We all encounter times of physical illness as well as of emotional, psychological, and spiritual distress and pain. We are all in need of healing-in every aspect of life. In this important new book, a physician specializing in preventive medicine integrates learnings from both science and religion to present a holistic approach to well being that is rooted in a new understanding of Christian principles-an approach that has already proven effective in countless lives. Using examples of people who have been healed, Dr. Bakken shows how stress (fear, anxiety, anger, guilt, depression, loneliness, and unforgiveness) contributes to disease, and how spiritual growth ("perfect love casts out fear") promotes health, healing, and wholeness. Both practical and inspiring, The Call to Wholeness is at once a convincing synthesis of several disciplines and an authentic witness to the healing power of Jesus Christ. It demonstrates that God is the author, renewer, and sustainer of all life, and the ultimate source of all healing. It challenges individuals, the Church, and the medical establishment to expand their view of reality in the context of a Christ-centered spirituality that can bring true and lasting wholeness to each and all of us.
Introduction to the New Edition vii Foreword xi Acknowledgments xiv Introduction 1 Resources for a New Beginning 119
Introduction to the New Edition
, F. Moron Kelsey, e academic faer A of e renewal of ealing minisry in e Curc, of blessed memory, callenged me during a privae dinner a a resauran in Balimore’s Inner Harbor o wrie a book on eal and ealing in e Crisian radiion. He promised o wrie e foreword. How could I say “no” o suc a generous offer? In ose days lile could be found on e opic in conemporary religious, spiriual, and eal-care lieraure. Wi Moron’s encouragemen, I wroehe Call to Woleness: Healt as a Spiritual Journeyduring one o, sulry sum-mer mon from lecure noes and my ric experience a S. Luke Heal Cener and Minisries. Sequesered in my aic ome office, I ad compleed my eacing duies for e academic year a e Jons Hopkins Scool of Hygiene and Public Heal. I could never ave guessed a is sor, Spiri-filled mon of prayerful reflecion and wriing would propel me over e nex weny-five years ino becoming an advocae, apologis, and auor for inegraed, wole person, Cris-cenered ealcare. During ose alcyon years a S. Luke, dozens of pysicians, eologians, nurses, counselors, and pilgrims arrived mon ater mon from around e counry, and
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viii/ Introduction to te New Edition indeed, from around e world, o experience is “ird way” of car-ing for paiens. In subsequen years muc as canged, and ye, disappoiningly lile as canged. he Human Genome Projec, brain science, gene-ics, exraordinary ecnological advances in medicine, asropys-ics and cosmology, advanced sudies in e origins of life and e universe—all of ese fields of academic scolarsip were nascen in 1984. Today ey are inegral o our discussions and researc. here are more an four undred sudies, for example, including ose from e Naional Insiues of Menal Heal, wic sugges religious commimen and spiriualiy are associaed wi beer eal oucome saisics. Numerous sudies of prayer, mediaion, fai, and curc aendance sugges beneficial eal oucomes, decreased oal moraliy, and enanced life saisfacion. In a 2005 naional survey of 1,100 pysicians, almos 75 percen of docors sae a miracles ave occurred in e pas and can occur oday.Life is complex and exciing, and we are found o be e suff of e sars! On e oer and, nearly 70 percen of religious leaders—pas-ors, and priess—ave significan eal callenges, including for example, increased raes of obesiy, depression, and ear disease. Despie e clear and mouning evidence, clinical experience, and dramaic breakrougs in scienific medicine, e public in general, and our religious leaders of paricular concern, remain as unealy as ever. here appears o be an alarming disconnec. I is ard work o become a wole person. Because we are uman and live on e ragged edge of creaiviy, ere will always be pain and suffering, lack of meaning and purpose, fear and dread, ope-lessness, isolaion, sress, and conflic. here is, indeed, muc grief in our world. I am reminded of ese wise and imeless verses from e Talmud, words a I srive o live by:
Introduction to te New Edition/ix Do not be daunted by te enormity of te world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk umbly, now. You are not obligated to complete te work, but neiter are you free to abandon it.
We ave, as a sociey, and especially as people of fai, failed o implemen and inegrae e well-documened and significan eal benefis of proper nuriion, exercise, sress managemen, and e classical spiriual disciplines (o name only a few), in comba-ing disease, disabiliy, and premaure dea. Over e pas few years, and especially in my mos recen book,he Journey Into God, I ave ogeer wi colleagues begun o unpack, wiin our conemporary life siuaion, e ancien Orodox eological concep ofteosisand is relaionsip o eal and ealing. A is simples and mos profound,teosismeans o be ransformed ino e image and like-ness of God. Is a no our goal in is life: o become ealed and wole persons and o live fully and abundanly in love and compas-sion, so as o elp user in e reign of God? heCall to Wolenessis as relevan oday as i ever was.