MO514: The Ministry of Physical Healing (4 units)

Pablo A. Deiros, Professor of History of Mission
Winter 2004 Pasadena

DESCRIPTION:

Today a revolution in the field of physical healing is taking place around the world. Traditional medicine is being challenged by alternative approaches, and a new awareness of the importance of spiritual factors in the therapeutic process seems to prevail. The general purpose of this course is to train and equip leaders to carry out the ministry of physical healing in fulfillment of the mission that the Lord has entrusted to the Church. This issue will be addressed from a theoretical and practical perspective taking into account the various theological, historical, and missiological interpretations Christians around the world have given to this issue.

The course will emphasize the Christian concept of health, the healing ministry of Jesus, physical healing through the centuries, and the healing ministry of the church—a ministry that continues to be the major resource to solve basic human problems both inside and outside the Church. Other topics to be covered include the pursuit of a whole life as an expression of the fullness that is in Christ and the place of suffering in human life from a biblical and theological perspective. Emphasis will be placed on prayer and the exercise of spiritual gifts as a means for ministering.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• Recognize physical healing as an integral part of the mission given to the church in the world.
• Reflect on the biblical, theological, historical, and missiological foundations of the physical healing ministry of the church.
• Articulate effective ways to minister physical healing as part of their commitment to serve the Lord and the world through the church.

COURSE FORMAT:

The course will meet as a ten-weeks regular course. It will include lectures, basic research projects, extensive readings, and class discussions.

REQUIRED READING:

Baxter, J. Sidlow. Divine Healing of the Body. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1979.
Hale, W. Daniel and Richard G. Bennett. Building Healthy Communities through Medical-Religious Partnerships. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkings University Press, 2000.
Kelsey, Morton. Healing and Christianity: A Classic Study. Minneapolis, Minn.: Augsburg, 1995.
Koenig, Harold G. Is Religion Good for Your Health? The Effects of Religion on Physical and Mental Health. New York: The Haworth Press, 1997.
Koenig, Harold G., Michael E. McCullough, and David B. Larson. Handbook of Religion and Health. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Larson, D. B., and S. S. Larson. The Forgotten Factor in Physical and MentalHealth: What Does the Research Show? Rockville, MD: National Institute for Healthcare Research, 1994.
Maddocks, Morris. The Christian Healing Ministry. London: SPCK, 1981.
Martin, Bernard. The Healing Ministry in the Church. Richmond, VA: John Knox Press, 1960.
Numbers, Ronald L. and Darrel W. Amundsen. Caring and Curing: Health and Medicine in the Western Religious Traditions. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000.
Sanford, John A. Healing and Wholeness. Ramsey, NJ: Paulist Press, 1977.
Thomas, Leo. The Healing Team: A Practical Guide to Effective Ministry. New York: Paulist Press, 1987.

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. Read a total of 1,500 pages from the required reading and selected bibliography and submit a signed reading report.
2. Five reports (5 pages each) describing cases of physical healing in your own ministerial experience or in the experience of others, with emphasis on the role of the prayers of the church.

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.

Last Date Edited: October 1, 2003