An investigation into the phenomena and practices of spiritual ...

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CHAPTER FOURTHE PEOPLE AND THEIR BACKGROUNDTHE CONTEXT OF THE THEOLOGY OF HEALING IN THECHURCHES4.1 IntroductionThis chapter gives the context for the inferences to be drawn from observation during datacollection. It describes and briefly explores the context and the environment of spiritualhealing by examining the background of the people, and the development and environmentof the churches, the URC and the COGIC in the study and prepares the ground for lookingat the question of power, authority and control in Chapter 5. It is imperative to develop anunderstanding of spiritual healing which both takes account of the interpretation of eventsby the congregation themselves, and is located clearly in the current social situation andthe historical development of each church (even where that historical context is notimmediately known to the congregation). Both the COGIC and the URC trace their warrantfor engaging in spiritual healing to the account of the outpouring of the Holy Spiritnarrated in Acts. The different ways in which this belief is expressed is related to thecultures of the members of each congregation.As noted in previous chapters, Christianity within each congregation in this study is acomplex structure of learned, yet adaptable practices and knowledge. The sociallyconstructedcultural representation of Christianity within COGIC is predominantly Afro-Caribbean in style, whilst in the URC it is European in style. However, they can map eachother‟s practices onto one another and borrow them, so we can now often see an animated93
musical Pentecostal style of worship also in White-majority churches.The background of the people in the two churches where healing takes place is expressedin the physical surroundings of the interiors of the churches, For example, the inside ofthis URC White majority church, is decorated in pastel colours which seems to reflect amore subtle, cold temperament among the people, whereas the inside of the COGIC, theblack majority church is decorated with bright vibrant colours of gold and reddish brownwhich is indicative of the vibrant temperament of the culture of those in the congregationand the church leaders.The available literature on the Pentecostal movement is still relatively scanty compared tothe literature on other Christian churches such as the URC. The older pastors in BlackPentecostal churches will be much less familiar with academically written histories of theirtradition than URC ministers. An oral rather than a written tradition of passing informationfrom generation to generation on the premise that the information is true is still practisedamongst many West Indian groups.4.2 Pentecostal Doctrine of healingThis section outlines the Pentecostal theology of healing. This is a fundamental part of thedistinctive nature of Pentecostal theology and praxis. Having established the relevance ofcultural settings to the codification of religious doctrine, the chapter will proceed toidentify the main theological differences between the Pentecostal tradition and otherdenominations that need to be understood in order correctly to interpret observation ofhealing meetings.94
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Greenwich Academic Literature Archi
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AcknowledgementsI extend much grati
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Chapter 3: Methodology 633.1 Introd
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7.3 Prayer as Health Seeking Behavi
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CHAPTER ONEINTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT
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healing, bricolage and the use of s
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To remedy these gaps in the discour
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do with me‟ so she sent me to sch
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Interestingly, after 30 years of pr
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listening to a group of people that
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that I felt within the Black majori
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Chapter 3 describes the methodology
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espondents‟ perception of sufferi
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CHAPTER TWOLITERATURE REVIEW2.1 Int
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themes, it became necessary to revi
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suggests a combined approach where
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and healing as a kind of self-impro
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eports that the English believed th
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According to Davey et al (2002) ill
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deviant behaviour. The difference b
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church concretised the ideas of rel
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theology. It is no accident that th
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concept of culture we inevitably do
Page 51 and 52: When we look at the effect of cultu
Page 53 and 54: to help us to understand the totali
Page 55 and 56: information about the association a
Page 57 and 58: when emotional wounds are healed or
Page 59 and 60: climatic conditions, shelter and a
Page 61 and 62: cancers has been documented by Phil
Page 63 and 64: concepts of reality and destiny are
Page 65 and 66: healer intentionally through a proc
Page 67 and 68: attachments that meet humans' funda
Page 69 and 70: distinguish from mental disorders.
Page 71 and 72: take a phenomenological and ethnogr
Page 73 and 74: coming but her method is not primar
Page 75 and 76: from posters on the church notice b
Page 77 and 78: Healing services in both churches f
Page 79 and 80: Qualitative method can, however, be
Page 81 and 82: 3.5 Problems of participant and non
Page 83 and 84: difficulties that were to be presen
Page 85 and 86: isolating experience was certainly
Page 87 and 88: not necessarily addressed through t
Page 89 and 90: It may not be possible for all the
Page 91 and 92: signed to their awareness and appro
Page 93 and 94: Consequently the practice relating
Page 95 and 96: problem free. Ethnography requires
Page 97 and 98: ecommended by the Pastor. When they
Page 99 and 100: The greater proportion of females i
Page 101: difficulties involved in constructi
Page 105 and 106: The different emphases in soteriolo
Page 107 and 108: literature may remain in its infanc
Page 109 and 110: does not mean „Pentecostal‟ nor
Page 111 and 112: church, the cultural differences we
Page 113 and 114: umbrella of churches. The leaders c
Page 115 and 116: local autonomy, the majority of Con
Page 117 and 118: The post-1905 Pentecostals saw thei
Page 119 and 120: the Holy Ghost). Interestingly the
Page 121 and 122: the churches they are busy breaking
Page 123 and 124: friends started to meet in the home
Page 125 and 126: such as COGIC, have developed a str
Page 127 and 128: the church group to strangers. In t
Page 129 and 130: and illustrate the oral tradition o
Page 131 and 132: 4.8.1. Description of the inside of
Page 133 and 134: The order of service below is based
Page 135 and 136: forgiving note may signify partial
Page 137 and 138: Table 3 Organisational hierarchy of
Page 139 and 140: One of the original churches which
Page 141 and 142: communion table. To the right of th
Page 143 and 144: Minister used an acronym to illustr
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Page 147 and 148: service whilst URC church attendees
Page 149 and 150: mainstream Christianity, their doct
Page 151 and 152: on the project and make requests to
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made to integrate the white people
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‗Garlic is good for reducing high
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4.13 ConclusionThis chapter began w
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organization. This role can only be
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5.3 The Authority and Power of the
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to become approved (professional) m
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majority. In recent years with Brit
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leadership although it is about aut
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Azusa Street outpouring in 1906. Af
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other who wal sorderly, and not of
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Although the Holy Spirit was presen
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Respondent 3 covered topics includi
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Respondent 10 (below) has similar v
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of rejection by the host community
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ehaviour model. In this situation,
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and they feel. It is not everybody
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many sections of society. It also s
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people. These qualities, however, a
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came across as though he was presen
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very important for this.On occasion
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CHAPTER SIXSUFFERING AND HEALING6.1
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mind body and spirit implies that i
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suffering. Most of these situations
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Respondent: Not for my sister she h
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man to repent and return to the cre
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clotting treatment. After the treat
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gift of miraculous powers go with t
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What I teach on this matter is, tha
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The bible does not condemn, forbid
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possibility of impending change in
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prayer or they are rested. What is
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„Whatever the educational attainm
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„The message of Job is a comfort
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he has questioned God‟s purposes
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pray for them. In the words of seve
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demonic forces. Explanations of spi
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In the observation example quoted a
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employed by the mother had she live
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healing. Worthington et al. (2007)
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in the account of a young mother in
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y not having a normal relationship
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and not related to any one cultural
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prayer to ma e me better‟, as tho
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Non-academic, or „popular‟ Chri
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when the healer petitions God in pr
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health and the ways in which hospit
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showing lethargy in praying, failin
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know when you have stomach ulcer yo
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ministers like Harris (2002) 3 . Th
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Healing services in the URC are mor
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Respondent: You have to have the gi
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psychological effect of knowing her
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Chapter 2, without taking some posi
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Prayer for distant healing takes pl
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Although prayers for healing are sa
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The healing services also include f
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The method and processes of closing
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7.7. ConclusionThis chapter has exa
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This chapter was born out of observ
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website (http://www.stonybrookmedic
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For those who reject traditional Ch
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hands on the forehead of each perso
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The minister also invited the rest
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service closed with silence accompa
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In this respondent‟s‟ account,
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Below are brief parts of extracts p
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service was when the speaker came t
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observed believed the aura of the h
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Ministers/healers of these two cong
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constituent of worship even where t
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to herself, and argues that music h
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could not read or write. Such music
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linking the psychic/mythological an
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group coordination through rhythmo-
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People can become so involved in a
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visual and auditory areas which act
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Campbell (1998) argue that as music
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The extracts from fieldwork notes b
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In COGIC the singing is accompanied
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when I was ill. Then my mum died th
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The passage cited from Respondent 1
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CHAPTER TENCONCLUSION AND RECOMMEND
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etween health professionals and chu
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The initial aim of the study: „to
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part of worship services a priority
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health professionals and spiritual
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are culturally conditioned rational
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professionals. Despite the differen
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prominent amongst people who attend
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ReferencesAchterberg, J., (1985) Im
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Bentham, J., (2001ff, originally 18
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Department of Health, (1999) Saving
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Hall, S., (1985) “Religious Ideol
Page 339 and 340:
Katz, J. J., (1990) Metaphysics of
Page 341 and 342:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/artic
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Pullar, P., (1988) Spiritual and La
Page 345 and 346:
Comparative Perspective, Berg, Oxfo
Page 347 and 348:
International, London and New York.
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