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

During the prayers for healing a person may use the gift of tongues to pray asRespondent 2 suggests.Respondent 2 (URC) said ‗If you have the gift of tongues, you can use it during ahealing session‘. To pray in tongues is to have communication with God that is onlyunderstood by the initiated, those who can interpret tongues. This is the time when thehealer will be told what to pray for and how to pray although the person seeking prayerand healing may be seeking healing for something else.‘In a brief interview with a member who attended the prayer meetings and at the end ofone meeting this conversation took place. The conversation indicates that there is a beliefthat the gift of healing is afforded to some people and not to others. In this extract sheindicates that Benny Hinn, an international evangelist, has the „gift‟. It is not clearwhether she meant the gift of tongues or the gift of healing.Extract from a conversation with a church member following a COGIC prayer meeting(fieldnote1)Respondent (not formally interviewed): What are you studying? Do you visit all thechurches?Interviewer: I am looking at the church‘s approach to spiritual healing. People go tohospital and the church prays for them to be healed. Church members and the ministervisit people in hospital and pray for healing for those who are sick. I want to find outhow all of this works and what people have to say about it all. It appears that people donot really like to talk about spiritual healing although they pray for the sick.243