January 29, 2007 · 1:03 pm

Science Monday: The physiology of fear


Am teaching on anxiety, panic, and OCD tonight. Definition of anxiety: Responding to ambiguous stimuli (life situations) by reading them in the worst possible light. The Scriptures teach us that fear and worry are not good things. Time and time again God tells his people not to be afraid. We see that God wants us to see life through a different set of eyes, much as Elisha wanted his servant to see the army of angels instead of their enemies (2 Kings 6). But given the numerous encouragements to not give in to fear, we must admit it is a common struggle for every human being. Some struggle more than others.

What is going on with those whose lives are filled with worry and fear? Are they less spiritual? More sinful? It is easy to say, “buck up” to folks who are anxious–and entirely unhelpful to most. Logical challenges may help some in the moment, but usually don’t get to the root of the matter. Jesus encourages fearful people by pointing them to seeing life from 40,000 feet. He doesn’t deny risk and suffering but encourages folks to keep their eyes on him. And with Peter, he reaches out to grab ahold of him even when he does start looking at the waves.

But what of the physiology of anxiety? What do we know and how does the christian counselor make use of the data. First, what do we know? Continue reading →

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Filed under Anxiety, counseling science

January 26, 2007 · 3:34 pm

Buzzword watch: Let’s have conversation


In every good movement and cultural shift, there are words that signal these changes. However, just as quickly, the word gets picked up and used so frequently that it begins to mean absolutely nothing.
“Conversation” has become a buzzword of this present cultural moment. I heard Hillary Clinton invite listeners to join the conversation in the launch of her presidential campaign. Emergent/missional church leaders use the phrase.

Originally, the word signalled the change from hostile fights focusing on declaring the TRUTH of one’s position to that of dialogue and discussion, of understanding others rather than labeling them. Sounds good. But labeling and stereotyping others is a part of what it means to be human this side of heaven. And so, “join the conversation” quickly morphs into “join our conversation if you want what we want”. Pride and arrogance kill most catch phrases. WWJD (a phrase I never really liked anyway) may have had value to some but it also became meaningless to most.

My school uses the phrase and I think it is a good thing for seminaries to find ways to enter the world of those they serve. If we do it well, it looks like conversation (read John 4). And if we do it well, we learn so much from other cultural perspectives. But, I find myself not wanting to use the term because it sounds so superficial and bland. 

Not sure what I’d replace it with given that any good catch phrase will have the same problem.  

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Filed under church and culture, Cultural Anthropology, Missional Church

January 26, 2007 · 6:17 am

No hope for reconciliation between Israel and Palestine


I apologize for the delay in posting on the next chapter of Volf’s End of Memory. I’ve put it down briefly and am doing quick reads on two other books on the topic of division between people groups (Israel/Palestine; American Blacks/Whites). Volf has been exploring the matter of dealing with painful memories of past abuse. But what if the offenses continue, not just in the memory but in real life? How does one ever stop the cycle of hurt, hate, protectionism?

Carter’s new book, Palestine Peace Not Apartheid (Simon and Schuster), explores his involvement with trying to broker peace from the 70’s til more recently. If you are looking for a detailed historical analysis, look elsewhere, But if you have a good understanding the parties, he does have some interesting info and perspective and inside stories. I’ve read the first 4 chapters. However, he has a throw-away line in chapter one (p. 15) that really sticks in my craw, It has always b een clear that the antagonists cannot be expected to take the initiative to resolve their own differences. Hatred and distrust in the Middle East are too ingrained and pride is too great for any of the disputing parties to offer invitations or concessions that they know will almost inevitably be rejected.

While I agree that what he says has been true. The most progress has been made when the US has brokered and shuttled between the two and almost no progress has been made when outside pressures have been released. And yet, it is a sad day to say that a people group (or their leaders) are so unwilling to put aside pride and demands for autonomy/safety for the greater good of the world.

Seems true in Iraq today as well. Shia and Sunni leaders seem hellbent on giving up nothing for a greater good. There is no trust. So, the real question is how does one build/risk trust when there has been almost no space for it to the present. Does South Africa and the Truth and Reconciliation project have any capacity to teach us that victims give up rights and offenders give up silence and any pretense of being righteous?

I’m looking to see what Carter will suggest as the solution and whether he lays much blame at Israel’s feet. That’s the third rail of politics… 

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Filed under conflicts, Cultural Anthropology, Forgiveness, News and politics

January 25, 2007 · 5:07 am

Do you qualify as an evangelical?


Barna research group sends me teasers of their latest research. They recently did a survey to see who qualifies as an evangelical. According to their research, 38% of Americans (84 million) self-identify as evangelical Christians. However, this survey finds only 8% (17 million) actually meet their 9 point criteria of true evangelical faith, criteria apparently developed over the last 2 decades in concert with the NAE.

What are these criteria? Well, the teaser doesn’t give the exact verbiage of the questions but here’s the content areas in my words: Continue reading →

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Filed under church and culture, Evangelicals

January 23, 2007 · 6:22 am

The Holy Spirit is better than Jesus in the flesh?


Which would be better: be present with the Lord or have the Holy Spirit without Jesus’ physical presence? On Sunday, my pastor preached from John 16 about the advantages of having the Spirit. Seems there is power in us through the Spirit that would not be with us if we only had Jesus in the flesh. This power convicts us of sin, judges Satan, and guides us into all truth. Jesus tells his disciples that this is better. Not because it fills in some weakness he had, but because it changes (gives us) our conscience (my word, not his).

Many of us long, as Paul did, to be absent in the body and present with the Lord. A good longing indeed. But we ought not forget that we have something better than the disciples had when they walked with Jesus. As long as Jesus tarries and we are given breath, we have the advantage of the Spirit.

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Filed under Meditations, Uncategorized

January 22, 2007 · 10:22 am

Signs of stigma in the church?


Our church puts names of people needing prayer on the back of the bulletin at least once a month. There’s a section for those suffering chronic diseases which lists names and specific maladies. There’s a section for those who have family members who suffer illnesses; another section for those who recently lost a loved one; yet another for those who are in the military. Then there is this line: Pray for those who struggle with mental illness. Not surprisingly, no names are listed there.

Just a reminder how its okay to let people know you have cancer, chronic fatigue, family members who are not believers, etc. But it is still not okay to let people know that you struggle with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, schizophrenia, and the like. While the largest explanation for this is how society as a whole treats individuals with psychological problems. But, I also think we don’t put names there because we don’t want to be identified as spiritually weak. We don’t list those who are faithless, who are fearful, who are struggling with bitterness, pride, pornography, marital conflict, etc. Those struggles aren’t for the public to know about. We keep those to ourselves until it is too late to do something about it. And though I’ve just been somewhat sarcastic here, I must admit I don’t think we’re ready to put the names of folk in the bulletin who struggle with mental and relational illnesses. We’re too prone to gossip and treat them differently than those who struggle with physical illnesses–even those maladies that are caused primarily by gluttony and hard living (as my mother would call it).

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Filed under church and culture

January 22, 2007 · 6:58 am

Science Monday: Freud thinks forgetting is healthy?


I’m stretching the science end of things here to include some historical data. In chapter 8, Volf looks at the works of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Freud on the topic of forgetting. The chapter is interesting but I’m going to skip blogging on Kierkegaard and Nietzsche and only make a small comment on Freud. Volf argues that Freud never saw forgetting as always having a deleterious impact on mental health. We know that Freud believed that bringing repressed memories to the surface so as to release pent up energy. But did you know that he also talked about removing or erasing memory? Volf recounts one of Freud’s cases (Emmy von N.) in Studies on Hysteria where he says the following:

…and I made it impossible for her to see any of these melancholy things again, and not only by wiping out her memories of them in their plastic form, but by removing her whole recollection of them, as though they have never been present in her mind. (Volf, p154).

How did he do it you ask? Hypnosis. Later when he abandoned hypnosis, he talked about the fading of memories through something called “effacement.” The idea is that when you “starve” memories by releasing/removing the affect given them, they fade into the misty past. This is not motivated forgetting in order to reduce distress, but the reduction of distress that causes memories to fade.

Makes sense. I forget things every day that have no meaning to me. But nearly hit me on my way to work with your massive SUV and I’ll remember it well. However, since most days I don’t have near misses, I’ll begin to forget…

All well and good, but if the abuse or wrongs suffered are so big or at such a critical time in life, can I ever really forget? Its certainly a lot easier to forget and go back to a “normal” time but much harder to do so if there never was a “normal” time.

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Filed under Abuse, counseling science, memory

January 19, 2007 · 6:56 am

Are you a humble person? 7 habits to consider


We all struggle with self-righteousness. We see other’s sins and wish they would stop doing them. Often our vision of their flaws are quite detailed and correct. Yet, how do we maintain a balance between seeing other’s sins and seeing our own.

Humility.

Here’s a list of habits humble people need to cultivate. It was made by Cornelius Plantinga at a CCEF conference 2 years back.

1. Accept ordinary deficiencies with good will and good humor without feeling threatened or needing to say something about it. (Does it feel like it reflects poorly on you when others close by (family!) have deficiencies?)
2. Ask a lot of questions because this is the way of wisdom
3. Wait for an invitation. Don’t presume your life will be fascinating to other people
4. Be a good receiver of gifts and graces from God and others; be willing to be indebted and grateful
5. Don’t try to make a child over into your image. Children aren’t projects
6. Be filled with irony and humor, especially about yourself and your own humility
7. Own up to your sins without explanation or defense

A good start…now if only I could remember…

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Filed under Cognitive biases, self-deception

January 18, 2007 · 5:18 am

The impossible gift of forgetting wrongs done to you


Sorry for the brief hiatus from The End of Memory. Starting a new semester plus am looking at two books that I may review in some detail right after (Jimmy Carter’s new book on the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and Ed Gilbreath’s book on being a black man in white evangelical organizations–both have to do with dealing with longstanding conflict and hurts).

Volf in Chapter 7 begins a new section entitled, How Long Should we Remember? Continue reading →

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Filed under Abuse, book reviews, christian psychology, Forgiveness, memory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Repentance, suffering

January 17, 2007 · 10:02 am

The downside to rehearsing hero stories


Connecting the themes of Monday (MLK) and Tuesday (seeing your future), I’ve been thinking about how we romanticize our heroes and their lives, how we rehearse certain parts of our heroes’ lives and neglect the parts that are more like our own experiences. I’m not talking about ignoring their flaws but rather about the ways we ignore how difficult their lives were and the fears they must have experienced. We see the success (e.g., significant civil rights progress), remember how brave a particular hero was (MLK willing to be jailed despite opportunities to be bailed out), but forget the day-to-day fears they faced. What might become of me? Am I doing the right thing?

Did MLK know what was going to happen to him. One of his last sermons certainly hinted that he might not “get there” with the audience. And why not, he’d been stabbed, beaten, bombed, threatened daily for years. But I suspect there were days and nights of fear, worry, and second-guessing. There had to be days of wanting to go someplace to be safe and not ever bothered again. His challenge was knowing that since he felt God’s call to stay and fight was that God would be good enough and give enough “manna” for the next day.

I think we often rehearse the strength of biblical characters as well and at times neglect their fears. We see in much of David’s poetry that would suggest he spent many a dark night fearing that he would not be protected by God. It is easy to think about David’s courage with Goliath, his righteous response to Saul’s attempts to kill him, his joy in dancing before the Lord, but sometimes forget that he, like us, struggled to know just what God was up to in his life.

Thinking about their struggles not only increases my compassion but encourages me to keep waiting on the Lord in hope and faith for whatever he chooses to bring my way.

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Filed under Anxiety, Christianity: Leaders and Leadership, Civil Rights