You Heard It Here

Why Do Some Churches Prefer Pastors Who DO NOT Have Theological Education? by Pastor Mika Edmondson , Your Black World On more than one occasion, I have heard something like this, “Great sermon today Reverend…I saw the Holy Ghost on you and NOT the seminary!” or “it [ministry] don’t take all that [education]…the Bible is simple.”Have you noticed that some church folks have negative or at best mixed feelings about formal religious training? While we tend to appreciate and celebrate educational attainment in other areas like the hard sciences, theological studies are often viewed with guarded suspicion--a kind of exception to the general rule. Some congregations even prefer pastors with degrees in business over ones with degrees in theology or biblical studies. These kinds of attitudes are certainly understandable. After all, as a community we haven’t always had access to formalized education of any kind, let alone theological education. Therefore, the Black Church

Nouwen, Henri J. M. Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life . New York: Image Books, 1966. Abstract What does it mean to live a life in the Spirit of Jesus Christ? What a way to start a discourse about finding oneself before attempting to help another. Henri J. M. Nouwen masterfully compiled the blueprint for cultivating ones spiritual life and letting it translate into true discipleship – which means helping others find Jesus Christ. I understand his thesis because many people fail to realize that most Christians – while called upon to help others – find themselves in as much pain and inner chaos as the ones who need help. Nouwen’s aim is to bring the Christian to the understanding that solitude in oneself is necessary, rather than living with the appearance of spiritual stability. This aloneness in the spirit is the seed in which spiritual maturity is born. As a Christian, many believe that accepting Jesus Christ is all that’s needed. The bible does say that “if an

ABSTRACT McMinn, Mark R.   Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality In Christian Counseling . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1996. Dr. Mark McMinn compiles an excellent resource for those who have chosen the path of Christian counseling. It focuses primarily on two important aspects of the Christian counseling field : in counseling sessions and life outside of counseling sessions – namely the counselor’s task and the counselor’s life. He starts his book with a brief section – written with James Wilhoit – that talks about religion in the Counseling office. It informs the counselor of the importance of utilizing the Christian faith in counseling not focusing on the relationship between psychology and theology. It states the challenges that religion brings in counseling sessions and how to handle and address those challenges. In the section, Toward Psychological and Spiritual Health , McMinn directs his focus to the different characteristics of a person’s life. He

ABSTRACT Ortberg, John. The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People . Grand Rapids, MN: Zondervan, 1997. John Ortberg’s The Life You’ve Always Wanted is a brilliant compilation of principles to achieve a life that is pleasing to God and to the follower of Christ. Ortberg breaks his book down to thirteen chapters that seems to be thirteen steps on a stairway to transformation. Chapter 1 starts off by talking about transformation. The primary goal of the spiritual life is to achieve human transformation. This chapter leads that way to utilizing every moment, every activity of life, for transformational purposes. Chapter 2 and 3 speaks of the goal of spiritual life and the truth about spiritual disciplines. The spiritual life is marked by transformation, but if that transformation is not achieved or at least attempted, then the Christian has missed out on the true goal of Christianity – transformation. A Christian must not only seek transformation, but spi

Statistically speaking, women experience anxiety disorders at twice the rate of men . This fact is not limited to just one type of anxiety disorder, either: women outnumber men in being diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, social phobia, agoraphobia, PTSD, and different kinds of specific phobias. However, men absolutely also experience anxiety, and are often overlooked or not treated appropriately by the medical profession. Depending on whether your partner is male or female may affect how they experience their anxiety and how they deal with it. Women and anxiety There are a number of theories about why women have higher rates of diagnosed anxiety: Hormonal fluctuations : Some researchers believe that a woman’s monthly cycle can affect anxiety levels . Sexual abuse and violence : Women are more likely than men to have experienced sexual abuse/violence as children and as adults, which can lead to residual anxiety. Cultural acceptance : In our