I really didn’t know what I was getting into with Exploring the Paranormal: Miracles, Magic, and the Mysterious. Written by Dr. R. Alan Streett, professor emeritus of biblical theology at Criswell College, the book is a reflective, topical memoir of Streett’s lifelong experience and fascination with the paranormal. Streett’s life and experiences take several sharp turns, putting him in some unlikely places, consistently forcing him to evaluate and refine his beliefs about the supernatural. 

 

Streett divides Exploring the Paranormal into four parts, reflective of the four primary ways in which he has approached the paranormal throughout his life. First, in his early life, he was wholeheartedly accepting of the paranormal and occult. Second, after a conversion to Christianity, he became convinced that all occultism and such was demonic. Third, after some time, he came to believe that many spiritualists and psychics were not playing with supernatural forces at all but faking their experiences. And then fourth, he comes to believe that the supernatural (perhaps better termed super-physical and sub-conscious) can be utilized for human improvement. 

 

While those first three parts are more memoir, the latter is a philosophical and practical exploration of Streett’s current beliefs—particularly in how psychic phenomena and mentalism can affect our physical well-being. Exploring the Paranormal goes into some detail about brainwave activity and such, but the most interesting thing to me, something I wish had been further developed, is how the presence of faith (a decidedly spiritual and supernatural thing) affects our well-being. This final part deserves to be a book in and of itself. 

 

The majority of the book details Streett’s coming to faith, his interest in the paranormal, and his experiences with seances and the like. Throughout the engaging story of Streett’s life, we glimpse some insights into the rise of occultism in the twentieth century and how it both dovetailed and contrasted with certain elements of Christian thinking. Streett’s personal connections and measured tone keep the book from mirroring some of the fearmongering “Satanic Panic” of the time and shows how many in the occultic world were those who were seeking spiritual realities. 

 

Overall, the book is a fascinating journey of how beliefs ebb and flow throughout life. Streett’s memoir and by extension his life is both a challenge and a caution to embrace the spiritual and supernatural, awakening us to realities beyond the physical.