Black Americans are more likely than Whites to die of cancer and heart disease, more likely to get diabetes and asthma, and less likely to get preventive care and screening. Some of this greater morbidity results from education, income level, and environment as well as access to health care. But the traditional medical model does not always allow for a more holistic approach that takes into account the body, the mind, the spirit, the family, and the community. This book offers a better understanding of the varieties of religiously-based approaches to healing and alternative models of healing and health found in Black communities in the United States. Contributors address the communal aspects of faith and health and explore the contexts in which individuals make choices about their health, the roles that institutions play in shaping these decisions, and the practices individuals engage in seeking better health or coping with the health they have. By paying attention to the role of faith, spirit, and health, this book offers a fuller sense of the varieties of ways Black health and health care are perceived and addressed from an inter-religious perspective. Community and religion-based initiatives have emerged as one key way to address the health challenges found in the African American community. In cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, and Oakland, residents organize exercise groups, teach one another how to cook with healthy ingredients, and encourage neighbors to get regular checkups. Churches have become key sites for health education, screening, and testing. Another set of responses to the challenge of Black health and healthcare in the United States comes from those who emphasize the body as a whole—body, mind, soul, and spirit, often drawing on religious traditions such as Islam and African-based religions such as Spiritism, Santeria, Vodun (aka Voodoo), Candomblé, and others. Understanding the issues and the various approaches is essential to combating the problems, and this unique volume sheds light on areas often overlooked when considering the issues.

"This is an outstanding book that provides the reader with an in-depth understanding of religion in the lives of African Americans. Both historical and empirical research findings provide a context for understanding religion in the lives of African Americans. Most importantly, this book highlights the role religion plays in affecting emotional and physical health processes and outcomes among African Americans. The contributions of this book to the discussion of religion in the social and behavioral sciences will last for years!" --Peggye Dilworth-Anderson, Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill "This is a blockbuster of a book on black religion. Comprehensive, systematic, analytic, and very well written, it sets a new high water mark in the social scientific study of religion and life in the African American Community. It will be especially helpful in the teaching of undergraduate and graduate courses in African American history and culture." --Andrew Billingsley, University of South Carolina The religious faith of African Americans has many avenues of expression. Consequently, there has been a long-standing interest in the nature, patterns, and functions of religion in the lives of this particular ethnic group. African American religious life, in all its forms, is a vibrant, creative, resourceful testament to the power of faith to uplift and sustain in the face of prejudice, discrimination, and exclusion. Religion in the Lives of African Americans: Social, Psychological, and Health Perspectives examines many broad issues including the structure and sociodemographic patterns of religious involvement; the relationship between religion and physical and mental health and well-being; the impact of church support and the use of ministers for personal issues; and the role of religion within specific subgroups of the African American population such as women and the elderly. Authors Robert Joseph Taylor, Linda M. Chatters, and Jeff Levin reflect upon current empirical research and derive conclusions from several wide-ranging national surveys, as well as a focus group study of religion and coping. Features and Benefits: Empirical. Incorporates findings from a total of eight national surveys that contain representative cross-section samples of the adult Black population living in the continental U.S. Additionally, a focus group study conducted by the Program for Research on Black Americans at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, provides a rich source of qualitative information about the nature and functions of religion. Interdisciplinary. Although the primary points of view are sociological and psychological, the perspectives represented by the authors transcend disciplinary bounds. Pedagogical. Includes important data sources, tables, recommendations for further reading and resources, end of chapter summaries, and implications for future research that enhance student comprehension. Recommended for students taking courses in racial and ethnic studies, multicultural and minority studies, black studies, religious studies, psychology, sociology, human development and family studies, gerontology, social work, public health, and nursing.

Americans have long been aware of the phenomenon loosely known as faith healing. During the 1990s the American cultural landscape changed and religious healing became a commonplace feature in our society. This is a look at this new reality.

This new edition places Sarah Mix (1832-1884) in the context of American religious history, and shows her influence on the emerging faith healing movement and other female healing evangelists, including Carrie Judd Montgomery and Maria Woodworth-Etter. The divine healing movement, also known as faith healing or faith cure was a significant phenomenon in American religion and culture in the late nineteenth century. More importantly, during this period of the divine healing movement, women occupied a central role as practitioners. Both the religious and secular press reported her ministry, which was so successful that physicians referred patients to her. In 1882 Sarah Mix published Faith Cures, and Answers to Prayer, which includes an account of her own healing of tuberculosis by a Methodist minister, letters of testimony from individuals who experienced her gift of healing, and press notices.

Creates a new framework for approaching Black women’s wellness, by merging theory and practice with both personal narratives and public policy. This book offers a unique, interdisciplinary, and thoughtful look at the challenges and potency of Black women’s struggle for inner peace and mental stability. It brings together contributors from psychology, sociology, law, and medicine, as well as the humanities, to discuss issues ranging from stress, sexual assault, healing, self-care, and contemplative practice to health-policy considerations and parenting. Merging theory and practice with personal narratives and public policy, the book develops a new framework for approaching Black women’s wellness in order to provide tangible solutions. The collection reflects feminist praxis and defines womanist peace in terms that reject both “superwoman” stereotypes and “victim” caricatures. Also included for health professionals are concrete recommendations for understanding and treating Black women. “ this book speaks not only to Black women but also educates a broader audience of policymakers and therapists about the complex and multilayered realities that we must navigate and the protests we must mount on our journey to find inner peace and optimal health.” — from the Foreword by Linda Goler Blount

Edwin H. Hamilton, M.D., D.Min., writes this provocative book introducing and establishing throughout the Black Church a program of Preventive Health Education through a Health and Wellness Ministry. Riggins R. Earl, Jr., Ph.D., noted theologian/philosopher, writes an insightful introduction based on Booker T. Washington?s teachings.The prevailing spiritual thought embodies I Corinthians 6:19: ?Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit??A three-part Model-in-Ministry design comprises the Minister of Health and Wellness?Preventive Health Education and Community Health Outreach. These are explained for Health Ministers and laity alike. The ministry?s theological foundation is presented succinctly. The planning of the Ministry and The Community Health Fair is clearly explained. The summary and conclusions give precise points regarding the ministry. Empowering course outlines for the Health and Wellness Ministry give concise pathways for any church to use for Health Ministry establishment. A chapter on Water and two of the author?s sermons from the Hampton University Ministers? Conference are included in this new edition.

Realized Religion includes research that investigates the impact of spirituality in health and healing, faith healing, religion and mental health, religion and life satisfaction, religion and mental disorders, religion and martial satisfaction, the effect of religion on suicide, and the effect of religion on alcohol use and abuse. This book documents over 300 scientific studies published by reputable scientific journals demonstrating that religion has an ameliorating effect on the survival rate of surgical patients, on depression and anxiety, on suicide rates, and on promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Realized Religion presents useful and helpful information to researchers and scholars who seek to understand the subtle connection between healing and spirituality. It will be an invaluable resource for libraries and others interested in the emerging field of spirituality and healing.