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The lasT decade has seen a growing global

interest in alternative healing popularised in

  the west by Dr Deepak Chopra. In 1998 alone,

Americans spent 32 billion dollars on alternative

healing.

South African shopping malls and suburban

homes have become new healing centres. Local

book stores are stacked high with mind-body-spirit

literature and magazines advertise a variety of 

alternative healing services. Even the traditional

Sunday Service TV is replaced with a New Age

spirituality in which all religions and alternative

healing is offered without bias in a user-friendly

manner.

Hundreds of alternative healing products

and methods are offered such as acupuncture,

homeopathy, aromatherapy, Reiki, chiropractics,

guided visualisation, psychic healing and

shamanism. Some practices are natural, holistic

 therapies providing an alternative to clinical drug 

based treatments. Others have ancient mystical

roots, whilst others bring healing and personal

spirituality in a New Age unity. In the midst of 

 this new awakening is a global multi-billion dollar

industry promising alternative healing.

Examining altErnativEs

The Church’s response to the subject of 

alternative healing ranges from extreme rejection,

labelling all alternative healing practices as

What’s theALTERNATIVE?

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by D sey auu

60 TodaY SEPTEMBER 2009

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2009 AUGUST TODAY 6

eastern, New Age and therefore demonic

 to the other extreme of indifference. This

is a complex topic requiring educated

discussion based on biblical reasoning 

and deep sensitivity to those in and

outside the church.

How  should Christians deal with

alternative healing? The apostle Paul

advised that we need to “examine

everything carefully and hold fast to that

which is good,” (1 Thes 5:21). At the

same time as we are firm in defending 

our faith we do this with a spirit of gentleness and respect (1 Pet 3:15). In

 this journey we will start by examining the

roots of western medicine; why there is

a growing interest in alternative healing 

and how this new spiritual landscape can

be a postmodern missionary ground for

people seeking God in foreign places.

WHAT IS ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE?

This has no easy answer. In the last

decade it referred to all treatments not

 taught to doctors of western (allopathic)

medicine. However this definition ischanging as 34 of the 125 medical

schools in the US including Harvard

now teach alternative healing courses

in an emerging discipline known as

complementary or integrative medicine.

What is considered alternative healing 

in western society is an integral part of 

other cultures and traditions. Alternative

medicine originates from the traditions

of ancient cultures such as China and

India. Larimore and O’Mathna in their

book Alternative Medicine: The Christian

Handbook  give examples of ancient

medicine. The Chinese had over 16000

healing preparations. In South Africa too,

African traditional medicine is finding a

respected place. Every ancient culture

has a rich tradition of healing practice

integral to these societies.

To what extent these practices are

effective, or not, present a different

discussion. Alternative healing is not

regulated to the same standards

of western allopathic medicine. Its

practitioners are a mix of highly trained

professionals to self proclaimed

neighbourhood healers. Despite the

limited scientific proof of effectiveness

many people still seek out alternative

healing reporting varying degrees

of success. Their need for healing 

extends beyond clinical proof to deeperdimensions of personal and holistic

wellbeing.

WHY IS IT ATTRACTIVE?

Modern medicine has made

remarkable contributions to global

health bringing under control once

deadly epidemics such as small pox,

yellow fever, leprosy, malaria and scarlet

fever. Despite the success of biomedical

medicine we paradoxically have an

increase in health conditions not easily

understood or treated by our modern

scientific model. These include cancer,

strokes, heart disease and mental

illness.

The age of Modernism replaced faith,

customs, tradition, magic, witchcraft

and sadly also the Church as a healing 

community with scientific rationalism.

‘Seeing is believing’ became the motto

of the scientific age in which God was

rejected.

In our postmodern age there is

disillusionment with the promise of 

rationalism. There is a deeper hunger for

personal spirituality and holistic healing.

People are desperate to be heard,

 touched and compassionately ministered

 to without judgment or dogma or clinical

precision. They are experiencing this in

alternative healing communities. In the

midst of this mission field, many churches

are still offering quick fix positive thinking 

solutions, entertaining programmes and

clinical efficiency; everything desperateseekers are running away from in modern

society.

We will examine a Christian response

  to alternative healing in a series of 

discussions over the next months. We will

discuss what we stand for as Christians

and not only what we’re against. In doing 

  this we will systematically examine the

major systems of alternative healing;

understand how they work; what their

roots are and their consistency with a

biblical view of health and healing. We will

also explore ways of discerning the manyavailable practices. Most importantly we

will constantly consider the restoration of 

 the Church as a healing community.

Dr Stanley Arumugam is a Counselling

and Community Psychologist. He can

be contacted at stanley_arumugam@

yahoo.com.

Seeing isbelieving becamethe motto of the

scientic age

I should examine everything •

and hold on to what is

good.

God is the ultimate Healer.•

“I am the Lord who heals•

 you,” (Exodus 15:26).       S     T      O      C     K     T     A     K     EWHAT CAN I LEARN

FROM DR STANLEY?