Each spring, the sacred calendars of Judaism, Christianity and Islam draw us into stories of liberation, sacrifice and divine mercy. Passover, Easter and the rhythms of revelation in the Quran all echo a central truth: God is present with the…
Veterans urge DeSantis to stop execution
Five veterans have been executed since Ron DeSantis became governor of Florida in 2019 with a sixth scheduled to die this month. But a group of former service members wants the killing to stop and are pleading with the governor…
The time a young PTSD-wracked veteran walked into her backyard
I was sitting on my back porch, watching some early Fourth of July fireworks but not feeling at all patriotic as I pondered the current ICE raids. Almost everyone I know is impacted, asking about their loved one and wondering what can we do if they…
‘There’s no such thing as PTSD, OCD, ADHD,’ John MacArthur declares
Parents who medicate their children for ADHD and OCD are turning their children into potential drug addicts and criminals, John MacArthur warned earlier this month. MacArthur, a highly influential Calvinist pastor and author in Los Angeles, spoke on a panel…
Immigration advocate surveys asylum-seekers to measure anxiety and depression
Immigrant advocate and social worker Sue Smith has noticed a significant increase in asylum seekers arriving in the United States with severe cases of anxiety and depression, making it harder for them to learn English, enroll their children in schools…
A daughter’s tribute — 50 years later
My brother was 15 and I was 18 when our father died Dec. 4, 1971 — 20 days short of his 46th birthday. Initially it was thought he died of a heart attack; he’d been sick all that previous year….
Seek to become a ‘trauma-informed congregation’ in November forward
In recent years, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has become a highly visible part of our culture, and generalized trauma has emerged as a consistent issue for clergy and churches. The majority of Americans have experienced a significant trauma in their…
Therapist guides clients through loneliness, trauma created by spiritual abuse
“They think they are horrible people because that’s tied to the theology. You’ll find that in churches that place super focus on language like ‘I’m a sinner’ and ‘I’m a wretch.’”
Clergy sex abuse: the damage done when faith is weaponized
When Bible verses, prayer, hymns, faith, God-talk and church rituals are perverted into weapons for sexual assault and then hammered into shields for church cover-ups, they become neurologically networked with trauma, and this renders them polluted and often toxic for the survivors.
Emotional rebuilding continues 5 years after Texas blast
The town of West, Texas, took one on the chin when an April 2013 fertilizer plant explosion flattened or damaged scores of homes, destroyed schools, killed 15 people and injured hundreds of others. But the community located about 20 miles north…
An airman reflects: don’t thank me this Memorial Day
I was talking to one of our Air Force senior leaders the other day who said, “Everyone who has served on the front lines of this war has been forever changed.” That was cool, because “Forever Changed” is the name…
American Sniper and the Power of the System
There are many viewers of “American Sniper” who consider Chris Kyle an American hero. Some of these, who are also Christians, even see him as an example of Christian heroism. These are folks who collapse obedience to God into obedience…