The Call to Wholeness: Health as a Spiritual Journey

Description

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.

Subjects

• Books
• Savoirs
• Religions

Informations

• Published by: Wipf and Stock Publishers
• Published: 01 September 2009
• Reads: 0
• EAN13: 9781725226449
• Language: English
• Document size: 14 MB

Exrait

Wipf and Stock Publishers 199 W 8th Ave, Suite 3 Eugene, OR 97401 The Call to Wholeness Health as a Spiritual Journey By Bakken, Kenneth L. Copyright©1985 by Bakken, Kenneth L. ISBN 13: 978-1-60608-911-8 Publication date 7/10/2009 Previously published by Crossroads, 1985

Introduction to the New Edition vii Foreword xi Acknowledgments xiv Introduction 1 Resources for a New Beginning 119

Introduction to the New Edition

 , F. Moron Kelsey, e academic faer A of e renewal of ealing minisry in e Curc, of blessed memory, callenged me during a privae dinner a a resauran in Balimore’s Inner Harbor o wrie a book on eal and ealing in e Crisian radiion. He promised o wrie e foreword. How could I say “no” o suc a generous offer? In ose days lile could be found on e opic in conemporary religious, spiriual, and eal- care lieraure. Wi Moron’s encouragemen, I wroehe Call to Woleness: Healt as a Spiritual Journeyduring one o, sulry sum- mer mon from lecure noes and my ric experience a S. Luke Heal Cener and Minisries. Sequesered in my aic ome office, I ad compleed my eacing duies for e academic year a e Jons Hopkins Scool of Hygiene and Public Heal. I could never ave guessed a is sor, Spiri-filled mon of prayerful reflecion and wriing would propel me over e nex weny-five years ino becoming an advocae, apologis, and auor for inegraed, wole person, Cris-cenered ealcare. During ose alcyon years a S. Luke, dozens of pysicians, eologians, nurses, counselors, and pilgrims arrived mon ater mon from around e counry, and

vii

viii/ Introduction to te New Edition indeed, from around e world, o experience is “ird way” of car- ing for paiens. In subsequen years muc as canged, and ye, disappoiningly lile as canged. he Human Genome Projec, brain science, gene- ics, exraordinary ecnological advances in medicine, asropys- ics and cosmology, advanced sudies in e origins of life and e universe—all of ese fields of academic scolarsip were nascen in 1984. Today ey are inegral o our discussions and researc. here are more an four undred sudies, for example, including ose from e Naional Insiues of Menal Heal, wic sugges religious commimen and spiriualiy are associaed wi beer eal oucome saisics. Numerous sudies of prayer, mediaion, fai, and curc aendance sugges beneficial eal oucomes, decreased oal moraliy, and enanced life saisfacion. In a 2005 naional survey of 1,100 pysicians, almos 75 percen of docors sae a miracles ave occurred in e pas and can occur oday. Life is complex and exciing, and we are found o be e suff of e sars! On e oer and, nearly 70 percen of religious leaders—pas- ors, and priess—ave significan eal callenges, including for example, increased raes of obesiy, depression, and ear disease. Despie e clear and mouning evidence, clinical experience, and dramaic breakrougs in scienific medicine, e public in general, and our religious leaders of paricular concern, remain as unealy as ever. here appears o be an alarming disconnec. I is ard work o become a wole person. Because we are uman and live on e ragged edge of creaiviy, ere will always be pain and suffering, lack of meaning and purpose, fear and dread, ope- lessness, isolaion, sress, 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 srive o live by:

Introduction to te New Edition/ix Do not be daunted by te enormity of te world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk umbly, now. You are not obligated to complete te work, but neiter are you free to abandon it.

We ave, as a sociey, and especially as people of fai, failed o implemen and inegrae e well-documened and significan eal benefis of proper nuriion, exercise, sress managemen, and e classical spiriual disciplines (o name only a few), in comba- ing disease, disabiliy, and premaure dea. Over e pas few years, and especially in my mos recen book,he Journey Into God, I ave ogeer wi colleagues begun o unpack, wiin our conemporary life siuaion, e ancien Orodox eological concep ofteosis and is relaionsip o eal and ealing. A is simples and mos profound,teosismeans o be ransformed ino e image and like- ness of God. Is a no our goal in is life: o become ealed and wole persons and o live fully and abundanly in love and compas- sion, so as o elp user in e reign of God? heCall to Woleness is as relevan oday as i ever was.

Kenne L. Bakken Feas of e Mos Holy Triniy