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Topics
This is the index page for a selection of articles on subjects connected with healing. One of our main aims in this website is to provide material which will be useful to a wide variety of people - lay as well as professional. So the articles themselves also cover a wide variety of interests - theological, pastoral, practical, medical, devotional. The Guild has always sought to tackle subjects in depth, believing that nothing less will do with something that touches people when they are at their most vulnerable. So we have sought people of proved experience and authority in their own spheres to write articles for us, and this is reflected in the selection we have made here. We are continually adding to our 'library' as articles of interest come our way. We see this as one of our major contributions to a side of life which looms large in the thinking of so many people both within and outside the Church.
Index of Topics [Dates following the title refer to the date the article was written. Where the author's present position is mentioned that also refers to the date at the time of writing.] Abuse. 'The Long Road to Freedom' (2006). Jane Chevous writes about how it feels to be a victim of abuse, and what we can do to understand and help those who have suffered abuse as children, both as their friends and as Christians. Ageing. 'Life's Changing Seasons' (2008). Bishop George Hacker, the Editor of Chrism, shares some thoughts on retirement and growing old and what is an appropriate spirituality for that stage in life. Alternative Therapies. 'What's the Alternative?' (1999). The Revd Stephen Parsons gives a Christian overview of alternative healing in our present culture. Animals and Healing. '"Health" for Humanity or "Cure" for Creation' (2004). Canon Judy Hunt, a former veterinary surgeon, asks how much weight we give to the well-being of the rest of the created order as we pursue human happiness and health. Children and AIDS. 'Against Very Heavy Odds' (2006). Dr Anne Bayley writes about the precarious situation of children in AIDS infected Africa, what can be done to help them, and the wider implications for all of us. Children's Hospice. 'Whose Side is God On?' (2002). Sister Frances Dominica, the founder of Helen House, writes movingly of how children and their parents cope with suffering and death. Dementia. 'In a Strange Land' (2002). The Revd Malcolm Goldsmith, the Rector of St Cuthbert's Episcopal Church in Edinburgh, who has made a special study of spirituality and dementia, looks at the challenge dementia poses to our theology. Doctor-Clergy Co-operation. 'A Priest Surgery' (2006). Dr Diana Lowry, a full-time NHS GP, tells how she has set up a 'Priest Surgery' in the practice where she works, to enable people to see a priest to discuss spiritual issues on 'neutral ground'. Drugs. 'Who Why and What?' (2001). Dr Helen Leathard gives a comprehensive picture of what is available both legally and illegally in the way of mind affecting substances, and assesses their effects. Drugs and the Church. 'Drugs and the Christian Community' (2001). The Revd Kenneth Leech writes about the part the Church can play in combating the drugs problem and in cring for and supporting those affected by it. Fears about Healing. 'Facing Fears in the Christian Healing Ministry' (1995) was the subject of the Henry Cooper Lecture given by the Revd Stephen Parsons, who at that time was the Editor of Health and Healing, the journal of the Churches' Council for Health and Healing. In this article he considers a number of issues for disquiet in the healing ministry as it is practised and taught in certain quarters. Genetic Engineering. 'Should we make people in our own image?' (2001). Professor Michael Reiss, who is Professor of Science Education and Head of Science and Technology at the University of London Institute of Education and also a priest in the Church of England, looks at the controversial field of genetic engineering and considers its possibilities as a means to healing and wholeness. Healing and Wholeness in the context of eternity. 'What is unique about the Christian healing ministry?' (2005). Beatrice Brandon, co-editor of the General Synod report A Time to Heal, replies that it offers more than physical or mental health. It offers spiritual health - something which is 'for more than a lifetime - it is for eternity'. Hearing Dogs. 'Heidi and Me' (2004). Susan Bloomfield, who went deaf at the age of five, tells of the difference her Hearing Dog, Heidi, makes to her life, not only by alerting her to things like the doorbell and the telephone, but as a companion and in her ministry as a Church Army sister. The Human Condition. The Henry Cooper Lecture for 2000. Professor Frances Young explores the ways in which modern life has cut us off from a realistic understanding of what it means to be human M.E. (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). 'The Other Side of the Dark' (2003): The Very Revd Michael Mayne, who was for ten years Dean of Westminster, reflects on the time before that when he was unable to work because of ME, and the light he discovered on the other side of the dark. Music and Healing. 'The Power of Music to Heal' (2001). Annie Mawson, founder of the Sunbeams Music Trust, tells of some of the remarkable ways in which her music has helped people, and especially those with Alzheimer's and other mental health problems. Reconciliation. 'Reconciling the Children of Abraham' (2007). The Ven. Dr Michael Ipgrave, formerly Inter Faith relations Adviser to the Archbishops' Council, asks: 'Can friends of God be friends of one another?' Sick Children. 'When your child is ill . . .' (2006). Jan Burn tells how her life was changed for ever when her seven year old son was diagnosed with cancer; and of how she struggled to cope in a situation where there seemed to be surprisingly few sources of advice and help. Stress. 'A Major Epidemic' (2000). Professor John Grange looks at stress at work, described recently as 'a serious health hazard reaching epidemic proportions', and considers how Christians might respond to it. Substance Abuse. 'Drugs and the Christian Community' (2001): The Revd Kenneth Leech, who founded the Soho Drugs Group in 1967 and Centrepoint in 1969, writes about the part the Church can play in combating the drugs problem and in caring for and supporting those affected by it. Suffering. 'Searching for a Meaning' (2002). The Revd Emma Childs, who is a member of the Guild Council and holds an MTh in Applied Theology from Oxford University, looks for clues to the meaning of suffering in a story where suffering does have meaning - the story of Christ's suffering and death, a story which is made present for us today as we come to know him in the Eucharist. A Swedish Rosary. Antonia Lynn, who has composed the Meditations for Chrism since 2000, writes about a Lutheran Rosary she was given when she was in Sweden, and suggests some thoughts for meditation on each of the beads. Totally Paralysed yet Able to Communicate by Computer. 'Feelings about my Life' (2001): Dave Kelly, who was badly injured in an accident in 1996, gives a moving account of what it feels like to be almost totally paralysed and unable to communicate, and tells of how he surmounted this tremendous handicap with the help of his speech and language therapist and his computer. Touch. 'There is something I need to tell you . . .' (2005). Gretchen Stevens tells how the gentle therapeutic touch, which is offered at her Centre for Complementary Care in Cumbria, so often brings more than the physical or mental relief that her clients are seeking. |
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