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A Journey Into Prayer: Pioneers of Prayer in the Laboratory: Agents of Science or Satan?

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Bill Sweet, the author of this book, probably greeted the recent news about medical researchers at Duke and Harvard collaborating with popular spiritual author Deepak Chopra and Unity president Tom Zender to form a center for prayer research with a bewildered but satisfying smile and shake of the head. Such a reaction would have resulted from the fact that the article, which appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, ignored the pioneering research concerning the effectiveness of prayer carried out by Bruce and John Klingbeil, the father-son team founders of the Spindrift organization, beginning in 1969 and continuing until their strange deaths in 1993. Sweet's book is about the Klingbeils and Spindrift.

As Sweet, a former president of Spindrift, explains, it is now politically correct to research prayer, but it wasn't politically correct when the Klingbeils were conducting their research, between 1969 and their strange deaths in 1993.

The two men had become full-time researchers in 1975 and found little financial support in their endeavor. For lack of financial support, they were forced to move from Illinois to Salem, Oregon. But it wasn't only a lack of financial support that frustrated and depressed the Klingbeils. According to Sweet, Bruce Klingbeil's name was removed from the Christian Science Journal listing of practitioners in late 1983, devastating him and putting him out of work. He had been a full-time practitioner, his primary duty being to pray for people to heal. His motivation to pursue prayer research was a result of seeing people drift away from the spiritual approach to healing and life in general. Meanwhile, John Klingbeil was so dedicated to his father's work in prayer research that he passed up a full math scholarship to Northwestern University so he could devote full time to working with his father.

"With few exceptions, theologians and laity alike have felt Spindrift's prayer testing was irreverent, and some even thought it was anti-Christian," Sweet explains, going on to opine that even spiritual people become your enemy when laboratory science is offered to support the anecdotal evidence underlying faith.

The Klingbeils developed some 70 different tests of thought and prayer, many of which strongly suggested that prayer forms "subtle mental imprints" on the physical world and creates a certain order in the physical universe. Their objective was to prove and explain the relationship between prayer and healing. Their focus was botanical experiments, as praying for plants did not involve the conscious or subconscious variables that might influence results with humans.

Sweet saves a summary of the experiments for the appendix of the book. The main body of the book is more about the dedication and devotion along with the trials and tribulations of the Klingbeils. As their research successes mounted, so did their frustrations, eventually leading to a double suicide. As it was definitely contrary to their deep religious and spiritual beliefs, the suicides were particularly mysterious. While foul play was ruled out, Sweet concludes that some kind of negative energy was behind the suicides.

The Spindrift story is a very interesting, informative, and intriguing read, especially with regard to the negative reaction of religion in a pursuit that supposedly lends itself to its cause. The book does not offer organized religion an opportunity to directly voice its opposition, and we are left to conclude, as Sweet puts it, that "what made the Klingbeils so controversial was that they actually tested some sacred powers in the laboratory."

Once I picked up A Journey Into Prayer, I couldn't put it down. While reading it, I experienced a wide range of emotions - much of it anger and dismay. I was also inspired. This book is a masterpiece that reads in parts like a novel. But this book is not fiction; it's a documentary on Spindrift, the prayer research organization that dared to investigate the science behind prayer and healing. Between the lines, I perceived the fear of religionists and scientists. It seemed that both had a vested interest in keeping the truth obscured. For the church, to attempt to test prayer is heresy - to study it scientifically is foolhardy. But the evidence speaks for itself - there is a measurable influence between prayer and healing. I hope courageous religionists and scientists will take up the task of fully exploring this vital area. If they do, it is clear that they will be reviled, criticized, persecuted, sanctioned, and scorned. But the cat's out of the bag now. Bruce and John Klingbeil sacrificed their lives to prove a point. And what a point they proved - prayer and consciousness can affect living things locally and nonlocally. Prayer can heal. Healing through prayer and meditation is part of every religious tradition. It is ironic then, that religious people so strongly objected to Spindrift research and persecuted Bruce and John Klingbeil.

I hope a major publisher picks up the rights to this book. It should be required reading for every college student with a science or philosophy major. The persecution Spindrift endured is not unique for controversial issues. The scientific establishment and academia are often guilty of being fully vested in the traditional order, squashing new ideas when they conflict with entrenched theory. Religion has much to lose if it is determined that their way is not the only way. Bruce and John ran head first into that buzz saw.

Many thanks to author, Bill Sweet, for making this book come to life. It should be a call to arms for those still possessing a seeking mind for the truth, no matter where it might lead us. This book is a somber reminder that even though we live in an age with computers and space flight, our emotions and desires are not so highly evolved. Prayer is mysterious and it is powerful. Why does it work? Like it or not, we're going to find out.

Charles Atkins, Author
Modern Buddhist Healing

Bill Sweet manages to give you a feel for the idealistic and tragic story of the Klingbiels, two Christian Science believers who decided to attempt rigorous field tests of prayer. Sweet's love for the protagonists allows him to treat their foibles, moments of inspiration, and occasional discouragement with a gentle hand.

The story is well presented but not an "easy read"; the topic is so personal and the story so engaging you'll want to digest it slowly. Buy the book and take a few days to consider ot carefully.

This book tells a very interesting, true, journey of deep spiritual conviction. The men described in this book were dedicated to proving the effect of spiritual, prayer healing here in our lives. They walked a difficult path because they wanted so much to share the love they felt for others hungry to know, with certainty, that prayer heals. I recommend this book to anyone considering the relationship between prayer and science.