PENTECOSTALS, HEALING AND ECUMENISM

Abstract

AbstractThe significant Pentecostal participation in the recent (2002‐3) conferences on faith and healing in Ghana and Chile is placed within the historical context of Pentecostal ecumenical involvement throughout the history of Pentecostalism. Pentecostals have dialogued and cooperated with‐the ecumenical movement, with whom there has sometimes been an uneasy (and even hostile) relationship. However, Pentecostalism has not lived up to the high ecumenical ideals of its founders. Real ecumenism is defined by the unity of all Christians, and Pentecostalism's tendency to exclusivism and divisiveness on the one hand, and the World Council of Churches' (WCC) reluctance to involve them on the other have impoverished the global church. These problems have been exacerbated by Pentecostal identification with “conservative” evangelicalism and by the ostracism of those Pentecostal) who have participated in the ecumenical movement. Yet, the Charismatic movement since the 1960s, and an increasing number of joint dialogical conferences have weakened the polarisation.The subject of healing, particularly that of “divine healing” of physical illness, has always been central to Pentecostal beliefs and practices, but it is one where there are at least as many questions as answers. This was reflected in the consultations. The differences were surprisingly few, and both Pentecostal and older church representatives expressed serious concerns regarding the practices of dome Charismatic “healers”. The WCC, which historically has tended to concentrate on medical missions, has long recognized the importance of Pentecostalism to the subject of healing. This was especially true in the South, where healing is far more important to the Christian community than it is in the North. In the Accra consultation, this was illustrated by the exposure visits undertaken by participants to healing and “deliverance” centres, and the case studies presented of healing practitioners.