M.Th. / There is still great uncertainty about the role of healing in proclaiming the Gospel and in church building and development. For many Christian denominations this is still a contentious and controversial subject. Especially the differences in the theories on healing and the way in which these theories should be applied, cause many problems to come to the fore in obvious and unsettling ways. In the past few Pentecostal theologians have tried to make contributions that help to identify and solve these problems. By doing this study from a Pentecostal viewpoint, the student is hoping to aid the church in developing a theory and praxis for the healing ministry that is based on Scripture. This study is unique in the sense that it approaches the issue from the standpoint that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are an absolute necessity in developing a Scriptually sound theory and praxis for the healing ministry. It was therefore necessary first to stress the important role of the gifts of the Spirit in the ministry of Christ and the New Testament church. The study then looks at the role and influence that the gifts had in the emergence of the modern Pentecostal movement and of the AFM of South Africa. To discover whether this ministry is still functioning effectively, a questionnaire was given to believers in eight different assemblies. The information was then used to compile a list of guidelines that might be adhered to in order to maximise the usefulness of the gifts of the Spirit.

Paganism is a burgeoning belief system in the UK, which has received little attention from psychological researchers. Healing is a key aspect of modern Pagan practice, yet it too receives little attention from those investigating distance healing practices. Given the growth of Paganism in recent years these omissions from the literature should be addressed by researchers. This thesis investigates the healing practices of modern Paganism using a mixed methods approach across three phases. The first phase is a meta-analysis of existing non-contact healing research. There has been much research investigating the efficacy of various forms of non-contact healing which has resulted in reviews and meta-analysis which suggest that non-contact practices can have some positive effect upon the recipient’s wellbeing; however they also raise the issue of low study quality in this area. The most recent comprehensive review of this subject area was published in 2000; much more research has been published since then and the legitimacy of some previously published research has since been questioned. Also, such reviews focus on ‘whole’ human participants who might be susceptible to expectancy effects or benefit from the healing intentions of friends, family or their own religious groups. To address these issues an up to date, comprehensive meta-analysis was conducted that included healing studies that involved biological systems other than ‘whole’ humans (e.g., studies of plants or cell cultures) that were less susceptible to placebo-like effects and investigated the impact of study quality. Phase two employed interviews with practising Pagans regarding their spell casting practices. Eight Pagans from a variety of traditions were interviewed using semi structured interviews and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. Six major themes and 16 subthemes were extracted from the data and used to inform the design of phase three. Phase three is a randomised controlled trial of Pagan healing spells. The trial utilised a delayed intervention design. Various aspects of the trial design were informed by phase two interviews, such as the choice of outcome measure, the use of spell request forms, participant pictures and items, and scepticism measures.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-199).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1981.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1989.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1975.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1962.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1974.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, 1993. / In two volumes, teacher and student manuals. Includes bibliographies.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1985.