Healing in the African Independent Churches

FRANCIS ANEKWE OBORJI HEALING IN THE AFRICAN INDEPENDENT CHURCHES An Encounter between Traditional Religiosity and Christianity? The present flourishing of meetings or prayer assemblies for healing in Africa challenges us to analyze that phenomenon more accurately in relation to the general practice of healing in Christianity, especially in view of Jesus’ words to the disciples: “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils” (Mat- thew 10:8). The prayer centers for healing have continued to spread in various parts of Africa and are organized not only by unskilled laypeople but also by priests and bishops of established churches. This phenomenon, however, is best seen in the African Independent (or Initiated) Churches (AICs). In fact, some wri- ters on African Christianity and traditional religion claim that the African Inde- pendent Churches represent a true African religiosity through which the incultur- ation of the Christian faith in the continent could be anchored. One is thus led to ask: What type of relationship exists between the true religiosity of traditional Africans and that of the AICs? Do AICs indeed represent a true African religiosity or are they a deformation or transformation of that religiosity? Similarly, what is the notion of prayer and healing in the Christian tradition in relation to the present practice of healing in the AICs? Related to these questions are the dangers involved in basing African Christianity on the spirituality of work- ers and seekers of miracles. How do we relate the effort to base African Chris- tianity on the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ with the present upsurge of healing centers on the continent? Underneath all this is the actual reality of Africa with its concomitant challenges of the ministry of healing and human promotion. This is what shall occupy us in this article. The article intends to initiate a dialogue between the practice of healing in AICs and the true religiosity of the traditional Africans in relation to the Christian faith.1 In doing this, the article will ex- plore the origins and the rise of AICs in Africa. The intention here is to unveil the history and motivations in the birth of the AICs in Africa vis-à-vis the true religiosity of Africans and then deal with the positive contributions or elements of the 1 What will be argued in this paper may not, of course, apply to all AICs, many of which have a long and honourable history. However, my research and contacts with or- ganizers and members of many AICs have led me to the argument I maintain in this article. 182 HEALING IN AFRICAN INDEPENDENT CHURCHES AICs that could enrich the traditional practice of healing in Christianity. We will approach the topic in the following order: a) basic issues, b) historical and cultural background, c) characteristics, d) regional subdivisions, e) healing in the New Testament and the Christian tradition, and e) the challenges of the encounter. Basic Issues The issue of prayer and healing received new accentuation in the recent document from the Vatican, Instruction on Prayer and Healing (IPH), which expresses con- cern about some forms of appropriating some elements from other traditions. Thus IPH recounts that the experience of praying for health can be found in every period of the church’s history and, of course, also today. What is to a certain extent new is how the number of prayer meetings, sometimes coupled with liturgical celebrations, is increasing today for the purpose of being healed by God. On various occasions and not at all sporadically cases of healing are reported, thus increasing the expectancy that this will occur at other similar meetings. At times the claim is that a so-called healing charism is present. At the same time this longing for happiness is to be valued. It is deeply rooted in the human heart and has always gone together with the desire to be free from illness and to understand the meaning of illness once it has been experienced. The teaching of the Catholic Church, for example, views illness as one way for the sick person to live in union with Christ, as a spiritual purification and, for those who care for the ill person, a chance for them to practise charity. The church also teaches that illness and other human sufferings are a privileged time of prayer for obtaining God’s grace, being able to accept God’s will in faith, and also to pray for healing. How can this be discerned in the present religious reality and in the way healing is done in the AICs? Another basic problem is that the African worldview influences the theological understanding of healing. The question of the spiritual realm as an essential aspect of reality and the cause of illness may be a problem for Christians from elsewhere but not for Africans. The African worldview explains ultimate reality and life in terms of spirit rather than of the flesh. Therefore, if one’s worldview is that of the post-Enlightenment and modern (Western) era, then one would have great diffi- culty in appreciating the emphasis being placed on spirit possession and healing in most of the AICs. In other words, the AICs raise the question of whether world- views should not be understood in cultural and theological terms? Indeed, the practice in the AICs is challenging the post-Enlightenment worldview, which is based on the belief that everything requires scientific proof and explanation. This post-Enlightenment belief is very devastating particularly for the understanding of healing ministries in the AICs because it excludes the spiritual realm as well as the reality of miracles. 183 STUDIES IN INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE 15 (2005) 2 There is also the issue of the relation between healing and power and healing and faith. This raises the question of the values and functions of healing and miracles in the Christian tradition and as practiced by Jesus in his earthly ministry. What are the significant values and functions of miraculous healing performed by Christ? How do we relate Jesus’ practice of healing with the present practice as found in the AICs? Related to the above is the question of how one is to rediscover the tradition of healing and the experience of the early church. This is where consultation and theological exchange among the churches are very important for sharing the experience of existing healing traditions (liturgical, sacramental, prayer, etc.) as well as helping to rediscover the forgotten ones. We are also confronted with the issue of how to evaluate the influence of AICs on African Christianity so far and to assess its contribution to the healing practices of the church in general. What is the relationship between healing and sacraments, healing and liturgy, healing and counseling, healing and psycho-therapy, healing and medicine, healing and poverty alleviation, etc.? Should there be room for the variety of healing practices without disregarding standard medical treatment and the administration of the sacraments? Related to this is the question of who can exercise the ministry of healing? Some argue that up until now the ministry of healing has been narrowed to solely the responsibility of the priest or pastor. Thus, it is argued, churches should provide the structural room for gifts of healing to be cultivated. People should be taught about healing as a spiritual gift and the ones who have it should be encouraged to use it. The ones who use it should, however, be guided by more experienced ministers and the teaching of the church on healing ministry in order to avoid abuse of this spiritual gift. The paschal mystery of Christ, the crucified Son of God who emptied himself for the salvation of the human race, should be the model for using the power of healing. All this points to the need for room in the liturgy and life of the church for witnessing and sharing the experience of healing. These issues, arising from the phenomenon of healing in AICs, present us with some basic questions: Is one healed because of belief (faith) in Christ? Or does one believe because he is healed? Is it faith or the miracle of healing that we need in our evangelizing work? Furthermore, how do we relate healing to the theology of the cross? What are the goals of healing? Do we truly need to organize prayer meetings in order to obtain healing? What type of relationship exists between the healers and the believing community? What is the import of healing in Christian mission? These questions are closely interrelated, for our knowledge of the relationship between healing and faith will lead us to the central place of the paschal mystery of Christ and the salvific value of suffering in healing ministry. The church’s ministry of healing as a sign of the reign of God inaugurated in Christ is derived from 184 HEALING IN AFRICAN INDEPENDENT CHURCHES the efficacy of the resurrection. In other words, Christ is both the author and goal of the church’s healing ministry. Historical and Cultural Background Generally speaking, scholars tend to identify two main stages in the historical de- velopment of the AICs: a) the prophetic churches of Central Africa; b) the healing churches in West and East Africa. Together they are called African Independent or Initiated (or Healing) Churches. Both stages share almost the same characteristics. Again, the rise of these churches in contemporary Africa has been sub- divided into two historical periods: colonial and post-colonial. The first (the colonial period) is typically associated with messianic movements that were fighting the colonial regime, strongly demanding independence for their countries.

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