IU religious studies professor awarded $150,000 grant

An associate professor in the Department of Religious studies has been awarded a $150,000 grant to study divine healing.

The grant comes from the Flame of Love Project, funded by the John Templeton Foundation. Candy Gunther Brown, a historian and enthographer of religious and culture, is also the author of The Word In The WorldL Evangelical Writing, Publishing, and reading in America, 1789-1880.

Brown said in a press release that the research helps provide a broader understanding of pentecostal Christianity, which is the fastest-growing segment of Christianity in the U.S. and much of the world.

Brown's research focuses on two divine-healing groups: Global Awakening, based in Mechanicsburg, Pa.; and the International Association of Healing Rooms, based in Spokane, Wash., with more than 900 affiliates worldwide.

Brown observed that many people who turn to divine healing also try "holistic" approaches such as chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga, homeopathy, and Reiki -- the genesis of the Therapeutic Pluralism book project.

"When people are sick," she said, "many look for healing wherever they can find it. They really don't care about philosophical or theological consistency."