Western Healing Churches

Manifestations of Archaïc Processes or at Ease with Modernity/Hypermodernity

Authors

  • Régis Dericquebourg Université Charles De Gaulle, Lille

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.v2i1.105

Keywords:

Healing Churches, religious therapy, sect, healing, health, sociology of religion, modernity

Abstract

In addition to well-known old and new healing churches, such as Christian Science and the French movement Invitation to Life, many small local healing churches exist in contemporary society. In past research, I have demonstrated that the healing churches constitute a well-delimited subfield in global religions, and constructed an ideal-type of them. However, on consideration of so-called “traditional” or “primitive” societies, and consideration of healing practices in modern societies, we find spiritual healing is common to both. Thus, we may ask the question: Are the recent healing churches a resurgence of archaic healing practices? The answered depends on the application of a comparative perspective. It is concluded that the two social phenomena, healing conducted by medicine men and shamans I traditional societies and healing conducted within contemporary Wester healing churches, are cannot be equated because they are governed by two different underlying rationales.

Author Biography

  • Régis Dericquebourg, Université Charles De Gaulle, Lille

    Regis Dericquebourg got a master in clinical psychology at the University of Paris VII and a Ph. D. in psycho-sociology on the Jehovah’s Witnesses.. After getting his Ph. D., he came closer to sociologists who were interested in the issues he was raising about the social dimension of minority religious groups This determined his choice to develop his research in the field of sociology of religions and to opt for work in the field. Regis Dericquebourg then started to study healing Churches (1985). He hereby acquired the qualification to lead research (1999). Apart from the religious minority groups, Regis Dericquebourg is interested in some Weberian notions which have not been examined – or only in a limited way – such as the notion of specific charisma or mystagogy. He devoted part of his work to conflicts between society and minority religious groups, namely in societies claiming to be pluralistic. He was assistant and since 1988 he is senior lecturer in social psychology at the University Charles De Gaulle in Lille (France). He is a researcher in sociology in the Group of sociology of Religion and Secularism. (CNRS, Paris-France)

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Published

2011-08-14

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Dericquebourg, R. (2011). Western Healing Churches: Manifestations of Archaïc Processes or at Ease with Modernity/Hypermodernity. International Journal for the Study of New Religions, 2(1), 105-124. https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.v2i1.105