A SPIRITUAL DIMENSION TO ILLNESS, HEALTH AND HEALING

Abstract

Good health is highly prized –often more than anything else – and huge effort is put into achieving it. Religious practices have been associated with healing for millennia. The doctrine of healing is no new doctrine; it has been in the church from the earliest ages. God was ― reviving this precious truth of divine healing to show that He is a real, personal Being.... that prayer is a power, a force, an answer—sufficient to prove that Christ is a saviour of the body as well as the soul. People pray for good health and for relief from illness. From my childhood I had heard of my dad testifying of how God saved me miraculously from the pangs of death during the early days of my birth in the hospital. This had left an indelible impression on my mind wondering at the tremendous power of God‘s healing. As I grew, I learnt through experience that there is always a spiritual dimension to illness and healing. Many countries of the global South are seeing the growth among Christian groups and churches where healing is seen as a usual part of congregational life. The healing ministry also educates us on how the Christian mission related its role in the context of colonization and globalization. This paper deals with issues relating to illness, health and healing from perspectives of Christian faith& Medical Science.