Recently, Todd White, a well-known minister, shared a teaching online explaining why he believes “inner healing” is unnecessary. I feel compelled to offer a different perspective.

I believe many in the Church—including healing ministers—are physically and emotionally unwell because they’ve been taught to repress their emotions. Proverbs 17:22 tells us, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Science now confirms what Scripture has long declared: unhealed emotions can manifest as physical illness.

In my work, I’ve seen how generational trauma plays a significant role in our lives. Trauma is often passed down biologically, even through DNA. The Bible speaks of this in Exodus 20:5, where the iniquity of the fathers is said to visit the third and fourth generations. Medical professionals acknowledge this principle every time they ask about family histories of heart disease, cancer, or diabetes.

What’s more, generational trauma doesn’t always require close physical proximity to take root. Whitney Houston and her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, are a tragic example: both struggled with addiction, and both died of overdoses under eerily similar circumstances. Their unresolved pain didn’t just affect their lives—it ended their lives.

I’ve observed countless examples of people re-creating patterns from their lineage, even those separated from their birth families by adoption.

The Church is not immune to addiction or brokenness. In fact, some of the most public scandals have come from within its walls. Take the story of Ted Haggard, former leader of a megachurch and the National Association of Evangelicals. His hidden struggles with addiction and infidelity came to light in a very public way, but only after he’d lost everything did he uncover the root cause: childhood sexual abuse on his father’s ranch. I believe inner healing and deliverance could have helped him address this trauma before it derailed his life and ministry.

Inner healing is deeply Biblical. James 5:14-16 encourages us to confess our sins to one another and pray for healing. Luke 4:18 declares the mission of Christ to “heal the brokenhearted” and “set the captives free.” These passages reveal the heart of God—a desire for His people to experience wholeness, both spiritually and emotionally.

The Church often struggles to value what it doesn’t fully understand. Todd White is an evangelist, and evangelists tend to focus on salvation and outreach. But healing the heart requires a different lens. After pastoring for 20 years, I’ve witnessed the brokenness of those who’ve sat in church pews for decades—battling addictions, struggling with sexual brokenness, and repeating generational patterns they don’t know how to break.

I’ve also had the unique vantage point of traveling with many well-known ministers. Behind the scenes, I saw leaders who were bound by emotional pain, their families fractured, and their health deteriorating under the weight of unprocessed trauma. We’ve all seen the tragic fallout: burned-out pastors, emotional breakdowns, even suicides among church leaders.

This is why I believe inner healing isn’t just important—it’s essential. The Church needs an army of inner healers to walk alongside those in pain and help them find freedom. That’s why I’ve dedicated my life to equipping others for this work.

The journey toward healing is not easy, but it is worth it.

Let’s not dismiss inner healing as unnecessary. Instead, let’s embrace it as a vital part of the transformative power of the Gospel. ❤️