There is a wide variety of medical treatments available for the Christian today. But a growing sector of medicine is what is commonly called “alternative medicine”. It is alternative because it is different from traditional western style medicine. Even Chinese medical practices are considered alternative even though it is called “Traditional Chinese medicine.”

With such a wide choice available to today’s Christian, what is best practice and what is biblical? In the strictest terms, the traditional church therapy of seeking healing from the Lord is considered alternative to the world’s standard. And although much can be discussed about validity and the perfect way of seeking healing and health through biblical means, this article is not for that deposition. I will leave it with this thought that I firmly believe God heals today as He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And if He healed in the past, He will certainly heal today and tomorrow. One of God’s names is Jehovah Rapha – I Am the God Who Heals. The book A More Excellent Way by Henry W Wright provides a thorough examination of how God intends us to live in health and wholeness.

However, when discussing alternate medical practices today, I intend to look at two of the most popular practices that Christians face.

Acupuncture

The first is Acupuncture. The origin of acupuncture is Chinese Taoism. Taoism is the philosophical system evolved by Lao-Tzu and Chuang-Tzu that advocates a life of complete simplicity, naturalness, and non-interference with the course of natural events in order to attain an existence in harmony with the Tao, or life-force. It is closely related to Hsuan Chaio, which is a popular Chinese religion that purports to be based on the doctrines of Lao-Tzu, but which is actually highly eclectic in nature and characterized by a pantheon of many gods, superstitions, and the practice of alchemy, divination, and magic.

In this Chinese philosophy/religion, there are two principles. The first is the “yin,” which is negative, dark, and feminine, and the second is “yang,” which is positive, bright, and masculine. The interaction of these two forces is thought to be the guiding influence for the destinies of all creatures and things. One’s fate is under the power of the balance or imbalance of these two forces. Acupuncture is a mechanism practiced by adherents of Taoism that is used to bring the “yin and yang” of the body into harmony with Tao.

While the underlying philosophy and worldview behind acupuncture is decidedly unbiblical, that does not necessarily mean the practice of acupuncture itself is against the teachings of the Bible. Many people have found acupuncture to provide relief from pain and other ailments when all other treatments have failed. The medical community is increasingly recognizing that in some instances, there are verifiable medical benefits from acupuncture. So, if the practice of acupuncture can be separated from the philosophy/worldview behind acupuncture, perhaps acupuncture is something a Christian can consider. Again, though, utmost care must be taken to avoid the spiritual aspects behind acupuncture. Most acupuncture practitioners genuinely believe in the Tao/yin-yang philosophy that is at the origin of acupuncture.

The important issue here is separation for the born-again believer from any and all practices that would bring them the danger of bondage to counterfeit religions. Ignorance of evil is a danger and the more we inform ourselves as to the true origin of the Eastern philosophies and practices, the more we see that they are rooted in superstition, occultism, and false religions that are in direct opposition to God’s Word. Can a valuable medical procedure be invented by a non-Christian? Of course! Much of Western medicine has its origin in practices/individuals that were just as unchristian as the developers of acupuncture. Whether or not the origin is explicitly Christian is not the issue. What procedures we subject ourselves to in search of healing/relief from pain is a matter of perspective, discernment, and conviction, not dogmatism.

Reflexology

The second common alternate medicine is reflexology. Those who practice reflexology hypothesize that the body contains an energy field, invisible life force, or “Qi,” the blockage of which can prevent healing. Reflexology, although seemingly innocent, is rooted in anti-biblical and unchristian Eastern beliefs, and has been rejected by modern science for lack of empirical proof of its claims. Reflexology, which the New Age movement has made popular, is based on the idea that there is a cosmic energy inside of everything, including our bodies. This energy is the very “material” of both creation and deity, and when in proper balance and focus, humans can supposedly realize personal divinity for themselves. Such a belief in personal divinity, or an acceptance of other religions and beliefs, though, rejects the God of the Bible (Exodus 20:3).

Behind the technique of reflexology is the belief that not only do the pressure points of the foot engage specific parts of the body, but they affect the living energy within a person as well. Some people might argue that they practice reflexology without the mysticism, but this is impossible, for in reflexology, it is the energy that is the link between the foot and the other parts of the body. To divorce the practice from the belief is to just give a foot massage, NOT to practice reflexology

The Scriptures exhort us to “test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). When put to the test, practices such as reflexology, which are rooted in anti-biblical beliefs, clearly fail. In fact, practicing reflexology can be seen as giving approval to the all-encompassing energy teachings of such religions as New Age and Hinduism, which are diametrically opposed to biblical Christianity. Whereas Scripture does not condemn alternative medicine such as reflexology specifically, the Scriptures do condemn teachings that remove God as the sole, sovereign Creator, and Savior (Exodus 20:4-5), which reflexology clearly does.

So what is the Christian to do? Above all we cannot allow ourselves to be influenced by any philosophy or doctrine that is contrary to the Bible. We must be discerning and cautious but also we must not allow ourselves to be frightened by the world. Just as Paul said that eating food offered to idols was acceptable, so are many things for us; but remember Paul also said that if it would cause your brother to stumble then we must refrain from doing so.

Above all, we must look to the Lord Jesus Christ for our source of healing, strength, and wholeness for He is truly the more excellent way. We must be extremely careful not to allow ourselves to be like Israel when they worshipped in the temple and then went off to worship Baal afterwards as insurance because everyone else did. We are supposed to be different, and to be the light and salt to show the world the way out of darkness, to point to the only one who can truly heal and save – Jesus.

Reinhard Erb is a senior consultant in an accounting firm. He enjoys preaching, singing, watching movies, and reading. Originally from Switzerland, he now lives in Brisbane with his Chinese-Australian wife, Christie.

The New International Version of the Bible has been referenced.