Darkness Is My Only Companion, by Kathryn Greene-McCreight

Posted on Thursday, 6 September 2007 by Paul Dubuc

4176KD4R47L._SL160_.jpgFor devoted Christians who struggle with clinical depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia this book will be a godsend. The author is a trained theologian and Anglican priest who has experienced these forms of mental illness and anguish first-hand. The title comes from a translation of the last verse of Psalm 88. Subtitled, “A Christian Response to Mental Illness“, the book is not so much a chronicle of her experience as it is one of her effort to find meaning in that experience through her Christian faith. Christians have often experienced suffering in one form or another, but mental illness bears a stigma that makes it a form of suffering that is often borne in secret. In sharing her struggle, the author reveals remarkable insight and courage with a touch of humor. She bravely confronts those who do not understand her experience–from fellow Christians with less than helpful advice to secular psychiatrists who show bafflement or even distain for her religion–even while accepting from them whatever is true or helpful. The only true enemy she has is her illness and its symptoms. She comes through her struggle wounded but transformed by the experience, a whole person, able to find meaning in it in the light of her faith in Christ.

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Prayer At Six

Posted on Saturday, 1 September 2007 by Paul Dubuc

The weekly prayer meeting at Bethel Church has recently moved from Sunday evening to Monday evenings at 6:00 PM (except during holiday weekends). This change was made to make it accessible to more members. The meeting is open to anyone, not just members. Contact me if you are interested in more details, or just drop in and join us. The following paragraphs describe the purpose and content of the meetings. I hope they will be useful to others who lead prayer meetings. Continue reading →

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Who Really Cares, by Arthur C. Brooks

Posted on Friday, 31 August 2007 by Paul Dubuc

Given a fair reading, this book will be an eye-opener for some, and an encouragement to others. I hope there’s no cause for cynicism or gloating. Keep in mind that this is a broad brush, “big picture” kind of book. Brooks is careful to point out that his study is not predictive of individual behavior, but measures influential factors on a large scale. Subtitled America’s Charity Divide: “Who Gives, Who Doesn’t, and Why It Matters“, this is fascinating and well documented study of correlations between charitable giving and things like religion, sociopolitical and economic views, family structure and work ethic. Brooks finds a very strong correlation between religion and giving; not just giving to religious charities but to secular ones as well, giving time and money to help others. Conservatives were much more charitable as a group than Liberals owing largely to a difference in philosophy on who is responsible for caring for those in need. Those who place less responsibility on government are more generous with their own time and money. The working poor tend to give a much larger percentage of their time and money for helping others than any other group. Charitable values are largely passed on by example from parents to children in intact healthy families. Brooks also draws some interesting comparisons of charitable activity in the USA and Europe. He finds that where government becomes more of a caretaker, people become less charitable and less prosperous. Brooks finds a strong correlation between charitable activity and the economic prosperity of a country, seeing trends that discourage personal giving a worrisome. Many commonly held stereotypes are contradicted in this book. Brooks was very surprised to see his own findings contradict the assumptions he had going in to the study. I came away from the book feeling encouraged that there are a lot of good people in this country who ought to get to know one another better. I highly recommend it.[Edit 19 January 2008] An interesting review of this book from Books & Culture can be found here.

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“Nothing Happens Without Prayer”

Posted on Saturday, 11 August 2007 by Paul Dubuc

There’s a popular expression that seems to be going around ministry circles today that says, “Nothing happens (or, nothing gets done) without prayer.” I’ve heard or read this saying many different places. It isn’t meant literally, of course. Lots of things actually do get done without prayer and many things in spite of it. But sometimes I’m so puzzled by slogans like this that I have to think for a while about the meaning they are trying to convey, especially with regard to prayer. Something bothers me about this one. It’s probably the emphasis on ”getting things done“ or ”making things happen“ with prayer, as if prayer were a tool for accomplishment. Of course, it goes without saying that the accomplishments are really those of God’s design and execution, not ours, and what we’re really trying to say is that prayer ensures that what gets done by us is that which is aligned with Gods purpose, right? Maybe. Continue reading →

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Walk On, by John Goldingay

Posted on Sunday, 5 August 2007 by Paul Dubuc

Reading this book is like having a wise older friend share his life experience with you. The valuable lessons that professor Goldingay has learned on what it means to follow God through all of life’s ups and downs will enrich your life. They can help us learn to deal with life as it comes, not as we want it to be. He is able to accept his role as caretaker for his wife, Ann, as a calling from God and is able to see her debilitating illness as a vehicle for her ministry to others. This book is full of profound and moving insights and stories. It is honest about life’s difficulties and doubts, but also embraces hope and life’s joys along the way. In this journey we are not alone. God walks on with us.

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Speaking the Truth in Love

Posted on Friday, 20 July 2007 by Paul Dubuc

Okay, maybe I’ve been reading ThinkChristian too much lately, but they just found a very good quote on the Radio Bible Class web site which needs to be widely voiced. The salient point of it is that “Truth spoken without love is devastatingly harmful. Love expressed without truth is tragically misleading.” This is an important balance that most of us find hard to practice but which Scripture encourages us to fulfill by Jesus’ example and Paul’s teaching. Truth and love don’t contradict one another but it seems so difficult for us to blend the two. It seems easier for us to convey one to the exclusion of the other when both are required. Why is that? Is it a product of our fallen nature? All I know is that it takes a lot of grace to overcome this tendency in myself. I’ve been thinking about what kind of person it takes to consistently blend these characteristics in his or her relationship to others.

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New Atheism, Old Arguments

Posted on Tuesday, 17 July 2007 by Paul Dubuc

ThinkChristian has an interesting item citing a Wall Street Journal editorial about the “New Atheists,” and the recent publication of their popular books attacking religion. Author Peter Berkowitz does a fine job of showing how some very intelligent people—like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens—can be as passionate and ill-informed about religion as some of those they criticize. As the author points out, the strongest arguments against religion offered by these atheists are nothing new and have been wrestled with, and commented upon, by many believers for centuries. Instead of responding to what the best religious thinkers have believed and written about these things, they argue as if all that thinking and writing never existed. Continue reading →

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The iPhone and ‘Technolust’

Posted on Wednesday, 4 July 2007 by Paul Dubuc

ThinkChristian has started an interesting discussion about whether the Apple iPhone is the latest example of gadgets that encourage a destructive, self-centered focus on ourselves. I think this is a valid concern and the lure of becoming self-absorbed in our personal technologies at the expense of closer human interaction is something that ought to be taken seriously. The the problem isn’t cut-and-dried. There are some very good and thoughtful responses to this item that I encourage you to read. Of course, as someone who has been a professional computer software developer for longer than I care to remember and an admiring user of Apple computers an other products, I had to give my own response which is edited and reproduced here: Continue reading →

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PBS: “Wall of Separation”

Posted on Tuesday, 26 June 2007 by Paul Dubuc

PBS recently aired a very interesting documentary that explores the concept of the “Wall of Separation” between Church and State, its history and relationship to the First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution. I think that, on the whole, this is a fair and balanced presentation. It offers a needed corrective to the extreme separationism that has dominated our church-state legal relations over the last half-century. So the program has come under some harsh criticism from those who favor that extreme as well as some gushing praise from those who feel they’ve been persecuted by it. You can search the Web for opinions, but there’s a good summary and response to the feedback in the PBS Ombudsman Column, “Is That Church-State Wall Just a Metaphor?“ I share this program’s point of view and I think it describes a delicate balance that must be maintained for our society to stay healthy. The program hasn’t been aired widely yet. Call your local PBS station and ask for it. The DVD is available here.

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Hearing God Through the Year, by Dallas Willard and Jan Johnson

Posted on Wednesday, 13 June 2007 by Paul Dubuc

Last year I was given a copy of this devotional guide as a gift by some very good friends who seem to know me very well and I have been using it regularly since then. Dallas Willard’s writings are a tremendous inspiration and encouragement to me. They are best read in small bites and chewed thoroughly. Jan Johnson has done a fine job of compiling the main points of Willard’s book Hearing God into a devotional format that encourages just this type of reading on a very essential matter for every Christian. Reading a book about how to interact with God is not enough, no matter how good the book. The opportunity to practice is a crucial part of the learning process. Many devotional reading books jump from one one topic to another. This has much more continuity and focus. This format is ideal for the way one ought to approach such a foundational spiritual subject. Of course, it’s no substitute for the original book but it’s a great help in soaking in that book’s ideas. It should be easy for anyone to find the time to do the short readings and exercises in this book. There is a short introduction that is helpful in getting the reader started in doing the kind of prayerful meditation and reflection that is encouraged by the book but people who aren’t familiar with these practices might want to read one of Jan Johnson’s other books on prayer and meditation as well. I highly recommend this book and all of Dallas Willard’s books.

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