Biomedical Services’ Fit Amongst People with Relational Worldviews, and a ‘Middle Road’

  • Jim Harries William Carey International University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15566/cjgh.v9i2.671
Keywords: worldview, medical, witchcraft, COVID-19, Africa

Abstract

A critique of the imposition of technical biomedical solutions on cultures with relational worldviews, and some of the pitfalls of international global health solutions are presented from an East African context, toward a "middle road" approach which considers relational and spiritual world views as a localized approach to global health, with examples from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Author Biography

Jim Harries, William Carey International University

Jim Harries (PhD theology, University of Birmingham, UK), is Adjunct Faculty, William Carey International University and Chairman, Alliance for Vulnerable Mission. He has lived most of the time in the same African village since 1988. His primary ministry is Bible teaching using indigenous languages to a variety of local churches.

References

Rasmussen SDH, Rasmussen H. Healing communities: responses to witchcraft accusations. International Bulletin of Missionary Research. 2015;39(1):12-8, 13.

Munk N. Book discussion on “the Idealist.” [updated 2013; cited 2014 Oct 28]. Available from http://www.c-span.org/video/?315084-1/book-discussion-idealist

Wilson S. Take nothing with you: rethinking the role of missionaries. Orange, California: Quoir; 2020, pp. 25-30.

Harries J. Re-strategizing mission (and development) intervention into Africa to avoid corruption, the prosperity gospel, and missionary ignorance. Transformation. 2021;38(4):359-72.

Girard R. Foreword by Williams JG. In: I see Satan fall like lightning. Maryknoll: Orbis, 2001. p. ix-xxiii, xvi. [See also chapter 3, on Satan]

Girard R. I see Satan fall like lightning. Maryknoll: Orbis. pp. 24.

BBC News [Internet]. Coronavirus: caution urged over Madagascar’s “herbal cure.” 2020 Apr [cited 2022 August 30]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-52374250

Girard R. The scapegoat. [translated by Freccero Y]. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1986.

Girard R. I see Satan fall like lightning. Maryknoll: Orbis. p. 1-2.: https://ccda.org/about/philosophy/

Published
2022-12-21
How to Cite
Harries, J. (2022). Biomedical Services’ Fit Amongst People with Relational Worldviews, and a ‘Middle Road’. Christian Journal for Global Health, 9(2), 28-31. https://doi.org/10.15566/cjgh.v9i2.671
Issue
Vol. 9 No. 2 (2022): Vulnerable Populations & Communal Capacity-building
Section
Short Communications / Field Reports

Christian Journal for Global Health applies the Creative Commons Attribution License to all articles that we publish. Under this license, authors retain ownership of copyright for their articles or they can transfer copyright to their institution, but authors allow anyone without permission to copy, distribute, transmit, and/or adapt articles, even for commercial purposes so long as the original authors and Christian Journal for Global Health are appropriately cited.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.