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workplace and difficulties in gaining promotion in employment seemed like a contributoryfactor in the high incidence of hypertension and stroke (Balarajan et al.1989) in Black andethnic minority populations, a correlation confirmed by the 1991 Census (Raleigh andBalarajan, 1994). Their regular attendance at church, seeking healing through forgivenessas well as physical healing, is indicative of a resilience that vaguely matches theexperience of Job. In addition to this there is the issue of suffering as a result of being in acold country where the climate is as cold as the host population.During the winter months the average attendance at church services are usually below50% of the total membership on the grounds of coughs and colds which as Calley (1965),remarked more than forty years ago, may be is sufficient grounds to keep the person athome or in bed. My research shows that there are usually more requests for prayer for sickmembers and relatives during the winter months. This research also found that the requestsfor prayer during the winter months were similarly frequent in the URC and COGIC. Itmay be that things have changed in the forty-five years since Calley‟s research and there ismore parity between the two races and cultures and the churches. Alternatively it may bethat there are more young people in the COGIC and more elderly people in the URC. Onemight speculate that as the incidence of hypertension and stroke is lower for the WhiteBritish population, it is possible that the level of stress is lower and therefore churchattendees do not seek spiritual healing so often for these conditions. They may however,seek spiritual healing or adopt the sick role for other conditions such as cancers.6.6 Drawing on Job as an Example of SufferingThe use of Job as an exemplar of suffering by respondents is parallel in view in itstreatment in popular theology. Atkinson (1991) offers a pastoral exploration of Job‟s story.207
„The message of Job is a comfort to us in our own suffering and healing and a model forministry to others in pain‟ and Lewis (2003) wrote „God whispers in our pleasures butshouts in our pain. It is His megaphone that arouses a deaf world.‟ The author of the bookof Job attempts to illustrate the concept of suffering, through an exploration of good andevil and how human beings can and should respond to suffering.The book of Job presents an imaginative example of suffering and healing which manyChristians view as real. The author of Job (Ch.1, vs 6-11) presents God like a King whohas a council that includes an impudent being called Satan (an embodiment of cynicism)who doubts that anyone could be God-fearing unless it was in their favour. This scenarioby the author enables him to show a healthy mind in a variety of awful situations. Whenthat mind‟s belief is challenged by the premature death of family, trust in God conflictswith the drive to preserve life at all cost. This drive to preserve life may increase suffering,albeit temporarily. For example, radiation or chemotherapy treatments for cancer oftentemporarily increase suffering. The drive to preserve or to prolong life may in somesituations be more to relieve the suffering of relatives and friends than of the person who isdying. Family and friends are often unable to articulate their inherent need to keep theperson alive and express their own needs through the possible needs of the sufferingperson. Job‟s wife is a possible example. (Job 2). She was unable to see or to experiencewhat Job was experiencing or to visualize the real outcome of his death, yet she was readyto encourage him to seek death by rejecting God. Job responded by regarding her asspeaking like a foolish woman which is not the same as saying she is foolish or wrong. Jobdeclares that she is presenting him with a similar option to the situation that he is alreadyexperiencing. He does not know what the next day will be like, anymore than he knowswhat death will be lior him or for her. It could be interpreted that Job‟s wife was208
Page 1:
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
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One of the original churches which
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communion table. To the right of th
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Minister used an acronym to illustr
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GloriaPrayer for grace or collectSc
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service whilst URC church attendees
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mainstream Christianity, their doct
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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
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 and 190: came across as though he was presen
Page 191 and 192: very important for this.On occasion
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: „Whatever the educational attainm
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
Page 241 and 242: when the healer petitions God in pr
Page 243 and 244: health and the ways in which hospit
Page 245 and 246: showing lethargy in praying, failin
Page 247 and 248: know when you have stomach ulcer yo
Page 249 and 250: ministers like Harris (2002) 3 . Th
Page 251 and 252: Healing services in the URC are mor
Page 253 and 254: Respondent: You have to have the gi
Page 255 and 256: psychological effect of knowing her
Page 257 and 258: Chapter 2, without taking some posi
Page 259 and 260: Prayer for distant healing takes pl
Page 261 and 262: Although prayers for healing are sa
Page 263 and 264: The healing services also include f
Page 265 and 266: 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
Page 333 and 334:
Bentham, J., (2001ff, originally 18
Page 335 and 336:
Department of Health, (1999) Saving
Page 337 and 338:
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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