The term energy in the context of healing has become more widely used in the last several years. But while culture is using the term more frequently, the church community has responded with a measure of negativity. Why is that? Let’s explore some of the reasons that could be behind this tension.
Science uses the term energy to describe the cause of movement at the smallest level of life. It is used as a metaphor for what causes things at the smallest level of creation to be in motion. All things are made up of atoms. Everything. Atoms contain electrons and protons, which are made up of particles. Quantum physics is the study of matter at the sub-atomic level. Although much of quantum physics is still technically theoretical, the reliability of experiments being done by quantum physicists is making it as legitimate scientifically as Newtonian physics. Quantum physics suggest that at this “quantum level”, or the smallest level of creation, all matter is in motion. All of the atoms are buzzing. Nothing is as solid as it seems. Everything is moving. What keeps things moving is what we’re calling energy. Different cultures throughout time have used different terms to describe this basic energy, but the fact remains that from the beginning of life, a force, which many people view spiritually as God, put creation in motion. Others take God out of the equation. This energy thought to be keeping these particles buzzing is thought to be elemental to our being alive. The theory of how energy moves through the body is along micro-thin pathways called “meridians”. The concept of energy meridians in the body was first developed through Chinese medicine. Which brings us to another source of tension in our western culture.
That tension is the difference between holistic (traditional alternative) and allopathic (conventional) modes of medical treatment. In an article by John Hopkins Medicine, they describe traditional alternative medicine as forms of therapy such as acupuncture, homeopathy, and Oriental practices. These therapies have been practiced for centuries worldwide. Touch has been used in medicine since the early days of medical care. Healing by touch is based on the idea that illness or injury in one area of the body can affect all parts of the body. Theories of change explain why it is that the energetic healing modalities have come almost exclusively from Eastern philosophical roots. As Christians, we tend to forget that Christianity began and is rooted in eastern culture. Allopathic medicine proposes that when a symptom occurs, physical or emotional, the practitioner must oppose the symptom in order to stop it. The alternative thought process is based on balance and the human system’s ability to heal itself. The alternative practitioner assumes that the individual is thoroughly systemic, that all of its parts are interrelated and interdependent, and that balance is synonymous with health. Just as we believe in Christian doctrine in the trinity, the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead, humans are made of the interconnection of spirit, soul and body.
Steps in Pursuit
- Take some time to reflect on your personal theory of change and healing. What influences were a part of your personal journey?
- In western culture, we tend to have a disconnected view of healing. Modern medicine practices often denies the spiritual component. How does that effect the healing process? Is the spiritual component important in your view of healing?
- We tend to vacillate towards extreme thinking as humans. Even in the church, we tend to completely discount practices that we perceive as being used by those outside the church community. If God is the creator of all things (Colossians 1:16), how are we to view energy and these different modalities?
This conversation on energy healing is just a small piece to a vast subject. In my own personal journey of supporting change and healing in the lives of individuals, God has encouraged my training and practice to center around this holistic, energetic theory of change. I invite you to join me in mining out the incredible depths and mysteries of God’s creation and all it has to offer us in healing and wholeness.
Continue the Pursuit,
Denise
