PRAYER AND HEALTH - CONCEPTUAL ISSUES, RESEARCH REVIEW, AND RESEARCH AGENDA

The theoretical and empirical literature on the relationship between p rayer and health is critically reviewed. Although empirical research p artially confirms that prayer promotes a variety of health outcomes, t he empirical literature is characterized by weak methodologies that ma y contribute to the inconsistency of some findings. Recommendations ar e made for improving the quality of prayer and health research. An age nda for further empirical investigation of the relationship between pr ayer and health is proposed.