Can a person, who has been called by the ancestors to become a traditional healer, be licensed as a lay minister in the Anglican Church?
The Bible provides a substantial body of relevant ideas and instructions about this issue, and any person seeking to play both roles in the community, and any person in authority advising the Bishop should consider them carefully.
The second of the ten commandments (Exodus 20: 3-6) may be seen as excluding the veneration of any spiritual forces other than God. Throughout the history of the children of Israel and of the Church, that commandment has been taken as definitive and final. Seeking the assistance of spiritual beings, other than God, for whatever purpose, detracts from the universal and absolute authority of God, and may be judged accordingly. The veneration of saints, particularly the Virgin Mary, has been compared to that of the veneration of ancestors in other religious traditions, but there is, or should be, a clear distinction between the Saints, whose intercessions may be sought, and the Ancestors, who are seen to possess executive powers in their own right. As the Angelus puts it, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and in the hour of our death." Her intercessions may be believed to have particular influence by virtue of her faith and position, but not to have any binding force on events. Within the Protestant tradition, doubt has been cast on the efficacy or appropriateness of such appeals, as prayers are made "through our only Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Old Testament is replete with examples of how the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, sustained the Children of Israel when they recognized and obeyed Him alone, and how they failed when they "went whoring after other gods" (Exodus 34: 15-16). Solomon is condemned for "idolatry" for the respect which he showed to the gods of his gentile wives (1 Kings 11). Elijah gave a dramatic demonstration of the power of God when he overthrew the priests of Baal at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18: 17-40). The second commandment indicates the punishments in store for those who deviate from the worship of the one true God, and the history of the captivities of Israel suggests that those penalties were, indeed, exacted.
Paul, in his reaction to the eagerness of the people of Lystra to make a sacrifice in his honour, following a miracle of healing (Acts 14: 8-16) indicates that such behaviour is wholly inappropriate, but his advice to the congregation in Corinth (I Cor 8: 4-13) is more nuanced. When participating in traditional feasts, the faithful know what they are doing - enjoying a meal and fellowship. If, however, by so doing they lead others into believing that such behaviour is not merely acceptable as a secular activity, but also has spiritual significance, then they could "cause their brethren to stumble" and hence should avoid participation.
All this should make it pretty clear that for any Christian, let alone for a person licensed to take a leading role in worship and teaching the faith, there can be no compromise. Either one accepts that one is "a member of Christ, the child of God and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven," by baptism and by faith, or one recognizes that one is not, and so seeks to find ones place in the world through other means. But life is not quite so simple, and attention should also be paid to the question of healing - or of being made whole.
The story of the man who was born blind, as told in John 9, is relevant here. The man does not ask to be healed - there is no issue about whether his faith has made him whole. The story is simply about the grace of God in healing him. However, when he is challenged by the priests about the manner of his healing, he gives the reply which resonates with everyone who has been relieved of pain or infirmity, "Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." He continues to give his understanding of the role of God in healing, which upsets the priests even more, and they "cast him out.
There is a lesson here, and maybe a judgement on the Church and its active adherents. If a person is afflicted by a malady which is believed to be the work of spiritual forces, and hence will be relieved by spiritual forces, then healing is a manifestation of God's love, regardless of the persons or forces through whom that love is mediated. As the nameless man born blind put it, "Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing." (John 9:31-33).
This testimony is very significant. Many people who suffer from various ailments, particularly those which Western medicine would classify as psychological or psychosomatic, find healing through the attention of spiritual healers working from within their own particular cultural tradition. Many such people have first sought healing through Western medicine and Christian mediation. It may be argued that the failure of Christian efforts at healing such people is a failure, not of the patient, but of the physicians. The churches and congregations which show the most vigorous growth throughout the world are those which embrace spiritual healing with enthusiasm at the core of their worship and ministry. Many are strictly Christian in the sense outlined in the discussion in the first part of this article, but many others seek and find healing through the mediation of the "blessed dead" or the ancestors.
Gamaliel (Acts 5:38-39) offers good advice to those who doubt the legitimacy of activities which fall outside the range of formal religious expectations "if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it: lest haply ye be found even to fight against God."
Where does this leave us? Not, I trust, to give the spiritual healers a thrashing and tell them to stop it, as did the temple authorities to the apostles! My own view is that the person under consideration for continued from previous page licensed ministry within the Church should be appraised of the issues involved, such as those which I have outlined above, and be asked to consider prayerfully, over a period of a few weeks at least, whether her/his calling is to the Christian ministry, to the healing ministry of the Sangoma, or to both.
If the person is convinced that it is to both, and the parish priest and the bishop satisfied as to his/her sincerity (noting that a sangoma may need to make a living out of the practice, whereas a lay minister does not profit materially from the services s/he renders), then I would find it acceptable.
mgw