Handbook of religion and health

Abstract

Handbook of Religion and Health. By Harold G. Koenig, Michael E. McCullough and David B. Larson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. 712 pp. $65.00 (cloth). The sheer size of this book and its price may intimidate many parish clergy, and this would be a shame. Now more than ever there is a need for religion and science (and specifically health science) to be in conversation with one another. Religion and science grew out of the same discipline in our distant past. Hospice and hospitals are creatures born out of the church's ministry to those in need. Illness was often thought to have a spiritual basis. Since the Middle Ages, science and religion have grown apart, with attitudes ranging from mistrust to hostility. Partly because of the immense amount of possible reading material available both to clergy, lay professionals, and health care workers, and because of the demands on their limited time, it is uncommon for someone in either field to be familiar with the literature of the other. Times are beginning to change, with a new level of interest in the church's ministry of healing and new attention being paid by medical professionals to the spiritual or human side of medicine. This volume is a significant contribution to the conversation and one which can be of great value in a variety of church settings. The thirty-three chapters are arranged in seven sections. The first section distinguishes between religion and spirituality, and reviews the history of religion, medicine, and science during the past 8,000 years. The second section covers the generally subjective views about faith and medicine which have been put forth on both sides. References to the Bible and to other written materials claiming to show how faith can heal are reviewed alongside the writings of Freud and others who consider religious faith and practice to be detrimental to one's health. This section sets the stage for the review of the more objective, scientifically based published accounts which follow. The third section explores research in the area of mental health and religious involvement. The authors propose a model of how religion is indeed capable of influencing mental health. The fourth section deals with physical disorders, including health behaviors such as smoking, and weight control. The fifth section deals with the relationship between religion and wellness, specifically disease prevention, compliance with prescribed treatment, and the use of health services. The sixth section examines the foregoing research and models in light of their implications for both religious and health care professionals. This includes how parish clergy, parish nurses, and others in a parish health program might apply this to their practice. Section seven outlines the needs for future research. As complete as this volume is, all of the work done to date also serves to demonstrate how little we genuinely know about the interaction between faith and medicine, and suggests some directions in which researchers and others need to head. The final section is a review and critique, in chart form, of the over 1,600 studies contained in this book. The references section includes the bibliographic citation which would enable anyone to order copies of an entire article through a local library. The Episcopal Church has several explicit citations. The priest Elwood Worcester coauthored a book with a physician early in the twentieth century which began the Emmanuel Movement-the first organization of religious health care professionals. …