Anointing with oil

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Anointing with oil is a practice of some Protestant bodies for members who are ill. It is usually done at the member's request or that of a close family member, and is based on a passage found in the Epistle of James in the New Testament (James 5:14-15). The practice is very similar to what is called Anointing of the Sick in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and some liturgical Protestant churches; the chief difference being that some Protestants who do practice it do not see it as a church sacrament but rather a practice suggested more than commanded by Scripture.

One exception in particular is the Church of the Brethren which practices Anointing with oil as an ordinance along with Baptism, Communion, Laying on of Hands, and the Love Feast.

Evangelical Protestants who engage in the practice differ among themselves about whether the person doing the anointing must be an ordained member of the clergy, whether the oil must necessarily be olive oil and have been previously specially consecrated, and upon other small details. Several Evangelical groups reject the practice as it is commonly associated with charismatic and Pentecostal groups (in which it is widely practiced), with which they do not wish to be identified.

Anointing by oil is also practiced by Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), in blessing the sick.