Free Church Pastors in Germany – Perceptions of Spirit Possession and Mental Illness

Table Of Contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• About the author
• About the book
• This eBook can be cited
• Acknowledgements
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Abstract
• 1 Psychology and Spirit Possession
• 1.1 What is Psychology?
• 1.1.1 What is the history of psychology?
• 1.2 What is mental illness?
• 1.3 How do psychologists diagnose mental illness?
• 1.3.1 General possibilities for diagnosis
• 1.3.2 DSM-5 and ICD-10
• 1.3.3 Further indications for the diagnosis of mental illness
• 1.3.3.1 The conviction of the psychologist towards the applied method
• 1.3.3.2 The therapist effect
• 1.3.3.3 Expectations of the client
• 1.3.3.4 Feedback
• 1.3.3.5 Medication
• 1.4 Cultural expressions of mental illness
• 1.5 Spirit possession from a psychological perspective
• 1.5.1 Culture-bound phenomenon
• 1.5.2 Witchcraft explanations
• 1.5.3 Hysteria and dissociation
• 1.5.4 Delusions
• 1.6 Interdisciplinary approach to spirit possession
• 1.6.1 The Anthropological Perspective
• 1.6.1.1 Natural explanations
• 1.6.1.2 Trance possession
• 1.6.1.3 Spirit possession without trance
• 1.6.2 The theological/historical perspective
• 1.6.3 The social-psychological perspective of Protestant and Catholic theologians
• 1.6.4 The medical-psychological perspective
• 2 Theology and Spirit Possession
• 2.1 What is Theology?
• 2.2 What is spirit possession?
• 2.3 Theological history of spirit possession
• 2.3.1 Antiquity, the Bible and early Christianity
• 2.3.2 The Middle Ages and Exorcism in the Catholic Church
• 2.3.3 The Time of Enlightenment
• 2.3.4 From the 19th Century Up to the 20th Century
• 2.3.5 Deliverance Ministry in the 21st Century
• 2.4 How do pastors diagnose spirit possession?
• 2.4.1 The Dilemma of free church pastors
• 2.5 Religious and cultural expression of spirit possession
• 2.6 Spirit possession in a theological-biblical perspective
• 2.6.1 Exorcism in the Old Testament
• 2.6.2 Exorcism in the New Testament
• 3 Psychological Theories of Spirit Possession
• 3.1 Hypnotism, hysteria and subconscious ideas
• 3.2 The psychodynamic theories of Sigmund Freud and Carl Gustav Jung
• 3.2.1 Sigmund Freud
• 3.2.2 Carl Gustav Jung
• 3.2.2.1 Spirit Possession
• 3.2.2.2 The Shadow
• 3.2.2.3 The Evil
• 3.2.3 Transpersonal Psychology
• 3.3 Organic psychiatric interpretations
• 3.3.1 Dissociative Disorders
• 3.4 Weak Quantum Theory
• 3.5 Model of Pragmatic Information
• 3.6 Parapsychological theory
• 3.6.1 History of Parapsychology
• 3.6.2 Current Status of Research
• 3.6.3 Criticism of parapsychological theory
• 4 Theological Theories of Spirit Possession
• 4.1 Theological Theories of Spirit Possession in the Protestant Churches in Germany
• 4.2.1 Dr. Kurt Koch
• 4.2.2 The Charismatic Movement within the Protestant Church
• 4.3 Theological Theories of Spirit Possession in the Catholic Churches in Germany
• 4.3.1 “Rituale Romanum”
• 4.3.2 Charismatic Movement within the Roman Catholic Church
• 4.4 Theological Theories of Spirit Possession in Free Churches in Germany
• 4.4.1 Bund evangelisch-freikirchlicher Gemeinden (BEFG) – Baptist Churches
• 4.4.2 Bund freier-evangelischer Gemeinden (BFEG) – Alliance of Free Protestant Churches
• 4.4.3 Bund freikirchlicher Pfingstgemeinden (BFP) – Alliance of Pentecostal Churches
• 5 Methodology
• 5.1 Research objective
• 5.2 Rationale
• 5.3 Design/Approach
• 5.3.1 Main characteristics on qualitative research
• 5.3.2 Interviews
• 5.3.3 Research Questions
• 5.3.4 Interview guide
• 5.4 Sampling
• 5.5 Participant demographics
• 5.6 Data collection using the semi-structured interviews
• 5.7 Thematic content analysis
• 6 Results and Discussion
• 6.1 Theme 1: Distinction between mental illness and spirit possession
• 6.1.1 Pastors who had treated and diagnosed spirit possession
• 6.1.2 Pastors who diagnosed mental illness
• 6.1.3 Pastors who are unsure
• 6.2 Theme 2: If it is a mental illness, how do they proceed?
• 6.3 Theme 3: If it is demon possession, how do they proceed?
• 6.4 Theme 4: Lack of integrated knowledge regarding mental illness and spirit possession
• 7 Conclusion
• Reference List
• Appendix
• Appendix I
• Appendix II