Review: A short article that needs more development
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 21, 2014
This is written on the level of a undergraduate research paper.  The author looks at several sources in the Christian canon and outside the Christian canon to assess the "effectiveness" of intercessory prayer.  He does not engage in any sociological research on the origin or practice of intercessory prayer, rather the paper consists of thinking through four or five textual sources by way of what the author seems to think is common sense.The issue he addresses is really "how effective is intercessory prayer?"  His answer is that it makes more sense to pray to God directly, but God can answer prayers by dispatching angels.The range of texts selected was strangely limited.  The author picked up Tobit and the Annunciation, but missed Matthew 18:10://"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.//And Revelations 8:4://The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God's people, went up before God from the angel's hand.//These are classic texts relating to intercessory prayer and deserved some consideration.Nonetheless, I found the discussion of Tobit to be rewarding.  I've read Tobit, but not from the angle of intercessory prayer, so the  explanation that Raphael was was "monitoring" the prayers of Tobias and Sarah was something I hadn't appreciated.// 12 So now when you and Sarah prayed, it was I who brought and read[f] the record of your prayer before the glory of the Lord, and likewise whenever you would bury the dead.//Surprisingly, since I am engaged in on-line apologetics, that insight was worth the price of admission for me.The author, Randall Morris, is a Mormon, which makes me wonder if the intention of this book is not intercessory prayers to saints or angels, so much as praying directly to Jesus.  Mormon Bruce McConkie in a March 2, 1983 speech at BYU explained the Mormon perspective as follows://I say perilous because this course, particularly in the lives of some who are spiritually immature, is a gospel hobby which creates an unwholesome holier-than-thou attitude. In other instances it leads to despondency because the seeker after perfection knows he is not living the way he supposes he should.Another peril is that those so involved often begin to pray directly to Christ because of some special friendship they feel has been developed. In this connection a current and unwise book, which advocates gaining a special relationship with Jesus, contains this sentence:Because the Savior is our mediator, our prayers go through Christ to the Father, and the Father answers our prayers through his Son.This is plain sectarian nonsense. Our prayers are addressed to the Father, and to him only. They do not go through Christ, or the Blessed Virgin, or St. Genevieve or along the beads of a rosary. We are entitled to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).And I rather suppose that he who sitteth upon the throne will choose his own ways to answer his children, and that they are numerous. Perfect prayer is addressed to the Father, in the name of the Son; and it is uttered by the power of the Holy Ghost; and it is answered in whatever way seems proper by him whose ear is attuned to the needs of his children.//So, reading this short article, my sense was that it was geared to a Mormon audience.I think the article is moderately interesting.  It's not worth $5.99, but may be worth $.99 for those with an interest in the subject.