The concept of healing power in the African Initiated Churches (AICs) with special reference to the Vaal Triangle
Abstract
This mini-dissertation is an attempt to investigate the concept of healing power in the African Initiated Churches (AICs) in the Vaal Triangle Region. Healing as an important discourse in the Bible is regarded as one of the major aspects of church growth among the AICs and tends to be influenced by a number of factors. Healing as a common practice in the AICs in the Vaal Triangle is being evaluated against the biblical historical discourse. The Old Testament healing narratives as well as those of Jesus Christ and the Apostles in the New Testament are being discussed in comparison with those in the AICs. However because of the influence of the African Traditional Religion (ATR) in the AICs, the research project intends to investigate the degree of both the biblical influence and that of the ATR in healing amongst the AICs in the Vaal Triangle region. The literature review in the second chapter studied the biblical and the theological aspect of healing. An exegesis of some biblical passages that might have a bearing on the AICs healing practices is briefly done especially those that are commonly applied during healing services in the AICs. Healing as a concept has therefore helped the project to differentiate those that have more lenience to the “Spirit baptism” experience from those that are mostly influenced by the ATR beliefs systems. The historical role of women in the aspect of healing in the AICs was highlighted. The hermeneutical processes in the AICs play a very important part of shaping the theology and the preaching in the AICs. The African way of living and the historical context finds relevance in approaching sicknesses and their causes in a different way to other cultures. Hence the manner in which the African people deal with sicknesses and diseases influences their faith. A historical study of Exorcism in Church history has been discussed and since it is a common feature in the AICs, the healing practices and methods are very important to note. The AICs use of water as an important agent in healing, directed the project to carefully study the biblical narratives and check as to why the AICs make use of water baptism in exorcism and then compare it with exorcism from the ATR practices and methods. The use of mundane objects apart from water, versus the laying on of hands strikes an important note in the sense that the AICs make use of these objects while water is of course mentioned many times in the bible. On that point, the mundane objects are viewed as replacing muthi that is commonly used in the ATR. An empirical study done among few AICs in the Vaal Triangle found out that even though the beliefs in African Traditions is common, there are two different streams when coming to the concept of healing. The conclusions and recommendations give rise to do further studies in investigating why women who played and continue to play a very important part in the aspect of healing in the AICs are restricted in certain AICs.
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- Theology [793]