Gendered Narratives of Illness and Healing: Experiences of Spirit Possession in a Charismatic Church Community in Tanzania
Faith in African Lived Christianity September 11, 2019 Lotta Gammelin 5 citations
At the Gospel Miracle Church for All People, healing sessions form the dramatic climax of services, where women in spirit trances become the focus. They scream, resist, and are held down during intense intercession prayers and laying on of hands. Female choir members and pastors wrap cloth around their waists as a practical and symbolic act, entering spiritual warfare on behalf of those possessed. The congregation participates in communal prayer while also spectating with fervent intensity, as public possession invites contemplation and identification among onlookers.