| dc.description.abstract | The aim of this research is to investigate how transformation is experienced and understood in the Christian drug rehabilitation program in Vietnam. The most unique feature of this program compared to other traditional programs is its emphasis on rehabilitation not by medication but rather through transformation by faith, through love and the words learnt from the Bible. I have presented theories relating to mission as transformation and chose it as the main theme of my research. In order to answer the research question and sub-questions, I collected data from interviews and participant observation in two Christian rehabilitation clinics in Vietnam. In this qualitative research, I selected twelve informants including pastors, workers and drug addicts to obtain their perspectives on the understanding and experience of transformation.
Understanding the experience of transformation in the Christian rehabilitation program shows evidence of coordination among pastors, workers and drug addicts during the rehabilitation process as well as the connection between personal and social transformation. The role of the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God are two key themes underlying the participants’ understanding and experience of transformation. Through faith in Christ, these addicts claim to be transformed and delivered from drug addiction. Although there are no official statistics regarding the success of the program, the Vietnamese government has started to allow this type of rehabilitation model to be applied in some government rehabilitation prisons. Thus, it is clear that this rehabilitation method is a good example of mission as transformation. | nb_NO |
