Managing Monday with Henri Nouwen: Take 2
Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) was a Dutch born Roman Catholic priest, academic, author and theologian. Nouwen reached the top of the academic ladder with posts at Notre Dame, Yale and Harvard, but made the surprising decision to leave academia and to work with physically and mentally handicapped people at the L’Arche Daybreak community in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Here are some of his thoughts… Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the ‘beloved’ – Henri Nouwen The main question is not ‘How...
Read MoreExtrinsic, Intrinsic and Quest forms of faith…
OK, so this topic might not sound compelling. What’s this about extrinsic, intrinsic and quest forms of faith, and does it have any relevance? Actually, I think it does. It helps to explain why faith works it way out one way in some people, and so very differently in others. But let me be a little more systematic. It’s a topic I explore in my recently published book When Faith Turns Ugly (Paternoster, 2016). I start by talking about some of the pioneering work done by Gordon Allport in the field of personality theory, and do so in a chapter which explores Freud’s accusation...
Read MorePolitics and the race to the bottom…
The American presidential election has become so bizarre that it has provoked me to move out of my ‘minimal political comment’ zone. At so many levels it is deeply disturbing. The selection of candidates who have such obvious character flaws, is worrying. If we accept this, will it become the new normal for the future? Almost as distressing has been the insistence of many (far too many) evangelical leaders to back Trump, come what may. Now I don’t doubt that they have their reasons, and clearly expect a political return in some areas they consider to be important for...
Read MoreManaging Monday with Henri Nouwen
Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) was a Dutch born Roman Catholic priest, academic, author and theologian. Nouwen reached the top of the academic ladder with posts at Notre Dame, Yale and Harvard, but made the surprising (though liberating) decision to leave academia and to work with physically and mentally handicapped people at the L’Arche Daybreak community in Richmond Hill, Ontario. He introduced the concept of The Wounded Healer with his book of that title, and some of his other significant works (which have been published in more than 30 different languages) include In the Name of Jesus,...
Read MoreWhen mental health is the issue…
Most of us are sympathetic when family or friends face an obvious physical ailment. We are often a lot less certain how to respond when it is a mental health issue. Yet all the statistics indicate that large numbers of people struggle in this realm. It’s something we talk about too little. Pleasingly, and going against the trend of silence, the latest edition of the Advocate is devoted to exploring issues of mental health. For those not familiar with the Advocate, it is an award winning Perth based Christian newspaper produced on a monthly basis. I write a regular column for it (and it...
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