Nnadiebube Journal of Religion, Culture and Society

This study is a theological and sociomedical inquiry into the relevance of 1 Timothy 4:1-5 in addressing healthcare integration in Nigeria. The study examines a "clash of doctrine and reality" faced by Nigerian Christians. At the same time, it is framed against the backdrop of a ‘Third World' economy, which is marked by the collapse of the formal health care system and the flourishing, but unregulated, informal system. Traditional Medicine (TM) is estimated to be used by more than 80% of the population. However, in many cases, the prevailing Pentecostal and missionary-inherited theologies deem these practices as being incompatible with the Christian faith, quoting Paul's warnings against "doctrines of demons. This study uses a detailed exegetical analysis of the Greek text to argue that the heresy Paul confronted in Ephesus was Gnostic asceticism, the denial of creation, not the use of indigenous pharmacology. Therefore, the text calls for action to "sanctify" herbal medicine through both "the word of God" (scientific and theological approval) and "prayer" (spiritual recognition). The paper draws from the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics, the legislative record of the Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Council of Nigeria (TCAMCN) Bill (HB 473), and the 'Comitalism' model of Paxherbals to recommend a single framework that brings traditional medicine out of the shadows and into the national health grid.

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