"Meaning-centered psychotherapy" is a program developed by William Breitbart, a psychiatrist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. According to Dr. Breitbart, it tries to answer the question cancer patients often have, which is "How do I live in the space between my diagnosis and my eventual death?"
The program, which has involved over 300 patients since 2000, is based on the writings of an Aucschwitz survivor, Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, he had "the conviction that people can endure any suffering if they know their life has meaning."
The idea is to connect patients "with the many sources of meaning in life - love, work, history, family relationships - and teaches them that when cancer produces an obstacle in one, they find meaning in another." It's an effort to answer the question "How can you live when you know you're going to die."
Patients are encouraged to ask, "What accomplishments are you most proud of?" and "What do you want your legacy to be?" As session leader Dr. Shannon Poppito puts it, "You are not dying of cancer - you are living with cancer until you pass. You can make it meaningful, even if all you can do is lie in bed."
The program has had success: many patients report it's given them strength in comparison "with traditional support groups that typically discuss issues like dealing with doctors and body image." And it "seems to lessen that white-knuckle grip on life and give(s) them a sense of peace."
I guess it helps.
But there's another way to deal with the anticipation of death that doesn't rely on support groups, psychiatric sessions, or efforts to cram meaning into your remaining days. It's the knowledge that life doesn't end when your body expires and that you - free of your physical encumbrances - will live forever. Christians don't have a "white-knuckle grip on life." They have a healthy anticipation of a peaceful afterlife.
Secular efforts to improve the end of life are laudable, but they can't erase the underlying notion that life will end in hopelessness and finality. Jesus can. The patient can take one of two paths. He can take the secular route and try to distract himself as he's hurtling toward a brick wall. Or he can take the Christian road and tranquilly roll over a speed bump into eternity.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Christian Politician Follies
When a Christian gets in trouble, you can count on his faith being noted prominently. This was the case with Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina, a successful politician who was considered to be presidential timber. Mr. Sanford has a wife and four young children but was smitten by an Argentine soul mate who stole his heart and possibly his brain, too.
After telling people he was off hiking on the Appalachian Trail, he instead took a trip to South America to cavort with his girlfriend. Caught as he got off the return flight from Buenos Aires, Sanford tearfully came clean in progressively more embarassing press conferences.
Around the same time, U.S. Senator John Ensign of Nevada admitted having an affair with his former campaign treasurer. She was also his best friend's wife. Ensign's parents made payments to her and her family totaling nearly $100,000 "out of concern for the well-being of long-time family friends." Ensign admitted the relationship after his ex-best friend started talking about it on Fox News.
These guys were forthright Christians who were on the front lines condemning others for their indulgences. But then they did the same things themselves. It's the blatant hypocrisy of people who profess one thing, point their fingers at others and then secretly live alternate lives that makes them juicy targets.
At least those who Sanford and Ensign had criticized weren't acting as moral authorities and judging others. They may not have been concerned with morality, but at least they weren't being hypocritical. In a crazy twist, the absence of hypocrisy almost makes them seem morally superior.
What now? They're both apparently planning to stay in office and they may well be able to. As Christians, they can be forgiven. But their standing as moral pillars and their ability to promote the Christian faith has evaporated. And the ridicule they brought upon themselves did their faith a great disservice.
Those in positions of responsibility are held to higher standards than others. This biblical principle was ignored by these leaders and they're justly paying a price for violating it.
After telling people he was off hiking on the Appalachian Trail, he instead took a trip to South America to cavort with his girlfriend. Caught as he got off the return flight from Buenos Aires, Sanford tearfully came clean in progressively more embarassing press conferences.
Around the same time, U.S. Senator John Ensign of Nevada admitted having an affair with his former campaign treasurer. She was also his best friend's wife. Ensign's parents made payments to her and her family totaling nearly $100,000 "out of concern for the well-being of long-time family friends." Ensign admitted the relationship after his ex-best friend started talking about it on Fox News.
These guys were forthright Christians who were on the front lines condemning others for their indulgences. But then they did the same things themselves. It's the blatant hypocrisy of people who profess one thing, point their fingers at others and then secretly live alternate lives that makes them juicy targets.
At least those who Sanford and Ensign had criticized weren't acting as moral authorities and judging others. They may not have been concerned with morality, but at least they weren't being hypocritical. In a crazy twist, the absence of hypocrisy almost makes them seem morally superior.
What now? They're both apparently planning to stay in office and they may well be able to. As Christians, they can be forgiven. But their standing as moral pillars and their ability to promote the Christian faith has evaporated. And the ridicule they brought upon themselves did their faith a great disservice.
Those in positions of responsibility are held to higher standards than others. This biblical principle was ignored by these leaders and they're justly paying a price for violating it.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Christian Gunslingers
Hot off the wire! "Kentucky church cherishes guns."
The Associated Press article began, "A gun-toting Kentucky pastor says it's OK to pack heat at church - at least for one day." It referred to an event held at the New Bethel Church in Louisville that was designed to promote gun safety, celebrate the Second Amendment right to bear arms, and demonstrate that there are many legal, civil, intelligent and law-abiding citizens who also own guns.
The piece ended with a note that "a coalition of peace and church groups staged a gun-free event across town at the same time." Although the article didn't elaborate on it, the gathering probably extolled peace, non-violence and love, and decried the shooting deaths that happen every year.
I don't own a gun, but I've fired them enough to respect them and appreciate the skill involved in shooting accurately. I also know hunters who take pride in their abilities - and in gun safety - who believe guns are necessary to protect themselves and their loved ones. They're not criminals.
Which group reflects Christianity?
Jesus taught peace, love, turning the other cheek, loving your enemies and lots of other things that indicate he abhorred violence. It seems reasonable to infer he wouldn't have condoned gun use.
But other passages temper this. The Bible allows the killing of thieves who enter a victim's house at night, Jesus himself commanded his disciples to carry swords (the contemporary equivalent of guns), and the righteous are admonished not to "give way before the wicked."
Love and peace are transcendant Christian ideals, but how do we apply them when we get into particular situations? If your wife is attacked, do you seek peace by doing nothing but showing love for the perpetrator? Or do you show love for your wife and restore peace by stopping the crime? Depending on your size, condition, age, martial arts proficiency and the number of assailants, a gun may be your only option.
Jim Farley is a retired firefighter and Christian who tells of a time when burglaries were happening in his neighborhood. He had a handgun in his night table and was ready to defend his home. One night he got his chance when he and his wife heard an intruder downstairs. He got out of bed, got the gun and went out the bedroom door. With impeccable timing his wife shouted "JIM, DON'T SHOOT HIM!!" at which point the burglar fled.
Without the threat of a gun, his house certainly would have been robbed, he may have been attacked, and his wife might have been, too. It's a case where a lawfully owned firearm prevented a potentially terrible incident. (On the other hand, you could say that all he really needed was a recording of his wife yelling, "Jim, don't shoot him!").
The inferred point of the AP article was that guns and Christian faith are incompatible and that the church in Louisville was acting hypocritically. But this betrays misunderstanding on the writer's part. The Bible offers ideals for us to aspire to, but it also provides for realistic responses to real-world situations. Self-defense is acceptable, and Christian gun owners see no contradiction between their faith and their weapons.
The idea that gun ownership somehow delegitimizes the owner's faith is simply untrue. There are cases to be made on both sides of the gun issue, but it's a civil matter - not a religious one.
The Associated Press article began, "A gun-toting Kentucky pastor says it's OK to pack heat at church - at least for one day." It referred to an event held at the New Bethel Church in Louisville that was designed to promote gun safety, celebrate the Second Amendment right to bear arms, and demonstrate that there are many legal, civil, intelligent and law-abiding citizens who also own guns.
The piece ended with a note that "a coalition of peace and church groups staged a gun-free event across town at the same time." Although the article didn't elaborate on it, the gathering probably extolled peace, non-violence and love, and decried the shooting deaths that happen every year.
I don't own a gun, but I've fired them enough to respect them and appreciate the skill involved in shooting accurately. I also know hunters who take pride in their abilities - and in gun safety - who believe guns are necessary to protect themselves and their loved ones. They're not criminals.
Which group reflects Christianity?
Jesus taught peace, love, turning the other cheek, loving your enemies and lots of other things that indicate he abhorred violence. It seems reasonable to infer he wouldn't have condoned gun use.
But other passages temper this. The Bible allows the killing of thieves who enter a victim's house at night, Jesus himself commanded his disciples to carry swords (the contemporary equivalent of guns), and the righteous are admonished not to "give way before the wicked."
Love and peace are transcendant Christian ideals, but how do we apply them when we get into particular situations? If your wife is attacked, do you seek peace by doing nothing but showing love for the perpetrator? Or do you show love for your wife and restore peace by stopping the crime? Depending on your size, condition, age, martial arts proficiency and the number of assailants, a gun may be your only option.
Jim Farley is a retired firefighter and Christian who tells of a time when burglaries were happening in his neighborhood. He had a handgun in his night table and was ready to defend his home. One night he got his chance when he and his wife heard an intruder downstairs. He got out of bed, got the gun and went out the bedroom door. With impeccable timing his wife shouted "JIM, DON'T SHOOT HIM!!" at which point the burglar fled.
Without the threat of a gun, his house certainly would have been robbed, he may have been attacked, and his wife might have been, too. It's a case where a lawfully owned firearm prevented a potentially terrible incident. (On the other hand, you could say that all he really needed was a recording of his wife yelling, "Jim, don't shoot him!").
The inferred point of the AP article was that guns and Christian faith are incompatible and that the church in Louisville was acting hypocritically. But this betrays misunderstanding on the writer's part. The Bible offers ideals for us to aspire to, but it also provides for realistic responses to real-world situations. Self-defense is acceptable, and Christian gun owners see no contradiction between their faith and their weapons.
The idea that gun ownership somehow delegitimizes the owner's faith is simply untrue. There are cases to be made on both sides of the gun issue, but it's a civil matter - not a religious one.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Soaring
Soaring isn't hang gliding. You fly in a sleek, white fiberglass aircraft with a canopy that closes over you. The fuselage is short, about half the length of the 55 foot wingspan, and the cockpit is so compact you have to flip up the instrument panel to slip your legs into the nose. Once you're in, the panel swings down and you lock yourself into a four-strap harness by inserting the the clips into a buckle on your chest. Since there's no engine there are only four instruments: an airspeed indicator, an altimeter, a compass and an odd one I'd never seen before. More on that later.
The sailplane's two wheels are on the centerline of the fuselage, one behind the other. They're recessed into the plane, so you're only sitting about a foot off the ground. It's tied to a tow plane with a thin rope laid out in a zig-zag pattern to avoid tangling, and as the Cessna lumbers down the runway the rope tightens and we become airborne almost immediately.
At 5,000 feet the pilot, Claude -who learned to soar in France - warns me he's detaching the tow. There's a dull "thud" and the glider enters a hard, tight bank to the right. This surprised me, but it was really cool. It turns out that standard procedure after release is for the sailplane to fly up and to the right while the tow plane dives down to the left. My wife, watching from the ground, thought the tow plane pilot was nuts.
The ride was smooth and the only sound was air rushing past the plane. I wondered if birds hear the same sound when they glide. We're acting a lot like seagulls, who increase their altitude by riding updrafts. In fact, it's the essence of what we're doing.
That oddball instrument is a variometer and it tells you whether you're in an updraft or a downdraft. It has (+) and (-) digital readouts and emits a beeping sound. If you "get lucky," which is a discomfiting term sailplane pilots use, you locate an updraft and circle in it to gain altitude. In an updraft the variometer shows (+) with a fluctuating numeral indicating its intensity and, simultaneously, the beeps are emitted closer together. In a downdraft, a (-) with intermittent beeps would tell you to keep looking.
Heated rising air can be produced by large parking lots, roofs and even highways. We used a large quarry. But finding the "thermal" is tricky because even a slight breeze moves it. Another source of updrafts is the is the wind, which blows in, hits the mountains and is directed skyward. Pilots "ride the ridge" by flying in a figure eight pattern that keeps them in the rising breeze.
There were two parallel runways, and we missed them both. On purpose, since sailplanes land on grass. As we skimmed over the turf at 55 mph our closeness to the ground made it feel a lot faster. In powered flight pilots slow down just before landing by raising the nose and "flaring out" as the plane nears the pavement, but Claude drove the glider straight in without flaring at all. He finally stopped by whipping to the right to avoid the planes parked ahead of us.
It was a good landing.
This kind of thing gets you thinking - about the amazing abilities of birds, the way they use winds and thermals, and the way man uses God's natural laws to mimic them. The order and design you see in this one tiny slice of life is just another way the Creator reveals himself to those who look.
The sailplane's two wheels are on the centerline of the fuselage, one behind the other. They're recessed into the plane, so you're only sitting about a foot off the ground. It's tied to a tow plane with a thin rope laid out in a zig-zag pattern to avoid tangling, and as the Cessna lumbers down the runway the rope tightens and we become airborne almost immediately.
At 5,000 feet the pilot, Claude -who learned to soar in France - warns me he's detaching the tow. There's a dull "thud" and the glider enters a hard, tight bank to the right. This surprised me, but it was really cool. It turns out that standard procedure after release is for the sailplane to fly up and to the right while the tow plane dives down to the left. My wife, watching from the ground, thought the tow plane pilot was nuts.
The ride was smooth and the only sound was air rushing past the plane. I wondered if birds hear the same sound when they glide. We're acting a lot like seagulls, who increase their altitude by riding updrafts. In fact, it's the essence of what we're doing.
That oddball instrument is a variometer and it tells you whether you're in an updraft or a downdraft. It has (+) and (-) digital readouts and emits a beeping sound. If you "get lucky," which is a discomfiting term sailplane pilots use, you locate an updraft and circle in it to gain altitude. In an updraft the variometer shows (+) with a fluctuating numeral indicating its intensity and, simultaneously, the beeps are emitted closer together. In a downdraft, a (-) with intermittent beeps would tell you to keep looking.
Heated rising air can be produced by large parking lots, roofs and even highways. We used a large quarry. But finding the "thermal" is tricky because even a slight breeze moves it. Another source of updrafts is the is the wind, which blows in, hits the mountains and is directed skyward. Pilots "ride the ridge" by flying in a figure eight pattern that keeps them in the rising breeze.
There were two parallel runways, and we missed them both. On purpose, since sailplanes land on grass. As we skimmed over the turf at 55 mph our closeness to the ground made it feel a lot faster. In powered flight pilots slow down just before landing by raising the nose and "flaring out" as the plane nears the pavement, but Claude drove the glider straight in without flaring at all. He finally stopped by whipping to the right to avoid the planes parked ahead of us.
It was a good landing.
This kind of thing gets you thinking - about the amazing abilities of birds, the way they use winds and thermals, and the way man uses God's natural laws to mimic them. The order and design you see in this one tiny slice of life is just another way the Creator reveals himself to those who look.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Manifest Spin
A sensational story was reported by the Associated Press. The headline read, "Gay exorcism video stirs worry, horror." The perpetrators were the leaders and members of the Manifested Glory Ministries in Bridgeport, CT.
The group, operated by Overseer Kelvin McKinney and Prophetess/Apostle Patricia McKinney, is located in a small commercial building in an industrial area of an aging manufacturing city. It's a small band of people, a number of whom profess to have had prophetic visions. They're evidently not affiliated with any denomination.
They claimed to have tried to "cast out the spirits" and release a young man from homosexuality in an apparently improvised event. A man held the subject under his arms to keep him standing while others shouted, "Rip it from his throat! Come on, you homosexual demon....we call you out right now!" and "Come out of his belly. It's in the belly - push!" In retrospect, they probably regret taping the episode and releasing it on YouTube.
This isn't about homosexuality, or exorcism, or even YouTube. It's about the way the press characterized the story. Along with a detailed description of the goings-on, the article focused on comments from True Colors, an advocacy group for gay youths.
AP noted "It's nearly impossible to say how often similar exercises occur in churches nationwide," but that didn't keep them reporting the words of one True Colors official who said she "believes it's fairly common. This happens all the time. This is not isolated." Another commented,"I think it's horrifying. What saddens me is the people that are doing this think they are doing it in the kid's best interests when in fact they're murdering his spirit."
Man, this is happening all over the place! Who knew? We've got Christians doing this commonly and they're unintentionally murdering people's spirits. I guess they're well-meaning but just too clueless to know what they're doing. At least that's what the spin is.
Or is it possible we've got a tiny splinter group of self-described prophesiers, run by an "Overseer" and a "Prophetess" with no apparent connection with the rest of Christianity that came up with some misguided home-grown remedy for homosexuality, performed it and then posted it on the internet?
Manifested Glory Ministries isn't like any church I know. But it's typical of our times that reporters and their editors are naive enough to think it is. Or jaded enough against the faith to purposely present the story as being anything but a bizarre aberration.
The group, operated by Overseer Kelvin McKinney and Prophetess/Apostle Patricia McKinney, is located in a small commercial building in an industrial area of an aging manufacturing city. It's a small band of people, a number of whom profess to have had prophetic visions. They're evidently not affiliated with any denomination.
They claimed to have tried to "cast out the spirits" and release a young man from homosexuality in an apparently improvised event. A man held the subject under his arms to keep him standing while others shouted, "Rip it from his throat! Come on, you homosexual demon....we call you out right now!" and "Come out of his belly. It's in the belly - push!" In retrospect, they probably regret taping the episode and releasing it on YouTube.
This isn't about homosexuality, or exorcism, or even YouTube. It's about the way the press characterized the story. Along with a detailed description of the goings-on, the article focused on comments from True Colors, an advocacy group for gay youths.
AP noted "It's nearly impossible to say how often similar exercises occur in churches nationwide," but that didn't keep them reporting the words of one True Colors official who said she "believes it's fairly common. This happens all the time. This is not isolated." Another commented,"I think it's horrifying. What saddens me is the people that are doing this think they are doing it in the kid's best interests when in fact they're murdering his spirit."
Man, this is happening all over the place! Who knew? We've got Christians doing this commonly and they're unintentionally murdering people's spirits. I guess they're well-meaning but just too clueless to know what they're doing. At least that's what the spin is.
Or is it possible we've got a tiny splinter group of self-described prophesiers, run by an "Overseer" and a "Prophetess" with no apparent connection with the rest of Christianity that came up with some misguided home-grown remedy for homosexuality, performed it and then posted it on the internet?
Manifested Glory Ministries isn't like any church I know. But it's typical of our times that reporters and their editors are naive enough to think it is. Or jaded enough against the faith to purposely present the story as being anything but a bizarre aberration.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
