Definition
Distant intercessory prayer is simply defined as prayer said on behalf of someone else when that person is not present. This is different from intercessory prayer in which prayer is also said on behalf of someone else but the person being prayed for is present during the prayer.
Description
Intercessory prayer is the age-old practice of praying for someone else. The first empirical study on this topic was conducted by Sir Francis Galton and published in 1872. Galton demonstrated that individuals who were often prayed for, in this case, members of the royal family, did not live longer than others. In the context of modern behavioral medicine, intercessory prayer still usually consists of prayer for improvement in health status or healing. One could serve as one’s own intercessor (as when praying for oneself) or could be the recipient of prayers from others, i.e., intercessors. Prayers said by oneself or by others in the presence of the recipient of the prayer could...
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References and Readings
Benson, H., Dusek, J. A., Sherwood, J. B., Lam, P., Bethea, C. F., Carpenter, W., et al. (2006). Study of the therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer (STEP) in cardiac bypass patients: A multicenter randomized trial of uncertainty and certainty of receiving intercessory prayer. American Heart Journal, 151, 934–942.
Galton, F. (1872). Statistical inquiries into the efficacy of prayer. Fortnightly Review, 12, 125–135.
Masters, K. S. (2005). Research on the healing power of distant intercessory prayer: Disconnect between science and faith. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 33, 268–277.
Masters, K. S., & Spielmans, G. I. (2007). Prayer and health: Review, meta-analysis, and research agenda. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 30, 329–338.
Masters, K. S., Spielmans, G. I., & Goodson, J. T. (2006). Are there demonstrable effects of distant intercessory prayer? A meta-analytic review. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 32, 337–342.
Roberts, L., Ahmed, I., Hall, S., & Davison, A. (2011). Intercessory prayer for the alleviation of ill health (Review). The Cochrane Collaboration. New York: John Wiley and Sons.
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Masters, K.S. (2013). Distant Intercessory Prayer. In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1581
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_1581
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
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