I think that there are enough credible stories to lead an open-minded person who is not wedded to a materialistic worldview to think that in our times (not just in biblical times) there are events that can be called miraculous by my definition of the term (an event that goes against what we would expect to happen apart from the operation of some extraordinary power). Some events strongly suggest the operation of powers other than those recognized by contemporary scientific accounts.

Thinking that there are powers that produce events that seem anomalous from a scientific point of view does not lead all the way to God. But if there are powers other than God’s that might lead to remarkable events, we can be more open to levels of reality beyond our ordinary understanding of physical causality. Viewing the world through a lens that is shaped by materialist assumptions conditions us to filter out aspects of reality that don’t fit with these assumptions.