THE PLACE uF HEALING IN THE LIFE uF THE CHURCH IN LIGHT OF THE MIN IS'£RY OF JE:::>US by Margaret S. Ronaldson A.B., The College of Wooster A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF RELIGIOUS EDUC.ATIO.N in The Biblical Seminary in New York New York, N• Y. April, 1953 BIBLII:l\L SCHOOL Of THEOLOGY- . LlllU/UlY HATFifLD£ PA.. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page INTRODUCTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • iv A • The Sub j e c t • • • • • • • • • • • i v 1. The Subject Stated and Explained • • • • • iv 2 .. The Subject Justified •••••••••• o v 3. The Subject Delimited •••• o ••• o •• vii B. The Plan of Procedure • o • • • o • • • • • • viii c. The Sources of Data •••• o •••••••• viii I. THE APOSTOLIC PERIOD •• 0 • • • • • • • • • 0 • 0 l A. Introduction ••••••• o • • • • • 1 B. The Healing Power of Jesus ••• o •••••• l 1. His Life • • • • • • • • • • • o • • o • • 2 2. His Work • o ••• o •• o ••• o •••• 4 3. His Teachings. o o ••• o o o ••••• o 6 Co The Healing Po-v.rer of the Disciples Bnd Apostles 8 D. The Healing Hinistry of St. Paul. o • • • 12 E. The Healing l\iinistry of the Apostolic Church. 15 F. Su.rnrnary • . • • • . • • • . • • . • • 22 II. THE J"ITDDLE AGES AND HEFORI"TATION PERIOD CONTHASTED 25 A. Introduction ••••••• o • • • • •••• o 25 B. The r1iddle Ages and the Reformation Period Contrasted. o • • • • • o • • • • • • • • • • 27 1. The Relation of Medicine to the Healing JVIinistry .. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • o 28 2. The Role of the Confessional o ••••• o 29 a. The Institution of the Confessional •• 29 b. The Confessional AbandonedQ o •• o •• 33 3. The Absolute Pmv-er of the Papacy and the Protestant Pastor ••••••••••••• 3h a. The Absolute Po1-ver of the Papacy. • • • 34 b. The Protestant Pastor ••••••••• 36 ~-· Monks and Ivionasteries •• o •••• o ••• 38 a. The J.!Jiddle Ages o • o • • • • • • • • • 38 b. The Reformation Period. o • o .. o • • o 41 5o Nursing Orders and the Diaconate • o ••• 41 a. The Middle Ages • • • • • • • • • • •• 41 b. The Reformation Period. • • • • • • • o 1+2 c. The Diaconate •••• o •••• o ••• l.Jr3 d. Other Independent Orders ••••• o •• ~­ e. Dorothea Lynde Dix. • • • • • • • • • • L~5 f. Church-related Hospitals ........ 6. Revival of Lay Literacy. • o • • • • • • o tt~ i ii Chapter Page 7. I•1i scellaneous Healing Tecb.n.iques o • • • o • ~_8 a. Anointing with Oil • o • o ••• o • o • 48 b. Use of Relics and ShPines. • • • o • • • 49 (1) Lourdes. o •• • o o •• o ••••• LL9 ( 2) Be a up r e • • • o • • o • • • o • o • • 49 (3) PPactice in England., • • o o • o o • 50 8. Faith Healing ••• o ••••••••••• 50 9 o Healing Iviovements and Sects • • • • o o o • 51 C • S 1lnllTI.ary o • • • o a • • o • • • • • • • • • • • o 52 III. RECENT DEVELOPivL4_:1JTS IN THE HEALING HINISTRY • • • 56 A.. IntPoduc tion • • • o • o • • • • • • o • • o • o 56 B. Study of Spiritual Healing in the ChuPches o • o 57 1 o The P 1 an o • • o o o • • • o • • • • • • o o 57 2. The Subject Defined •• o o •••••• o • 57 3. The Findings Summarized o • • • o • • • • • 58 LJ-. APea Findings • • o • • • • o o • o • • • • 58 5. Variety of Diseases Reported Healed •••• 59 6. Methods Used to Effect Healing. o ••••• 60 7. Age and Sex of Persons Healed • o •••• o 60 8 .. Classification according to Denominations • 60 9. Permanency of Healings. • • • • • • • • • .. 60 10. Initiative in Spiritual Healing o ••••• 61 11. The Effect of Spiritual Healing upon the Minister. o • • • • • • • · o • • • • • • • • 61 12. The Effect upon the Patient • • • • • o • o 61 13. Experience of other Illness Since o •••• 61 14. The Practice of Spiritual Healing arnong Ninisters o • •• o ••• o •••••••• 62 15. The ?Peaching of Healing as an Integral Part of Religion. • • • • • • o • o • • • • 63 16. The Possibility of a SeminaP to Discuss Religion and Health •••••••••••• 63 17. Preparation Needed for the Practice of Spiritual Healing • • • • • • • o • • • • • 63 18. I'1iscellaneous Conclusions of the Study ••• 64 C. ii...gencies Assisting the ChuPch in her Healing Iviini s try . .. 66 1. The Corr~ission on Religion and Health ••• 66 2. The Council for Clinical Training ••• o • 67 D. Magazines •••• o • • • • • • • • • • • • o 69 1. PASTORAL PSYCHOLOGY ••••••••••• o 69 2. RELIGION AND HEALTH • • • • •• o • • ••• 72 E. Sum:maPy o • • • • • . • • • • 0 0 0 0 . • • 74 SUJ:!JIVfARY AND CONCLUSIONS • • • • • 0 0 0 • • • 0 • 76 A. Summary ••••••• • 0 • 0 • 0 0 • • • • • 76 B. Conclusions. • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 0 0 • • • 80 iii Chapter Page BIBLIOGRA.PBY. 85 A. Primary Sources. 0 • • • 0 • 0 • • • • • • • 85. B. Secondary Sources. • • • c • • • 0 • • • • 0 85 1. Books 0 • • • • . G • 0 . 0 • • • 85 ~0 Pamphlets and Periodicals 0 • • • • • 0 87 APPEj\IDIX o • • • • • • • • • • 88 1 A:. Definition of heal th. t c • • • • o o • • o • 88 B. Charles s. Braden 1 s Study of Spiritual Healing in the Churches. • • • • o • C. Prospectus for PASTORAL PSYCHOLOGY by Simon Doniger Ph.D., Editor. • • • • o • • INTHODUCTION INTrtODUCTION A. The Subject 1. The Subject Stated and Explained This thesis proposes to deal with the relation of the healing ministry of Jesus to the Church vJhich came into being through His influence. It 1-vill seek to trace the healing fu..nction of the Church through the ages to the present day, attempting to sh01...r vJhen and "tvhy it was strong and when and why it \ATas weak. Jesus left three divine imperatives for His dis­ ciples, nat11ely, to preach (IVIt. 10:7), to teach (lvrt. 28:19, 20), to heal ( Ht. 10:1) • It is about the third of these three imperatives, that of healing, that this thesis is concei'nedo The term 11 healingll herein used refers to the total health of the personality. It encompasses the health of 1 the body, mind, and soul. This concept concurs with that of DP. Paul Tillich who says: "Salvation is basically and essentially healing, the re-establishment of a whole that 2 1'1!as broken, disrupted, disintegrated. 11 • 0 0 0 0 0 1. See APPENDIX A, p. 88, fop definition of 'health.' 2. Paul Tillich: The Relation of Religion and Health. The Review of Religion, X, 1946, p. 149o iv v 2. The Subject Justified This inquiry into the healing ministry of Jesus and of His ChuPch, afteP Him, thpough the ages to the pPesent day is pPompted by the numbeP of people liJho are suffex>ing even fpom supposedly physical illness, who need not suffer (a) if it Here knmvn how to Pelease and direct to them the resouPces of the spiritual 1.vox>ld, and (b) if both ministers and doctors wePe alert and tPained to see and to Qndex>stand the eax>ly signs of psychological disturbance and to secure irnmedi ate treatment. Also the steadily increasing numbers of people tuPning to healing cults and sects to find greateP health and fullness of life has been a challenge to the Chux>ch fop 1 the past half century. This situation 1.vould indicate a 0 • • 0 • 0 1. Carl J. Sherzei': The Chu:r.•ch and Healing, pp. 206,207. Sherzex> estimates that ten million Amex>icans belong to ox> are influenced strongly by a large numbex> of small sects and individual religious leaders who are not identified lvi th any group or organization. The influence of sects and independent preachers and religious healers is an American religious phenomenon that needs to be con­ sidered. !!These sects and individuals range all the vray from those 1vi th a mixture of Oriental-Christian beliefs to those with Pentecostal-charismatic teachings. Those that specialize in healing use anointing, laying on of hands, pl"ayer, anointed cloths, and handkerchiefs, snakes, 1 h ys -'-werla,• h ypno t•lsm, Ht oucnlng,• !! exorcJ_• sm, and o -'-h~_, __ er means, depending on the wishes of the healer •• Thex>e are about fifty such groups that \vere started at one time or another by dissatisfied Methodist ministers. And since the Ic1ethodist Chu:ech does not practice anoint­ ing the sick or conduct divine healing services, that v.ras one difference that could easily become a distinguishing featur•e. Hany ministers of these groups preach t th.e full gospel', pray for the salvation of tne ministers of the more orthodox Churches, and practice divine healing. 11 vi weakness in the tx•aditional body of the C'b.-ristian Church if the efficacy of their results Here established. Thirdly, the increase in nurabers of patients in general, mental and penal hospitals and institutions in this country is a constant source of alarm and could in itself provide the sole impetus for an examination of this subject. As Harry jV.Jj_l ton Taylor says in his books Fai t:e:_ Hust Be Lived: Our ''rorld is somewhat, somehow, painful. Everyt-Jhere there is sickness and sorrow, physical agony, and . mental anguish)- It is the purpose of this. thesis to ascertain to Nhat extent the Church can minister to suffering. Can the Church expect to repeat the healing miracles of Jesus? Is it doing so? John Sutherland Bonnell, minister of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in NeH York City, comments in his book, Pastoral Psvchiatry: It r,.wuld appear, therefore, that there is a vast area to i.Vhich our ministry ought to be directed and in "Lvhich, up to the present, we have attempted little .2 He relates a conversation he had with a Nevr York surgeon \·Jho said: Tens of thousands of people visit clinics of hospitals and offices of physicians in this city every day, seek­ ing a remedy :for physical ills. There are as many sick souls in the city Hho do not come to us medical • • • 0 0 • l. Harry Hilton Taylor: Faith Hust Be Lived, p.