The Lord for the Body: Religion, Medicine, and Protestant Faith Healing in Canada, 1880-1930

285 Pages·2005·15.417 MB·English

by  James Opp

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the lord for the body
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mcgill-queen’s studies in the history of religion
Volumes in this series have been supported by the Jackman Foundation
of Toronto.
series two / In memory of George Rawlyk
Donald Harman Akenson, Editor
1 Marguerite Bourgeoys 11 Culture, Religion,
and Montreal, 1640–1665 and Demographic Behaviour
Patricia Simpson Catholics and Lutherans
in Alsace, 1750–1870
2 Aspects of the Canadian
Kevin McQuillan
Evangelical Experience
Edited by G.A. Rawlyk 12 Between Damnation and Starvation
Priests and Merchants in
3 Infinity, Faith, and Time
Newfoundland Politics, 1745–1855
Christian Humanism and
John P. Greene
Renaissance Literature
John Spencer Hill 13 Martin Luther, German Saviour
German Evangelical Theological
4 The Contribution of
Factions and the Interpretation
Presbyterianism to the Maritime
of Luther, 1917–1933
Provinces of Canada
James M. Stayer
Edited by Charles H.H. Scobie
and G.A. Rawlyk 14 Modernity and the Dilemma of
North American Anglican Identities,
5 Labour, Love, and Prayer
1880–1950
Female Piety in Ulster Religious
William H. Katerberg
Literature, 1850–1914
Andrea Ebel Brozyna 15 The Methodist Church on the
Prairies, 1896–1914
6 The Waning of the Green
George Emery
Catholics, the Irish, and Identity
in Toronto, 1887–1922 16 Christian Attitudes Towards
Mark G. McGowan the State of Israel
Paul Charles Merkley
7 Religion and Nationality
in Western Ukraine 17 A Social History of the Cloister
The Greek Catholic Church Daily Life in the Teaching
and the Ruthenian National Monasteries of the Old Regime
Movement in Galicia, Elizabeth Rapley
1867–1900
18 Households of Faith
John-Paul Himka
Family, Gender, and Community
8 Good Citizens in Canada, 1760–1969
British Missionaries and Imperial Edited by Nancy Christie
States, 1870–1918
19 Blood Ground
James G. Greenlee and
Colonialism, Missions, and
Charles M. Johnston
the Contest for Christianity in
9 The Theology of the Oral Torah the Cape Colony and Britain,
Revealing the Justice of God 1799–1853
Jacob Neusner Elizabeth Elbourne
10 Gentle Eminence 20 A History of Canadian Catholics
A Life of Cardinal Flahiff Gallicanism, Romanism,
P. Wallace Platt and Canadianism
Terence J. Fay
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21 The View from Rome 29 With Skilful Hand
Archbishop Stagni’s 1915 The Story of King David
Reports on the Ontario David T. Barnard
Bilingual Schools Question
30 Faithful Intellect
Edited and translated by John Zucchi
Samuel S. Nelles
22 The Founding Moment and Victoria University
Church, Society, and the Neil Semple
Construction of Trinity College
31 W. Stanford Reid
William Westfall
An Evangelical Calvinist
23 The Holocaust, Israel, and in the Academy
Canadian Protestant Churches A. Donald MacLeod
Haim Genizi
32 A Long Eclipse
24 Governing Charities The Liberal Protestant
Church and State in Toronto’s Establishment and
Catholic Archdiocese, 1850–1950 the Canadian University,
Paula Maurutto 1920–1970
Catherine Gidney
25 Anglicans and the Atlantic World
High Churchmen, Evangelicals, 33 Forkhill Protestants and Forkhill
and the Quebec Connection Catholics, 1787–1858
Richard W. Vaudry Kyla Madden
26 Evangelicals and 34 For Canada’s Sake
the Continental Divide Public Religion, Centennial
The Conservative Protestant Celebrations, and the Re-making
Subculture in Canada and of Canada in the 1960s
the United States Gary R. Miedema
Sam Reimer
35 Revival in the City
27 Christians in a Secular World The Impact of American Evangelists
The Canadian Experience in Canada, 1884–1914
Kurt Bowen Eric R. Crouse
28 Anatomy of a Seance 36 The Lord for the Body
A History of Spirit Communication Religion, Medicine, and Protestant
in Central Canada Faith Healing in Canada,
Stan McMullin 1880–1930
James Opp
series one
G.A. Rawlyk, Editor
1 Small Differences 3 An Evangelical Mind
Irish Catholics and Irish Nathanael Burwash and the
Protestants, 1815–1922 Methodist Tradition in Canada,
An International Perspective 1839–1918
Donald Harman Akenson Marguerite Van Die
2 Two Worlds 4 The Dévotes
The Protestant Culture Women and Church in
of Nineteenth-Century Ontario Seventeenth-Century France
William Westfall Elizabeth Rapley
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5 The Evangelical Century 16 Padres in No Man’s Land
College and Creed in English Canadian Chaplains
Canada from the Great Revival and the Great War
to the Great Depression Duff Crerar
Michael Gauvreau
17 Christian Ethics and Political
6 The German Peasants’ War and Economy in North America
Anabaptist Community of Goods A Critical Analysis of U.S.
James M. Stayer and Canadian Approaches
P. Travis Kroeker
7 A World Mission
Canadian Protestantism and 18 Pilgrims in Lotus Land
the Quest for a New International Conservative Protestantism in
Order, 1918–1939 British Columbia, 1917–1981
Robert Wright Robert K. Burkinshaw
8 Serving the Present Age 19 Through Sunshine and Shadow
Revivalism, Progressivism, and The Woman’s Christian Temperance
the Methodist Tradition in Canada Union, Evangelicalism, and Reform
Phyllis D. Airhart in Ontario, 1874–1930
Sharon Cook
9 A Sensitive Independence
Canadian Methodist Women 20 Church, College, and Clergy
Missionaries in Canada and A History of Theological Education
the Orient, 1881–1925 at Knox College, Toronto,
Rosemary R. Gagan 1844–1994
Brian J. Fraser
10 God’s Peoples
Covenant and Land in South Africa, 21 The Lord’s Dominion
Israel, and Ulster The History of Canadian
Donald Harman Akenson Methodism
Neil Semple
11 Creed and Culture
The Place of English-Speaking 22 A Full-Orbed Christianity
Catholics in Canadian Society, The Protestant Churches
1750–1930 and Social Welfare in Canada,
Terrence Murphy 1900–1940
and Gerald Stortz, editors Nancy Christie and
Michael Gauvreau
12 Piety and Nationalism
Lay Voluntary Associations 23 Evangelism and Apostasy
and the Creation of an Irish- The Evolution and Impact of
Catholic Community in Toronto, Evangelicals in Modern Mexico
1850–1895 Kurt Bowen
Brian P. Clarke
24 The Chignecto Covenanters
13 Amazing Grace A Regional History of Reformed
Studies in Evangelicalism in Australia, Presbyterianism in New Brunswick
Britain, Canada, and the United States and Nova Scotia, 1827–1905
George Rawlyk and Mark A. Noll, Eldon Hay
editors
25 Methodists and Women’s Education
14 Children of Peace in Ontario, 1836–1925
W. John McIntyre Johanne Selles
15 A Solitary Pillar 26 Puritanism and Historical
Montreal’s Anglican Church Controversy
and the Quiet Revolution William Lamont
Joan Marshall
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The Lord for the Body
Religion, Medicine, and Protestant
Faith Healing in Canada, 1880–1930
james opp
McGill–Queen’s University Press
Montreal & Kingston London Ithaca
• •
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© McGill-Queen’s University Press 2005
isbn 0-7735-2905-5 (cloth)
isbn 0-7735-2906-3 (paper)
Legal deposit third quarter 2005
Bibliothèque nationale du Québec
Printed in Canada on acid-free paper that is 100% ancient forest free
(100% post-consumer recycled), processed chlorine free.
This book was declared the Frank S. and Elizabeth D. Brewer Prize Essay of the
American Society of Church History, 2004.
This book has been published with the help of a grant from the
Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, through
the Aid to Scholarly Publications Programme, using funds provided
by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
McGill-Queen’s University Press acknowledges the support of the Canada
Council for the Arts for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the
financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing
Industry Development Program (bpidp) for our publishing activities.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Opp, James William, 1970–
The Lord for the body: religion, medicine and Protestant faith
healing in Canada, 1880-1930/James Opp.
(McGill-Queen’s studies in the history of religion; 37)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 0-7735-2905-5 (bnd)
isbn 0-7735-2906-3 (pbk)
1.Spiritual healing – Canada–History. 2.Protestantism – Canada –
19th century. 3.Protestantism – Canada – 20th century. I.Title. II.Series.
bl65.m4066 2005 234′.131′0882804 c2005–903757-1
The epigraph for chapter 4 is from A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence.
Used by permission, McLelland & Stewart Ltd.
The index for this book was made with support from the Faculty of Arts and Social
Sciences, Carleton University.
This book was typeset by Interscript in 10/12 Sabon.
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Contents
List of Illustrations viii
Preface ix
Introduction 3
1 Bodily Knowledge 14
2 The Prayer of Faith 35
3 A Respectable Movement 64
4 Marching to Zion 91
5 Pentecostal Power 121
6 Revivals and Reactions 146
7 Exposing the Body 176
Conclusion 203
Notes 213
Bibliography 245
Index 267
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Illustrations
2.1 In the grip of the drug monster 57
4.1 Zion smites sin 95
4.2 Zion’s protest against the tyranny of unclean swine’s flesh 98
6.1 Charles S. Price campaign, Edmonton, 1923 163
6.2 Charles S. Price campaign, Toronto, 1923 164
7.1 Case L, Price investigative report 188
7.2 Case Q, Price investigative report 188
7.3 Case O, Price investigative report 190
7.4 Case H, Price investigative report 191
7.5 Johnny Patterson, 1929 192
7.6 Sunshine, 1926 194
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Preface
Explaining exactly what an historian “does” for a living can be an awk-
ward exercise, especially when one’s research interests include a subject
such as faith healing. Inquirers who press me to expand on my topic of-
ten express puzzlement or bemusement that faith healing might be a
subject worthy of a book-length study. Others are eager to embrace the
project as their own and quickly recount personal stories of friends and
relatives who found relief through various forms of pilgrimage, New
Age healing, or simply extraordinary strength of will. As I quickly
learned in these conversations, there is no shortage of opinion on the
meaning and value of faith healing. Those expecting to find either a
skeptical exposé of fakery or unshakeable evidence of divine truths will
be disappointed. However, most readers will find that an historical ap-
proach to faith healing illuminates some of the complex themes evident
in the overlapping spheres of religion, medicine, and the body.
This book began as little more than a vague idea that faith healing
might serve as an interesting topic for a doctoral dissertation. Carleton
University provided both financial support and institutional encourage-
ment as I embarked on a long research journey as a graduate student.
Revisions for publication were undertaken while I was associated with
the Carleton Centre for Public History. It was there that I received in-
valuable encouragement, critiques, and advice from many people, in-
cluding Bruce Curtis, Pamela Walker, Barry Wright, John Walsh, Joanna
Dean, Norman Hillmer, Marilyn Barber and Del Muise. I am particu-
larly grateful to A.B. McKillop and David Dean, two historians and col-
leagues who both immeasurably shaped my outlook as a scholar and a
teacher. My research interests have brought me into contact with a
remarkable community of scholars who are interested in aspects of
religious history and the history of the body. I am indebted to David
Marshall, Lynne Marks, Marguerite Van Die, Wendy Mitchinson,