Inner Healing Movement

Last updated

The Inner Healing Movement refers to a grassroots lay counseling movement among Christians of various denominations.

Contents

History

Agnes Sanford (1897–1982) is considered to be the mother of the inner healing movement. Along with her husband, she founded The Agnes Sanford School of Pastoral Care in 1958. [1]

The inner healing movement is also often compared and associated with Inner Healing and Healing of Memories. Other people who feature prominently in its history are Ruth Carter Stapleton, [2] Leanne Payne, Francis MacNutt and Charles Fillmore. A number of organizations are currently active, including Elijah House, [3] Ministries of Pastoral Care, [4] and Sozo Ministries. [5]

Concerns about memory work

Theophostic Prayer Ministry (TPM) techniques and other inner healing models that incorporate memory work have become popular. However, some have concerns about these approaches with some of their underlying principles being compared with those of Recovered Memory Therapy (RMT). [6] In the Journal of Psychology and Theology, Spring 2004, Christian psychologist David Entwistle summarized some concerns associated with Theophostic methods: 'TPM follows in the lineage of "healing of memory" techniques, though it departs from that lineage in a number of important respects. Numerous concerns exist surrounding insufficient attempts to ground TPM in biblical concepts; inadequate and often flawed explanations of basic psychological processes; dubious claims about the prevalence of DID, SRA, and demonic activity; estimates of traumatic abuse that exceed empirical findings; and the failure to sufficiently appreciate the possibility of iatrogenic memory contamination.' [7]

TPM and others, such as De Silva and Liebscher of Sozo ministry, denounce the use of memory recovery as described in the above concerns. Practitioners of their methods that have strayed from the standard teaching seem to be the source of these concerning practices.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anointing of the sick</span> Religious anointing/sacrament

Anointing of the sick, known also by other names such as unction, is a form of religious anointing or "unction" for the benefit of a sick person. It is practiced by many Christian churches and denominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unity Church</span> Religious denomination

Unity is a spiritual organization founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore in 1889. It grew out of Transcendentalism and became part of the New Thought movement. Unity may be best known for its Daily Word devotional publication begun in 1924. Originally based in Christianity with emphasis on the Bible, Unity more recently has said it offers "positive, practical Christianity" and describes itself as "for people who might call themselves spiritual but not religious."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth E. Hagin</span> American preacher (1917–2003)

Kenneth Erwin Hagin was an American preacher. He is known for pioneering the Word of Faith movement.

Theophostic Prayer Ministry was developed in the United States during the mid-1990s by Ed Smith, a Baptist minister.

In some schools of popular psychology and analytical psychology, the inner child is an individual's childlike aspect. It includes what a person learned as a child before puberty. The inner child is often conceived as a semi-independent subpersonality subordinate to the waking conscious mind. The term has therapeutic applications in counseling and health settings. The concept became known to a broader audience through books by John Bradshaw and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Prince</span> British evangelical missionary

Peter Derek Vaughan Prince was a Bible teacher whose daily radio programme, Derek Prince Legacy Radio, is broadcast around the world in various languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Carter Stapleton</span> Sister of Jimmy Carter

Ruth Carter Stapleton was an American Christian evangelist. She was the youngest sister of United States President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter’s best friend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacramental</span> Ritually blessed object or action

A sacramental is a sacred sign, a ritual act or a ceremony, which, in a certain imitation of the sacraments, has a spiritual effect and is obtained through the intercession of the Church. Sacramentals surround the sacraments like a wreath and extend them into the everyday life of Christians. Sacramentals are recognised by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Church of the East, the Lutheran churches, the Old Catholic Church, the Anglican churches, Independent Catholic churches, and Methodist churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas C. Oden</span> American theologian and author (1931–2016)

Thomas Clark Oden (1931–2016) was an American Methodist theologian and religious author. He is often regarded as the father of the paleo-orthodox theological movement and is considered to be one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. He was Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Theology and Ethics at Drew University in New Jersey from 1980 until his retirement in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Theological Seminary</span> Episcopal seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, United States

Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally called the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, located at 3737 Seminary Road in Alexandria, Virginia is the largest and second oldest accredited Episcopal seminary in the United States.

Agnes Mary Sanford was an American New Age writer. She is most known for founding the Inner Healing movement, a process she described as the healing of memories.

Pastoral care refers to emotional, social and spiritual support. The term is considered inclusive of distinctly non-religious forms of support, as well as support for people from religious communities. It is also an important form of support found in many spiritual and religious traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myrtle Fillmore</span> Co-founder of Unity Church

Mary Caroline "Myrtle" Page Fillmore was an American who was co-founder of Unity, a church within the New Thought Christian movement, along with her husband Charles Fillmore. Before that she worked as a schoolteacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis MacNutt</span> American priest (1925–2020)

Francis Scott MacNutt ) was an American former Roman Catholic priest. Associated with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal he was an author of books on healing prayer, including as Healing, The Healing Reawakening and Deliverance from Evil Spirits.

Jean Dalby Clift was an American priest of the Episcopal Church and a pastoral counselor in private practice. She was the author of books in the fields of psychology and spirituality. "Dr. Clift has had many roles in her life, including lawyer, spiritual director, pastoral counselor, author, lecturer, workshop presenter, priest, mother, grandmother, and poet." She lectured and gave workshops in the United States, Australia, Europe, Asia and Africa on such topics as pastoral counseling, prayer, spiritual growth, journaling, pilgrimage, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Three of her five books were co-authored with her husband, the Reverend Wallace Clift.

Below is a bibliography of published works written by Dutch-born Catholic priest Henri Nouwen. The works are listed under each category by year of publication. This includes 42 books, four of which were published posthumously, along with 51 articles and 4 chapters which are lists in process. Also listed below are 31 of the forewords, introductions, and afterwords which he wrote for others' works. Finally, the list of 32 readers and compilations continues to grow as material from his work is incorporated into new publications.

<i>Baal Shem</i> Historical Jewish practitioner of Practical Kabbalah

A Baal Shem was a historical Jewish practitioner of Practical Kabbalah and supposed miracle worker. Employing various methods, Baalei Shem are claimed to heal, enact miracles, perform exorcisms, treat various health issues, curb epidemics, protect people from disaster due to fire, robbery or the evil eye, foresee the future, decipher dreams, and bless those who sought his powers.

Sister Sarah Navaroji was a South Indian evangelical preacher and the founder of the Zion Gospel Prayer Fellowship Church. She was one of the few influential women Christian leaders of South Indian Pentecostalism.

References

  1. "The School of Pastoral Care". Archived from the original on 2018-01-04. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  2. Ruth Carter Stapleton, Time Magazine Obituary: Monday, Oct. 10, 1983.
  3. Elijah House
  4. Ministries of Pastoral Care
  5. Sozo Ministries
  6. Jan Fletcher July 2, 2003, Controversial international ministry operates from Campbellsville, "Central Kentucky News Journal".
  7. David N. Entwistle Spring 2004, Shedding light on Theophostic Ministry 1: practice issues , "Journal of Psychology and Theology".

Books