Pentecostal Women's Healing Narratives

Promises, "Dorcasism" and Healing Surgeries in Chile

Abstract

This article examines healing narratives shared by Pentecostal women. First, it highlights the crucial role of the "Dorcas" community, a group of women who facilitated social and symbolic exchanges between the ill and the Pentecostal community, centering on the provision of healing. Second, a notable aspect is the reciprocal promise made by the ill and then healed individual: to share their healing testimony in various settings and at different times to foster community growth and attract new converts. A third significant point concerns the diverse healing strategies offered by the religious community to the afflicted, primarily involving linguistic and symbolic codes employed to initiate the healing process through dreams, visions, or worship gatherings. Our theoretical framework draws on Paul Ricoeur's narrative theory. Methodologically, we reviewed healing accounts published in Fuego de Pentecostés magazine between 1980 and 1990. The findings reveal the pivotal importance of women in weaving these healing narratives, with the drama and theatricality provided by the community serving as a fundamental basis, support, and tool for the growth of the Pentecostal collective.