Founded in 1882 by a distinguished group of Cambridge scholars, the Society for Psychical Research was the first of its kind to examine allegedly paranormal phenomena in a scientific and unbiased way. It sought to understand unusual events and abilities commonly described as 'psychic' or 'paranormal.’ Its former presidents reflect the high scientific, scholarly and academic approach they pursued – they include philosophers Henry Sidgwick, C.D. Broad, Henri Bergson and H.H. Price; Prime Minister A.J. Balfour; psychologists William James and F.W.H. Myers; physicists Sir William Crookes, Sir Oliver Lodge and Lord Rayleigh; physiologist and Nobel Laureate Charles Richet; classicist Gilbert Murray; zoologist Sir Alister Hardy; and parapsychologist J.B.Rhine.

Their stated areas of research are these: ‘The principal areas of study of psychical research concern exchanges between minds, or between minds and the environment, which are not dealt with by current, orthodox science. This is a large area, incorporating such topics as extrasensory perception (telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition and retrocognition), psychokinesis (paranormal effects on physical objects, including poltergeist phenomena), near-death and out-of-the-body experiences, apparitions, hauntings, hypnotic regression and paranormal healing. . . . .’

Clearly they do not embrace a Christian epistemology or theology, and their conclusions are, therefore, bound to differ from Christians. Nevertheless, their scholarly approach contains some helpful insights and this particular paper deserves careful consideration.