Diagnostic and Prescriptive Prophecy in African Independent Churches: A Distinct Ritual Healing Process.

Abstract

African Independent Churches express Christianity in the African context through divine healing. Hence, divine healing is popular among these churches. This article uses the ritual healing process as a theoretical framework to assess the role of prophecy in African Independent Churches. The argument is that both diagnostic and prescriptive prophecies are used in these churches as part of the divine healing process differently than mainstream Christianity, traditional healing, and modern medicine. Therefore, the African Independent Churches, unlike mainstream Christianity, do not confine divine healing only to conventional methods such as laying on of hands, but also include other rituals through diagnostic and prescriptive prophecies. The research objectives were achieved by providing background to the ritual healing process as a theoretical framework for the study. The diagnostic prophecy was discussed as part of the healing process in the African Independent Churches. Similarly, the prescriptive prophecy concerning the healing process was discussed. The aim is to demonstrate that both diagnostic and prescriptive prophecies are part of the ritual healing process in the African Independent Churches, which makes the latter have a distinctive healing process when compared to mainstream Christianity, traditional healing, and, to a certain extent, modern medicine. Data was collected by reviewing the literature on ritual healing and prophecies in the African Independent Churches. A case study evaluated ritual healing in churches such as Zion Christian Church, Saint John Apostolic Faith Mission, and the International Pentecost Holiness Church. The findings are that African Independent Churches do rely on diagnostic prophecy to trace the root cause of the problem but that such a prophecy and prescriptions should be differentiated from divination and other traditional healing methods.