blasphemy. It is worse than garbage” (FBF Information Bulletin, May 1977, p. 12). (copied from here)

The newsletter also promotes the “National Center for Family-Integrated Churches” on pgs. 4-5.  This organization is filled with very serious false doctrines (see here.).  Vision Forum is also promoted on pgs. 4-5, despite the false gospel taught by Vision Forum, including baptismal regeneration (here and other material with a false gospel (cf. here).  You can expect to have heretics and unconverted spiritual wolves promoted in issues of the Samaritan newsletter. This is a consequence of the fact that the organization is by no means restricted to separatist Baptist churches, or even Christian fundamentalists, but includes a section of Christendom much wider than the Lord’s church.  Vast numbers of people in Christendom who are blown about with all kinds of winds of doctrine, and many who are themselves unconverted, are members of Samaritan.  If you are a Samaritan member, I would suggest giving out the gospel with your monthly check and letter of encouragement—you cannot assume the person whose need you are assisting is himself truly converted, and you certainly cannot assume that he is part of a true church.  I typically refer the person to my evangelistic and Christian website(s) (here; or here; or here).

2.)   New Age “Medicine” and Quackery

You should expect, not only the promotion of false teachers, but also the promotion of all kinds of New Age medicine and simple quack nonsense in the Samaritan newsletter, influencing the impressionable for evil among the people of God.  I have never read an issue of the Samaritan newsletter that warns against any New Age or quack therapy or promotes scientific medicine or the Biblical practice of the scientific method over quackery or the New Age.  Sometimes issues do not promote any treatments at all—those are a relief. Whenever something is promoted, medical science seems to be out in the cold, and quackery is in.  The February issue is, unfortunately, no exception in its promotion of New Age “medicine” and quackery.  For example, on pgs. 8-9 a book is promoted by a lady who discovered what herbs would heal her child by praying that God would teach her and make her child hungry for whatever foods would help him most.  God answers prayer, but would you want to fly in a plane if you were told, “This plane has not been rigorously tested as to whether it will fly or not based on the laws of gravity, etc.; however, we have prayed that God would help us design it in such a way that it will fly”?  God has designed the world so that we can subdue and have dominion over it by rigorous testing of evidence—that is, the scientific method, which this lady did not pursue. Nevertheless, the idea that she discovered herbs that cure malaria and heal liver damage because of an e-mail testimony from some people in Uganda (pg. 9) is mentioned.  Real science does not rely on testimonials—it employs placebo-controlled trials.  Testimonials can “prove” absolutely anything.  The lady ended up starting a quack herbal supplement company and writing a book promoted in the Samaritan Ministries newsletter.  Her company, Mountain Meadow Herbs, also promotes people such as the New Age quack Hulda Clark (here), advocate of the New Age practice of bio-energetic testing (see the expose of New Age energy medicine here.).  Clark also claimed to be able to cure all cancer in five days and that one should stop radiation, chemo, etc. because she had the cure for all cancer; see: here.  She led many to an early death until she herself died of cancer in 2009, but she continues to be promoted by organizations such as Mountain Meadow Herbs.  It is extremely dangerous for someone who has cancer to be influenced by such garbage as was promoted by Mrs. Clark—but Samaritan Ministries promotes her advocates.  Indeed, on pg. 6 of their newsletter a special diet is mentioned that has “success . . . in treating epilepsy . . . diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and autism.”  Do you want to commit unintentional suicide, or encourage a fellow believer to die early?  Then listen to Samaritan Ministries and think that adopting a faddish diet will cure your cancer.

I wish I could say that the February issue was the only one promoting the New Age and quackery, but it is not so.  The January issue spoke about a conspiracy to cover up the "truth" that "all root canals are infected" (pg. 9) and recommended the quack practice of biological dentistry.  Furthermore, Samaritan has just elected to its board a gentleman who owns a health-food store that promotes quackery, even what is really the ultimate in quack nonsense and also a plain-as-day New Age error, homeopathy;  see here and here for the promotion of homeopathy at their health-food store;  the book Homeopathic Medicine at Home is listed under "Great Books" in their store here.  Much more, unfortunately, could be said.

Following the pseudo-medical nonsense advocated in the Samaritan newsletter can bring you under the chastisement of God for fellowship with the demons dancing with the New Age.  You might also die young.  You are almost certain to be a bad steward and throw away the Lord’s money on junk, as well as filling your head with falsehoods.  It is most unfortunate that Samaritan promotes the anti-Christ New Age movement and quackery in this fashion.  I think the fundamental idea of Christian health-sharing is wonderful, and Samaritan is superior to medical insurance that funds abortion, etc.  However, you should reject the false teachers, the New Age junk, and the quackery promoted in its newsletter.  Anyone who is part of Samaritan ministries should be warned about these extremely dangerous errors, so that they are not led astray from the truth, do not dishonor God by accepting New Age lies, do not die young, and do not waste the financial resources with which God has entrusted them.

Some reliable resources exposing New Age medicine and quackery are here.

If you are a member of Samaritan Ministries, and you are opposed to the New Age, quackery, and the promotion of false teachers, I would encourage you to politely contact them here.  I do not believe that they are deliberately promoting misinformation or assisting the devil with the promotion of the New Age but are doing it unintentionally.  Please show them the respect due to professing Christians, those who profess to be adopted by God the Father through Jesus Christ by the Spirit.  Please also consider letting others you know who are members of Samaritan about these issues with the ministry.

-TDR