A Lie in My Right Hand, published under the pseudonym Cornelius, is a fascinating and relatively uncommon work examining Christianity, mediumship, spiritual healing, and psychical experience. The author has been identified as Robert Finlay, who was associated with the Churches' Fellowship for Psychical and Spiritual Studies in Scotland. The book was published by Regency Press in London in 1968.
The book brings together material concerned with the relationship between Christian faith and phenomena traditionally associated with Spiritualism and psychical research. In particular, Finlay sought to make a case for the Church taking seriously the potential value of mediumship within a Christian understanding of healing. A scholarly study discussing Finlay describes the book as essentially an anthology of readings assembled to support greater Church recognition of mediumship as a possible vehicle of healing.
Its unusual title echoes the biblical phrase "Is there not a lie in my right hand?" from Isaiah 44:20, a passage concerned with discernment, false belief, and idolatry. Against this background, the book engages with questions concerning spiritual truth, religious experience, and how Christians should respond to phenomena lying outside conventional forms of Church life.
The book explores:
Christianity and Spiritualism
Mediumship within a Christian context
Spiritual and divine healing
Psychical experiences and religious belief
Discernment and spiritual truth
The Church's response to paranormal experience
The relationship between Christian faith and psychical research
This title will appeal to readers interested in:
Christian Spiritualism and mediumship
Psychical research and Christianity
Spiritual and divine healing
Christian approaches to paranormal phenomena
Survival and consciousness studies
Historical religious responses to Spiritualism
Vintage books on alternative spirituality
Rather than needing to accept its interpretations as established fact, modern readers can approach A Lie in My Right Hand as an intriguing historical contribution to the long-running debate over whether reported mediumistic and psychical experiences can be understood within a Christian theological framework.