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

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For example, when praying for cancer victims it is perfectly valid if the Lord lays it on youto command the cancer to ‗DIE‘ in the Name of Jesus and to ‗condemn‘ in the Name ofJesus. The implication is that the cancer is some form of demonic force and you would beamazed how often it works, but you must know from the Lord whether that is the way topray or not. This is gift of healing working with all the other gifts of the Holy Spirit.‘This speaker may approve of speaking in tongues, but his views on members with thediscerning power of the Spirit are not so far from those of the liberal theologian Moltman(1997:19) who wrote: “Where Jesus is, there is life, sick people are healed, sad people arecomforted and the demonic spirits are driven out”. Lirr (1989), he sees the healer, notnecessarily the minister as a window through which the transaction of healing takes placein two directions. -God, the healer on one side and the person seeking healing on the otherside.Spiritual healers in the observed congregations are not allowed to accept financial rewardfor administering healing during services. This situates the relationship between patientand healer outside of the material exchange of conventional medical practitioners.5.5.3 Becoming a Member and Learning to HealMembership of both churches is to a large extent under the power and control of theminister, although recommendations for membership come from other sources such asinfant baptism records and other ministers. The process of becoming a member in COGICand URC is outlined in section 4.11. Transfer of membership from another church withineach organization uses broadly the same mechanisms for adults with establishedmembership. As people enter on the responsibilities of church membership, they alsoembark on a journey of learning how to heal. In COGIC the symbolism of foot-washing is181
very important for this.On occasions when there is a visiting speaker the order of the service may change toaccommodate the speaker on the instruction of the Pastor. Healing through humility isencouraged through the act of washing another person‟s feet. All members in bothChurches are allowed to participate in the healing service by extending their arm towardsthe person receiving healing although there are specific people who are regarded as healingministers. The healing minister may not be the same person as the Pastor/Minister.Carr (1989) sees this pastoral transaction as something like the reconciliation of thedivergence between black and white, or worker and boss, or even men and women with adeconstruction of underlying problems, as in a psychoanalytical approach, but driven by anunderstanding and sense of the presence of the operation of the Holy Spirit. As inpsychoanalysis, the process of learning to heal has to occur at the same time as the wouldbehealer receiving the gift of healing for them. The style of worship in the PentecostalChurch (COGIC) where the ‟minister‟ facilitates the activity of healing, emphasizes thatthe primary healing required, celebrated in every worship service, is atonement andforgiveness of sin.5.6 ConclusionThis chapter has discussed the way in which the theology of the spirit legitimates thespiritual healing practices of the two congregations observed. These beliefs and practicesmean that the state of health of those seeking spiritual healing is to some extent under thepower of leaders. Within these congregations, by and large the leaders take a holistic viewof health. Health for them is not merely a state of biological (homeostasis) balance; it isalso a spiritual state. Therefore, the ministers believe firmly in a place of spirituality for the182
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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
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When we look at the effect of cultu
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to help us to understand the totali
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information about the association a
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when emotional wounds are healed or
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climatic conditions, shelter and a
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cancers has been documented by Phil
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concepts of reality and destiny are
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healer intentionally through a proc
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attachments that meet humans' funda
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distinguish from mental disorders.
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take a phenomenological and ethnogr
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coming but her method is not primar
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from posters on the church notice b
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Healing services in both churches f
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Qualitative method can, however, be
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3.5 Problems of participant and non
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difficulties that were to be presen
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isolating experience was certainly
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not necessarily addressed through t
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It may not be possible for all the
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signed to their awareness and appro
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Consequently the practice relating
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problem free. Ethnography requires
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ecommended by the Pastor. When they
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The greater proportion of females i
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difficulties involved in constructi
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musical Pentecostal style of worshi
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The different emphases in soteriolo
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literature may remain in its infanc
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does not mean „Pentecostal‟ nor
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church, the cultural differences we
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umbrella of churches. The leaders c
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local autonomy, the majority of Con
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The post-1905 Pentecostals saw thei
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the Holy Ghost). Interestingly the
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the churches they are busy breaking
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friends started to meet in the home
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such as COGIC, have developed a str
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the church group to strangers. In t
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and illustrate the oral tradition o
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4.8.1. Description of the inside of
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The order of service below is based
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forgiving note may signify partial
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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
Page 153 and 154: made to integrate the white people
Page 155 and 156: ‗Garlic is good for reducing high
Page 157 and 158: 4.13 ConclusionThis chapter began w
Page 159 and 160: organization. This role can only be
Page 161 and 162: 5.3 The Authority and Power of the
Page 163 and 164: to become approved (professional) m
Page 165 and 166: majority. In recent years with Brit
Page 167 and 168: leadership although it is about aut
Page 169 and 170: Azusa Street outpouring in 1906. Af
Page 171 and 172: other who wal sorderly, and not of
Page 173 and 174: Although the Holy Spirit was presen
Page 175 and 176: Respondent 3 covered topics includi
Page 177 and 178: Respondent 10 (below) has similar v
Page 179 and 180: of rejection by the host community
Page 181 and 182: ehaviour model. In this situation,
Page 183 and 184: and they feel. It is not everybody
Page 185 and 186: many sections of society. It also s
Page 187 and 188: people. These qualities, however, a
Page 189: came across as though he was presen
Page 193 and 194: CHAPTER SIXSUFFERING AND HEALING6.1
Page 195 and 196: mind body and spirit implies that i
Page 197 and 198: suffering. Most of these situations
Page 199 and 200: Respondent: Not for my sister she h
Page 201 and 202: man to repent and return to the cre
Page 203 and 204: clotting treatment. After the treat
Page 205 and 206: gift of miraculous powers go with t
Page 207 and 208: What I teach on this matter is, tha
Page 209 and 210: The bible does not condemn, forbid
Page 211 and 212: possibility of impending change in
Page 213 and 214: prayer or they are rested. What is
Page 215 and 216: „Whatever the educational attainm
Page 217 and 218: „The message of Job is a comfort
Page 219 and 220: he has questioned God‟s purposes
Page 221 and 222: pray for them. In the words of seve
Page 223 and 224: demonic forces. Explanations of spi
Page 225 and 226: In the observation example quoted a
Page 227 and 228: employed by the mother had she live
Page 229 and 230: healing. Worthington et al. (2007)
Page 231 and 232: in the account of a young mother in
Page 233 and 234: y not having a normal relationship
Page 235 and 236: and not related to any one cultural
Page 237 and 238: prayer to ma e me better‟, as tho
Page 239 and 240: 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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