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

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only with further theological study I came to realise how the difference between themainstream Protestant eschatology of the URC, and the “last days” eschatology of thePentecostals may have affected their expectations of healing (c.f. Gerloff, 1992).The Pentecostal church was chosen as a research site as I visited this church with my niecewho is a member. I was a visitor for about three years and I understood that the church hada bible school attached. When I asked the pastor of my own Pentecostal church (notCOGIC) to recommend a bible school he recommended the bible school that was attachedto COGIC. It seemed an appropriate and convenient site where I could use conveniencesampling method for the research (Silverman 2004). I wrote to the director of the bibleschool and sent a copy of my research proposal and requested permission to use the churchas a research site. I received a letter agreeing to this, giving me some guidance onsensitivity to the congregation and wishing me success in my studies.Many black majority churches such as COGIC still primarily practise an oral traditionwhere the order of the service is not written, unlike the URC where the order of service iswritten and the minister follows this order at each service. There is however, clearly anorder of service which is mainly directed by the lead Pastor who is present at all servicesunless he is ill even though he does not participate to any large extent in the service.During the service if the selected moderator of the service is uncertain about the order ofthe service the Pastor is present for guidance. If the service becomes disorderly the pastorwill take over from the person who has been chosen to moderate.After starting the observations the researcher then requested that she should personallyinform the church attendees at the Pentecostal church. This was after she had no response65
from posters on the church notice board, given out at services, announcements by thePastor and the church secretary, requesting for volunteers to contact her directly if theywere interested in the study topic. This contrasted with the effect of a similarannouncement at the URC church meeting after which the researcher received severaloffers of interest in the study topic. The URC church meeting was an open meeting thatcould be attended by anyone who attended the church although only church members wereallowed to vote on topics that required a vote. The Pentecostal church has a more closedcommittee of where only church members are allowed to attend.My visits to the COGIC bible school provided me with insight into Christian study whereprayer and singing form part of the activities of studying. This is the same for manyChristian churches where a study of the bible is part of regular activities. The students ofthe Bible school are avid researchers; however they do not bring this aspect of their life tothe church in a transparent way. For example, completing a degree in Divinity does notgive them any recognition in the church. Any progress in an educational setting is personaland is not regarded as an achievement for the benefit of the church as an organization,unlike some organizations where it is recognized that outside education of the memberscontributes to progress of the organization.The URC was chosen because a COGIC affiliate Pentecostal church worshipped in thebuilding, that belonged to the URC and they often had joint services. One importantdifference from COGIC was that COGIC practiced “Believers‟ Baptism” of adults,whether or not they had undergone a ceremony of baptism as an infant. The URC ministerhowever felt that although he could not, as a minister of the URC, perform what he saw asa “re-baptism” on an adult who had been baptized as a child, he believed that if a person66
Page 1:
Greenwich Academic Literature Archi
Page 4 and 5:
AcknowledgementsI extend much grati
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Chapter 3: Methodology 633.1 Introd
Page 8 and 9:
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
Page 24: Chapter 3 describes the methodology
Page 27: espondents‟ perception of sufferi
Page 30 and 31: CHAPTER TWOLITERATURE REVIEW2.1 Int
Page 32 and 33: themes, it became necessary to revi
Page 34 and 35: suggests a combined approach where
Page 36 and 37: and healing as a kind of self-impro
Page 39 and 40: eports that the English believed th
Page 41 and 42: According to Davey et al (2002) ill
Page 43 and 44: deviant behaviour. The difference b
Page 45 and 46: church concretised the ideas of rel
Page 47 and 48: theology. It is no accident that th
Page 49 and 50: 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: coming but her method is not primar
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 and 102: difficulties involved in constructi
Page 103 and 104: musical Pentecostal style of worshi
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
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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
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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
Page 257 and 258:
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
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
Page 273 and 274:
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,
Page 283 and 284:
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
Page 295 and 296:
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
Page 313 and 314:
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
Page 343 and 344:
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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