spirit and healing in africa - University of the Free State
spirit and healing in africa - University of the Free State spirit and healing in africa - University of the Free State
constructions of health that are generated by contextual, subjective and discursive frames in Southern Africa. On the basis of cultural and medical anthropological research, I have identified four health discourses that are prominent in the Southern African context. These health discourses are the African traditional healing discourse, the missionary medicine discourse, the HIV/AIDS discourse, and the church based healing discourse. Each health discourse offers a systematic or coherent pattern that produces an understanding of health on the basis of its particular truth claim. This means that each health discourse excludes the truth claim of other health discourses. Thus, the discursive structure of African traditional healing produces and validates the statement that illness is an indication that one’s wholeness is damaged, and that healing requires the effort of restoring the harmony of relationships within the system of ancestors, healer-diviner, kinship and environment. The discourse on missionary medicine, also characterized as Christian medicine, generates a different truth claim: illness is an indication of the patient’s sin, and healing of the body refers to the spiritual transformation of the patient. The HIV/AIDS discourse is a typical example of how the discursive frame can be renewed from within: the epidemiological truth claim about disease as a virus is affirmed and simultaneously adjusted by the beyond-epidemiological truth claim about disease as a social category. The church based healing discourse validates the understanding of healing as deliverance from evil forces by the power of the Holy Spirit. Health motifs As shown in the first part of this research (Chapters 2-5), each health discourse produces a particular understanding of healing. It is important to emphasize that each truth claim about healing is a valid understanding of healing, even though they exclude one another. That is simply given with the understanding of health as a social construct. Thus, when it comes to reflection on health and healing in the Southern African context, one has to consider these truth claims of the various health discourses, because they reveal which important motifs are centralized in African perceptions of healing. The Chapters 2-5 were designed in such a way that every chapter provided a description of each health discourse and its truth claim. From this description, a key motif was identified as the central idea about health and healing. It is thus possible to say that the main motifs in African perceptions of healing are: relationality, transformation, quality of life and power. The identification of important notions of health conceptualizations in the African context is a crucial step in the exploration of new, plural, diverse and contextual Reformed approaches to healing. The aim of the research is to broaden and suggest a revision of Reformed pneumatological reflection on healing, and the central motifs in African perceptions of healing 276
are a constructive part of it. In a sense, they function as keys to unlock Reformed pneumatological discourse for new ways of understanding the link between Spirit and healing. Engagement with pneumatological discourse After mapping African multi-layered understandings of health, the second main focus of the research is the field of Reformed pneumatology. In order to explore new ways of articulating the link between Spirit and healing, a matrix of Reformed pneumatology is needed. Faced with the dilemma of articulating a Reformed pneumatological matrix, the term ‘matrix’ refers to a dynamic collection of various strands of Reformed approaches to the Holy Spirit. By looking at particular motifs that appear regularly in these different strands, the contours of a Reformed pneumatological matrix emerge. The Reformed pneumatological motifs identified in this research are a Trinitarian perspective on the Spirit, the relational dimension of the person and the work of the Spirit, the multiplicity of the Spirit’s work, a very positive qualification of creation, the correlation of Spirit and Word, the eschatological dimension of the Spirit’s work, and the cessationist perspective when it comes to the agency of the Spirit. It became clear that the theme of Spirit and healing does not occupy a prominent place in Reformed thought, and a motif like cessationism is obviously a complicating factor in identifying a link between Spirit and healing. Yet the Reformed pneumatological matrix also offers other perspectives: the motifs of relationality, transformation, and quality of life are strongly present in the matrix of Reformed pneumatology. These motifs provide support for the link of Spirit and healing, because the same motifs are also present in the African multi-layered understandings of healing. This congruency forms the foundation for the engagement of African health perceptions with pneumatological discourse. I understand the engagement of African multi-layered understandings of health with Reformed pneumatological discourse to be a process of gathering pneumatological fragments of healing as new ways of articulating the link between Spirit and healing. Fragment 1 Spirit and relationality The notion of relationality (a key motif of the African traditional healing discourse) introduced the idea to speak about God and healing on the basis of relationships. With a focus on the Holy Spirit as the bond of love in divine communion, and as the ecstatic One who communicates God’s relational life to creaturely life, it can be concluded that the Spirit produces articulations about God and healing on the basis of relationality: the ecstatic Spirit, the bond of love, places God self in the midst of creation, meaning that God’s relational well-being touches human life in 277
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are a constructive part <strong>of</strong> it. In a sense, <strong>the</strong>y function as keys to unlock Reformed<br />
pneumatological discourse for new ways <strong>of</strong> underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> l<strong>in</strong>k between Spirit <strong>and</strong> <strong>heal<strong>in</strong>g</strong>.<br />
Engagement with pneumatological discourse<br />
After mapp<strong>in</strong>g African multi-layered underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> health, <strong>the</strong> second ma<strong>in</strong> focus <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
research is <strong>the</strong> field <strong>of</strong> Reformed pneumatology. In order to explore new ways <strong>of</strong> articulat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />
l<strong>in</strong>k between Spirit <strong>and</strong> <strong>heal<strong>in</strong>g</strong>, a matrix <strong>of</strong> Reformed pneumatology is needed. Faced with <strong>the</strong><br />
dilemma <strong>of</strong> articulat<strong>in</strong>g a Reformed pneumatological matrix, <strong>the</strong> term ‘matrix’ refers to a<br />
dynamic collection <strong>of</strong> various str<strong>and</strong>s <strong>of</strong> Reformed approaches to <strong>the</strong> Holy Spirit. By look<strong>in</strong>g at<br />
particular motifs that appear regularly <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>se different str<strong>and</strong>s, <strong>the</strong> contours <strong>of</strong> a Reformed<br />
pneumatological matrix emerge. The Reformed pneumatological motifs identified <strong>in</strong> this<br />
research are a Tr<strong>in</strong>itarian perspective on <strong>the</strong> Spirit, <strong>the</strong> relational dimension <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> person <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
work <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Spirit, <strong>the</strong> multiplicity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Spirit’s work, a very positive qualification <strong>of</strong> creation,<br />
<strong>the</strong> correlation <strong>of</strong> Spirit <strong>and</strong> Word, <strong>the</strong> eschatological dimension <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Spirit’s work, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
cessationist perspective when it comes to <strong>the</strong> agency <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Spirit.<br />
It became clear that <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>me <strong>of</strong> Spirit <strong>and</strong> <strong>heal<strong>in</strong>g</strong> does not occupy a prom<strong>in</strong>ent place <strong>in</strong><br />
Reformed thought, <strong>and</strong> a motif like cessationism is obviously a complicat<strong>in</strong>g factor <strong>in</strong><br />
identify<strong>in</strong>g a l<strong>in</strong>k between Spirit <strong>and</strong> <strong>heal<strong>in</strong>g</strong>. Yet <strong>the</strong> Reformed pneumatological matrix also<br />
<strong>of</strong>fers o<strong>the</strong>r perspectives: <strong>the</strong> motifs <strong>of</strong> relationality, transformation, <strong>and</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> life are<br />
strongly present <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> matrix <strong>of</strong> Reformed pneumatology. These motifs provide support for <strong>the</strong><br />
l<strong>in</strong>k <strong>of</strong> Spirit <strong>and</strong> <strong>heal<strong>in</strong>g</strong>, because <strong>the</strong> same motifs are also present <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> African multi-layered<br />
underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> <strong>heal<strong>in</strong>g</strong>. This congruency forms <strong>the</strong> foundation for <strong>the</strong> engagement <strong>of</strong> African<br />
health perceptions with pneumatological discourse.<br />
I underst<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> engagement <strong>of</strong> African multi-layered underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>gs <strong>of</strong> health with Reformed<br />
pneumatological discourse to be a process <strong>of</strong> ga<strong>the</strong>r<strong>in</strong>g pneumatological fragments <strong>of</strong> <strong>heal<strong>in</strong>g</strong> as<br />
new ways <strong>of</strong> articulat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> l<strong>in</strong>k between Spirit <strong>and</strong> <strong>heal<strong>in</strong>g</strong>.<br />
Fragment 1 Spirit <strong>and</strong> relationality<br />
The notion <strong>of</strong> relationality (a key motif <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> African traditional <strong>heal<strong>in</strong>g</strong> discourse) <strong>in</strong>troduced<br />
<strong>the</strong> idea to speak about God <strong>and</strong> <strong>heal<strong>in</strong>g</strong> on <strong>the</strong> basis <strong>of</strong> relationships. With a focus on <strong>the</strong> Holy<br />
Spirit as <strong>the</strong> bond <strong>of</strong> love <strong>in</strong> div<strong>in</strong>e communion, <strong>and</strong> as <strong>the</strong> ecstatic One who communicates<br />
God’s relational life to creaturely life, it can be concluded that <strong>the</strong> Spirit produces articulations<br />
about God <strong>and</strong> <strong>heal<strong>in</strong>g</strong> on <strong>the</strong> basis <strong>of</strong> relationality: <strong>the</strong> ecstatic Spirit, <strong>the</strong> bond <strong>of</strong> love, places<br />
God self <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> midst <strong>of</strong> creation, mean<strong>in</strong>g that God’s relational well-be<strong>in</strong>g touches human life <strong>in</strong><br />
277
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