A megachurch in Missouri is facing criticism after the church reported that a woman’s amputated toes regrew after a prayer session in what the church is calling a “miracle.”
James River Church Pastor John Lindell said in a livestream last week that a “creative miracle” had happened at the church’s Joplin campus.
According to The Christian Post, Lindell said a woman, Kristina Dines, saw her toes grow back.
Lindell said Dines, a mother of four children, lost her toes after her ex-husband shot her three times in 2015. She was in a coma for two months following the attack. Her best friend, Carissa Gerard, was killed the shooting.
Dines’ ex-husband, Stephen Thompson, was found guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree domestic assault and two counts of armed criminal action.
"Her injuries included the need to have three toes amputated. ... Kelly, who serves on the prayer team, told her that the Lord wanted to grow her toes back tonight. So, Kelly had her take off her shoe and anointed where each of the toes would be and began to pray," Lindell said. "The skin began to change color. Pretty soon, there was a pulse in the foot that she could feel. All of a sudden, Krissy said, 'Are you kidding me?' And they saw the toes begin to grow."
He said, “bone began to form where there was none before."
"As the ladies prayed for Krissy over the next 30 minutes, all three toes grew, and by that point, were longer than her pinky toe. Within an hour, nails began to grow on all the toes," he said.
Dines has said she doesn’t have a “before” photo of her foot, and she hasn’t allowed anyone to photograph the allegedly regrown toes.
Guest pastor Bill Johnson, a pastor at Bethel Church in California, was part of the “healing” prayer event and told his church that a doctor, who is married to one of the women who prayed for Dines, examined her foot.
Meanwhile, criticism of the healing has arisen online, with one man, who has elected to stay anonymous, launching a website, ShowMeTheToes.com, asking for proof.
"I am 100 percent against faith healers. ... If it happened, they should be able to present proof," the man told The Daily Beast. "They exploited her."
Photo courtesy: Unsplash/Priscilla Dupreez
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
