Religion Has a Positive Role in a Violent World

© 2016 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

On Easter Sunday, in the city of Lahore, Pakistan, Christians were mingling with their Muslim neighbors in a neighborhood park. Suddenly, an explosion erupted, injuring and killing many people, including women and children. The suicide blast was claimed by a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, and their targets were Christians. A local government spokesman told CNN that at least 69 people were killed, and hundreds more were injured.

Christians make up only 2 percent of Pakistan's population, and tension is high between them and hardline Muslims, who want a strict interpretation of Islamic law to dominate Pakistan's legal system. In 2013, suicide bombers attacked a church in Peshawar, killing over 80 people, and last year terrorists attacked a Christian community in Lahore, killing at least 14. A spokesman for the splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban has promised that such attacks will continue.

This latest attack was condemned by leaders of nations around the world, including Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who said, "As Christians worldwide celebrate Easter, a shocking terrorist attack in Lahore, Pakistan, reminds us that terrorism is a global scourge."

The bombing in Pakistan came just days after Islamic State suicide bombers hit an airport and metro train in Brussels on Tuesday of Holy Week. These were the worst terrorist attacks in Belgian history, killing 35 people, including four Americans. Investigators believe that these bombers were part of the terrorist cell that orchestrated large-scale attacks in Paris last November.

At the same time, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks of the United Kingdom has won the prestigious Templeton Prize. Established by the late Sir John Templeton, this prize is given every year to "entrepreneurs of the spirit." According to the Templeton Prize website, the prize celebrates "the quest for progress in humanity's efforts to comprehend the many and diverse manifestations of the Divine." The prize includes a monetary award, which this year was a little over $1.5 million, and past recipients have ranged from the Dalai Lama to Rev. Billy Graham.

Per the Templeton website, the award was given this year to Rabbi Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, because "central to his message is appreciation and respect of all faiths, with an emphasis that recognizing the values of each is the only path to effectively combat the global rise of violence and terrorism." After the prize was awarded, Christianity Todayinterviewed Miroslav Volf, professor of theology at Yale Divinity School, and asked him to comment on the significance of the prize for Sacks -- and for Christians.

Volf admires Rabbi Sacks for affirming the positive role of religion in a religiously violent world. Only religion, according to Sacks, can offer compelling answers to the three great questions that every human being will ask at some stage in life: Who am I? Why am I here? How then shall I live?

Sacks does not believe that religions are inherently violent. He notes that "the greatest threat to freedom in the postmodern world is radical, politicized religion." But he is also sure that "when religion turns men into murderers, God weeps." The strength of the Abrahamic tradition, in his opinion, is that "every human being, regardless of color, culture, class or creed, was in the image and likeness of God," with dignity equal to any other human being.

"I believe," Sacks writes, "that religion, or more precisely, religions, should have a voice in the public conversation within the societies in the West, as to how to live, how to construct a social order, how to enhance human dignity, honor human life, and indeed protect a whole from environmental hazard." Sacks is making two important points here, according to Volf: First, he is against any form of totalitarianism or authoritarianism, whether secular or religious. Second, he is advocating for political arrangements in which people from diverse backgrounds would be able "to participate as equals in the search for the common good."

"Today," says Volf, "more than at any other time since World War II, we need people who do not only condemn extremism, but offer a vision, rooted in their own tradition, of a world in which people with deep disagreements inhabit a common space and work for the common good. If this is a call to people of all faiths, it is certainly a call to evangelicals, who like many others, seek to be peacemakers in a troubled world. Rabbi Sacks is such a person in the Jewish tradition, and he has articulated such a vision in a most compelling way."

More on this story can be found at these links:

In Pakistan, Taliban's Easter Bombing Targets, Kills Scores of Christians. CNNThree More Arrested in Brussels Police Operation Over Attacks.ReutersFour Americans Confirmed Killed in Brussels Attacks, Death Toll at 35. Fox NewsReligion's Place in a Religiously Violent World. Christianity Today 

The Big Questions

1. In its award to Rabbi Sacks, the Templeton website says that "central to his message is appreciation and respect of all faiths, with an emphasis that recognizing the values of each is the only path to effectively combat the global rise of violence and terrorism." Where is good to be found in respect for all faiths? Do you agree that recognizing the values of each faith is a path to overcoming violence and terrorism? Why or why not?

2. How does your faith help you find answers to the three great questions articulated by Sacks: Who am I? Why am I here? How then shall I live?

3. Where do you see evidence that "the greatest threat to freedom in the postmodern world is radical, politicized religion"? How can we take steps to prevent religion from becoming radical and politicized? How do you respond to the assertion that "when religion turns men into murderers, God weeps"?

4. How can the three faiths of the Abrahamic tradition -- Judaism, Christianity and Islam -- unite under the belief that "every human being, regardless of color, culture, class or creed, was in the image and likeness of God"? What risks would Christians need to be willing to take in order to move in this direction? How would such unity promote peace? What major differences might still remain, given the various answers different religions give to questions such as "Why am I here?"

5. Miroslav Volf believes that "we need people who do not only condemn extremism, but offer a vision, rooted in their own tradition, of a world in which people with deep disagreements inhabit a common space and work for the common good." Why do we find it difficult to work for the common good alongside people with whom we have deep disagreements? What would be the value of doing so? Discuss how various definitions of "the common good" make this more or less difficult. How can a focus on the common good lead to peace?

Confronting the News With Scripture and HopeHere are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Psalm 34:14Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. (For context, read 34:11-14.)

The psalm-writer takes the role of a teacher and invites his students to learn "the fear of the LORD" (v. 11). Respect for God is understood to be the foundation of a good life. Students are instructed to keep their tongues from speaking evil and telling lies, and a connection is made between avoiding evil, doing good and seeking peace. To emphasize that seeking peace is not a passive activity, the teacher encourages his students to "pursue it."

Questions: How is respect for God connected to peacemaking? Where do you see a relationship between avoiding evil, doing good and seeking peace -- and what happens when one of these elements is neglected? What does it mean to you to take an active role in seeking peace and pursuing it?

Proverbs 16:7When the ways of people please the LORD, he causes even their enemies to be at peace with them. (For context, read 16:1-11.) 

The writer of the book of Proverbs is concerned with people being in a right relationship with God and their neighbors. He warns against arrogance and commends loyalty, faithfulness and the keeping of honest balances and scales. He is convinced that righteous living is the key to being at peace with one's enemies.

Questions: How do arrogance and unrighteousness cause discord in human relationships? In what ways could loyalty, faithfulness and honesty help reconcile people at odds with one another?

Isaiah 2:4He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (For context, read 2:1-4.)

The prophet Isaiah sees a vision of the future house of God, a place in which all the people of the world will learn God's ways. In this house, God will judge the nations and bring war to an end, turning even the implements of war into agricultural tools.

Questions: What is the value of Isaiah's vision for Jews, Christians and Muslims? What factors in modern life keep us from embracing this vision? How can we behave in ways that are in line with life in God's future house? To what extent, if any, is this a vision of the new earth after Jesus' return, and to what extent, if any, is this a vision for the world before then?

Matthew 5:9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (For context, read 5:1-12.)

Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount by teaching his disciples the beatitudes, a series of statements about the happiness of those who walk the path of discipleship. Most involve a challenge, such as hungering and thirsting for righteousness. When it comes to peace, Jesus stresses how active this pursuit will be. He does not say "Blessed are the peace-lovers," but instead, "Blessed are the peacemakers." Only they will be called "children of God."

Questions: Where have you, in your personal life, been challenged to be a peacemaker? What difficulties did you face? Where did you find success, if any, in peacemaking? Why is peacemaking a critical element to being called a child of God? When might peacemaking require the avoidance of violence, and when, if ever, might it require the use of violence?

Ephesians 2:14For [Christ] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. (For context, read 2:11-22.)

The apostle Paul understands Jesus Christ to be central to the reconciliation that has been achieved between Gentiles and Jews. These two distant groups "have been brought near by the blood of Christ" (v. 13), and his sacrifice has united the two groups and eliminated the hostility between them. According to Paul, Jesus creates "one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace" (v. 15).

Questions: Why is the sacrifice of Christ important to the reconciliation of Gentiles and Jews? What sacrifices are you willing to make for peace? Does everyone today need to become Christian in order to be at peace? Why or why not?

1 Timothy 2:1-4First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (For context, read 2:1-7.)

Paul believes that prayer for people in power is a key to the living of a quiet and peaceable life. He sees this as right in the eyes of God, since God desires everyone to be saved. Paul believes that there is "one God" as well as "one mediator between God and humankind" (v. 5), and sees himself as "a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth" (v. 7).

Questions: How should we pray today for people who are in high positions, whether Christian or not? What effect do you think this would have on peace in our world? In your opinion, is there value in building bridges with all followers of the "one God," whether or not they believe that Jesus is the "one mediator"? How can people with deep differences work together for the common good?

For Further Discussion

1. Jews, Christians and Muslims have many theological differences, and yet are all part of the Abrahamic tradition. Where can members of these three faiths begin to work together for peace?

2. Have you ever had the opportunity, as an individual or with your church, to learn alongside Jews and Muslims in your area? If so, was there any outcome resulting from worshiping the same God? If not, do you think it is possible to form community with those of different faiths to have a stronger, more peaceable society?

3. As a practicing Christian, how do you through your own prayer respond to acts of terrorism? Do you view yourself as one who can help promote peace and hope? Why or why not?

4. Since many Christians believe "no one comes to the Father except through [Jesus]" (John 14:6), how can we be gracious toward and respectful of other faiths while still answering God's call to share the gospel with them? Must we set aside that call for the call to make peace, or is there a way to do both?

5. In his Easter sermon, TWW editorial team member Henry Brinton said, "The risen Jesus offers us three important answers to the three great questions of life: Who am I? A friend of Jesus (John15:15). Why am I here? To follow him (John 1:43). How then shall I live? So as to love one another, just as Jesus loves us (John13:34)." What are the implications of these answers to our lives as Christians?

6. In a world of violence, our challenge is always to offer our neighbors a message of Christian love, remembering that all of the commandments of God can be summed up in the phrase "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Romans 13:9). How can you put this teaching to work in your own home, school, workplace, church and community?

Responding to the News

In our churches, through social media, and on the radio and television, we hear many calls to pray for the victims of bombings and other acts of terrorism. Jesus tells us to "love [our] enemies and pray for those who persecute [us]" (Matthew 5:44). As you consider the news of terrorism in the world, pray for those who perpetrate such crimes, for the ways in which they have misunderstood God and for their reconciliation with God and his people. Though our enemies may never turn to Jesus as a result of our kindness, we are to love them just the same.

Closing Prayer

Lord God, may our Christian faith be a force for peace in a violent world, as we follow your Son Jesus, the Prince of Peace. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Judge Creates and Issues 'Federal Certificate of Rehabilitation'

© 2016 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

"Should a judge care what happens, years down the road, to the defendants convicted in his courtroom?"

That's the opening sentence of an opinion piece by Jesse Wegman in The New York Times a few days ago. And although Wegman never directly answers that question in the article, it's clear by the closing paragraph that Wegman believes the response should be "Yes."

The article reports that on March 7, John Gleeson, a federal district judge in Brooklyn, took new action on a case against a woman, identified in court records only as Jane Doe, who'd been convicted in 2003 for her role in faking a car accident for the insurance payments. Back then, a jury found her guilty and Gleeson sentenced her to 15 months in prison.

At the time of her crime, Doe was a single parent of two children, earning less than $15,000 a year. She received no money from the fake accident. After her conviction, she was evicted from her apartment and her nursing license was suspended.

Since her release from prison, she has not been charged with or convicted of another crime. Because of her prison record, however, she has had great difficulty in finding gainful employment, and has found no one willing to hire her as a nurse, a job for which she is trained and otherwise qualified. Her two children, now adults, have helped to support her during periods of unemployment, as have her parents.

The woman came to Gleeson's attention again this year when she requested that her conviction be expunged from the record. She told the judge that when applying for a job, answering "Yes" to the standard question about criminal history means "you are not getting that job."

Judge Gleeson declined her request, saying that expungement wasn't appropriate in Doe's case, but in a 31-page opinion, he wrote, "If we want formerly incarcerated people to become upstanding citizens, we should not litter their paths to re-entry with stumbling blocks."

Thus, in Doe's case, Gleeson opted for forgiving over forgetting, as he put it.

"I had no intention to sentence her to the unending hardship she has endured in the job market," the judge wrote. "I have reviewed her case in painstaking detail, and I can certify that Doe has been rehabilitated. Her conviction makes her no different than any other nursing applicant. In the 12 years since she reentered society after serving her prison sentence, she has not been convicted of any other wrongdoing. She has worked diligently to obtain stable employment, albeit with only intermittent success."

The judge then said he was issuing Doe a "federal certificate of rehabilitation." Federal law does not provide for such a document, but neither does it prevent the judge from creating and issuing his own.

Two days after deciding on Doe's request, Gleeson retired from the bench, a previously planned move unrelated to her case. In marking the judge's retirement, The Wall Street Journal noted, "An advocate for alternatives to incarceration, Judge Gleeson helped create two programs in Brooklyn federal court aimed at reducing or eliminating prison time for nonviolent drug offenders and younger defendants. The programs were among the first of their kind in the federal court system and provide counseling, treatment and other services."

Gleeson's hope is that the certificate he issued to Doe -- in effect, "a voucher of good character" as Wegman called it -- will remove the conviction roadblock to her full employment.

Unlike an expungement, however, the certificate will not fully restore her civil rights, and she remains unable to vote, purchase firearms or legally be eligible for many private and government jobs.

More on this story can be found at these links:

A Federal Judge's New Model for Forgiveness. New York Times 
Judge John Gleeson Invents and Issues a 'Federal Certificate of Rehabilitation.' Sentencing Law and Policy 
John Gleeson, Prominent Brooklyn Federal Judge, to Step Down. Wall Street Journal 

Applying the News Story

Virtually none of us get through life without some things happening that leave us feeling less than good about ourselves. We look at certain situations and say, "I behaved selfishly there," or "I hurt that person and have no chance to correct it," or "I did something really wrong there," or even, "I sinned." Not all the things in our past that we feel bad about are moral transgressions, let alone criminal ones, and we may be able to chalk some of them up to lack of experience and shrug them off. Still, at least a few of them -- but probably more than that -- make us feel ashamed or bad about ourselves whenever we think about them. And we know we were in the wrong.

While there may be people whose forgiveness we'd like, ultimately, all wrongdoing is a break from the life God calls us to live. As the psalmist prayed, "Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment" (Psalm 51:4).

And read Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount, where he elevates the understanding of sin from merely breaking one of the commandments to breaking the spirit of the law. We need not kill someone; if we hate that person in our heart, we have broken the commandment. We need not commit adultery; if we lust in our heart, we have broken the commandment. (See Matthew 5:21-48.)

Thus divine forgiveness is the starting point of the Christian life, as well as the bedrock upon which discipleship is built and on which we continue to find Christ's way forward, even into eternity.

The Big Questions

1. How would you feel about working alongside someone who has a criminal conviction but who, over a substantial period since, has had a clean record? Does the crime for which the person was convicted make a difference? Should it? Why or why not? If you are responsible for hiring (or can imagine yourself in that position), how would you react if a job seeker with a criminal record presented this type of rehabilitation certificate to you?

2. How is forgiveness related to rehabilitation? How can we assess whether someone who's been convicted of a crime has been rehabilitated? Or can we? What are the risks involved?

3. What is the biblical standard for forgiveness? How are the events of Holy Week and Easter related to forgiveness?

4. Have you ever felt a need for God's forgiveness? If so, what, if anything, convinced you that God had forgiven you?

5. What do you count on as your own "voucher of good character"?

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

Psalm 25:18
Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. (For context, read 25:16-18.)

If "Jane Doe" in the news story above were using the Bible to plead her case for expungement, here's a verse that would be right on target.

Questions: When have you prayed this or something equivalent? What was the outcome?

Mark 2:9-11 
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Stand up and take your mat and walk"? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins -- he said to the paralytic -- "I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home." (For context, read 2:1-12.)

This is from the gospel account of Jesus teaching in a home in Capernaum, where so many people had crowded inside that there was no more room. Even the doorway was blocked. So four men lowered their paralyzed friend on a mat down through the roof to Jesus. When Jesus saw the man, he said to him, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

Why did Jesus say that? The man was hoping for healing of his disability, not forgiveness of his sins. The answer has to be that somehow, when Jesus looked at this man, he realized that while the man needed to be healed of his paralysis, he had a greater need, which, if not taken care of, would leave him crippled in his mind even after his body was made whole.

This story shows us that Jesus possesses the ability to heal our whole person. The point surely is that we don't have to be crippled by the guilty weight of our past sins, misdeeds, mistakes, selfish actions or hurting of someone else. But it is not simply a matter of, as some self-help books suggest, "forgiving ourselves." We know what's intended by that phrase, but forgiving ourselves is an incomplete solution. Forgiveness is not the possession of the transgressor to give. If I have hurt you, you may choose to forgive me, but I can't just say, "Oh well, I forgive myself." It's not mine to give.

More realistically, we can seek forgiveness from the one we have hurt, if that person is still around, and we can turn to Jesus in faith and find God's forgiveness. There may still be a lot of collateral damage that we have to clean up with those we have hurt, insofar as we can, and there may be consequences that we must pay, but through Christ, the weight of the guilt can be gone.

Questions: Theologically speaking, what is the opposite of guilt? (Hint: It is not innocence.) What was the effect in your life of receiving God's forgiveness. What effect does it continue to have? What role has "forgiving yourself" played in your life?

Matthew 6:12 
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (For context, read 6:5-14.)

Forgiveness is one of the instructions in Christ's lesson on how to pray, as the line above from the model prayer he gave his disciples shows. The Message paraphrases the verse as "Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others."

TWW team member Liz Antonson comments, "Giving and receiving forgiveness is an essential message component in the Good News of the kingdom of God. The Easter message delivers the powerful value and effect of forgiveness -- God to humankind. God always offers us the opportunity to turn our lives around and have a fresh start, something at which we humans do not seem to excel by ourselves.

Questions: To what extent is rehabilitation something that starts inside us? Through what means does God initiate that process? Through what means does God help us with the continuation of that process?

Romans 3:28
For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. (For context, read 3:21-31.)
James 2:18 
But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. (For context, read 2:14-26.)

Neither the word "rehabilitation" nor "rehabilitate" appears in Scripture, but the word "works" (meaning good works) does, and that implies outward actions that reflect one's inner condition. That definition is essentially what rehabilitation is about.

In Romans, Paul reminds us that God justifies us by our faith "apart from works." In James, that writer tells us that works are what show the reality of our faith.

In terms of Jane Doe's case, her word that she was a different person from when she committed her crime was not enough. But the judge looked at her works since then and concluded that she was indeed rehabilitated.

Questions: What works on your part give evidence of your faith? If you have known someone who was punished for a legal offense and served a sentence, how did you treat that person afterward? What helped you decide?

Micah 7:19
[God] will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. (For context, read 7:18-20.)
Hebrews 10:17
I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more. (For context, read 10:11-18).

These two verses show that God's forgiveness does include expungement.

Questions: What hope do you take from these verses? How does this help with guilt you may still feel after receiving God's forgiveness?

For Further Discussion

1. Discuss this, thinking about the nature of God and the nature of humankind: An old story tells of a man in India who sat down in the shade of an ancient banyan tree. Its roots stretched far into the swamp. Eventually he noticed a small commotion where the roots entered the water. Looking more closely, he saw that a scorpion had become hopelessly entangled in the roots. The man got up and worked his way carefully along the tops of the roots until he came to the place where the scorpion was trapped, and then reached down to free it. Each time he touched the scorpion, however, it lashed his hand with its tail, stinging him painfully. When his hand became so swollen that he could no longer close his fingers, he retreated to the trunk of the tree to wait for the swelling to go down. 
As he sat down, he saw a young man nearby laughing at him. "You're a fool," said the young man, "wasting your time trying to help a scorpion that can only do you harm." 
     The old man said, "Simply because it is in the nature of the scorpion to sting, should I give up my nature, which is to save?"

2. TWW team member Joanna Loucky-Ramsey comments, "It occurs to me that by drafting a certificate signed by himself, the judge put his own reputation and credibility on the line for this woman. I wonder how that act might have changed the woman's feelings about the judge who had also sentenced her. Did she try harder to stay on the right path because he went out on a limb for her? Was she grateful?
     "In effect, Romans 8:1 -- 'There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus' -- is a certificate of sorts from God that declares our debt paid and our record expunged."
     Since that is so, do you now feel differently about the God who also judged us and found us guilty as charged? Are you grateful to God? Do you change your attitudes and behavior because God put his own reputation and credibility on the line for you?

Responding to the News

This is a good time to accept God's forgiveness through Christ.

Prayer (From Psalm 51:1-4, 7-8)

Have mercy on me, O God,
  according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
  blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
  and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
  and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
  and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
  and blameless when you pass judgment. ...
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
  wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
  let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Amen.

Study Links Burnout and Depression

© 2016 The Wired Word

www.thewiredword.com

Burnout and depression are not the same thing.

Or are they?

According to recent research, the two diagnoses could be more closely related than has usually been assumed.

The study was published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences (see in link list below) in January, but wasn't widely seen until The Wall Street Journal and other mainstream media reported on the research earlier this month.

Psychologists typically connect burnout to one's job and thus sometimes call it "occupational" burnout, though it can apply to one's involvement in other endeavors as well. It's usually thought of as a state of physical and mental exhaustion (the word "exhaustion" comes from Latin, meaning "emptied out," denoting a lack of energy or vitality). In contrast, depression is considered a psychological problem characterized by chronic anxiety and feelings of sadness.

As one measure of how burnout and depression have usually been counted as separate problems, we note that neither of the two current standard medical classification lists, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10), lump burnout with depression. In fact, the DSM-V doesn't include burnout as a distinct disorder. The ICD-10 does, under the category "Problems related to life-management difficulty." Depression is listed in a different category.

What's more, psychotherapists typically think of burnout and depression as separate conditions. TWW team member Liz Antonson, who is a psychotherapist, explained, "Depression is a stand-alone psychological malady and often present without burnout factors," but she added that depression can be one consequence of burnout.

Leah Yau, a psychotherapist in New Jersey, said that in her practice, she's found that if people with a history of depression experience burnout and don't take care of themselves, they can slip into another depressive episode. Likewise, she said, people who are burning out often report some depression-type symptoms.

The study surveyed 1,386 teachers, about three-quarters of whom were women, from 18 U.S. states. Most were in their 40s and had taught an average of 14.4 years. The researchers determined that 10 percent of the women and 7 percent of the men were experiencing burnout, and that 10 percent of both sexes were suffering from depression.

Among those with burnout, 50 percent of the men and 38.2 percent of the women had severe depressive symptoms, 22.7 percent of the men and 36.3 percent of the women had moderately severe depressive symptoms and none of the subjects with burnout was free of some depressive symptoms.

The study's coauthors explained that redefining burnout to include depression could lead to more effective treatment for people who recognize they have burnout. Typically, such persons are less likely to seek help than those with depression. But if these sufferers can link burnout with depression, they may seek help and thus get better care from experts in depression.

More on this story can be found at these links:

Are Burnout and Depression the Same Thing? Wall Street Journal 
You Call It Burnout. These Scientists Might Call It Depression. NYMag.com/Science of Us 
Burnout Is Associated With a Depressive Cognitive Style. Personality and Individual Differences 

Applying the News Story

Here at The Wired Word, we are not sure how much weight to give this study. The subjects involved were not assessed with clinical interviews, but instead self-reported their burnout and/or depression. And it is not known if any had a history of depression.

Additionally, there is a financial incentive in the counseling world to co-mingle the two diagnoses. When counseling clients, psychotherapists are only able to receive reimbursement from the clients' insurance companies if there is a defendable diagnosis from either the ICD-10 or the DSM-V. Since the latter does not include a burnout code, therapists who use that standard must state some other accepted diagnosis -- usually depression (if criteria are met) -- and list as contributing factors to the depression any features of burnout identified in the client. (We are not suggesting anything necessarily underhanded in this process. It is usually helpful to the client's well-being and recovery to arrange for his or her health insurance to pay for the counseling.)

Still, it seems clear to us whether or not burnout and depression are diagnostically related, both cause at least psychological discomfort and sometimes significant personal suffering. Thus, in this lesson, we will not attempt to separate the two, but will look at some questions and text that might speak to either condition.

The Big Questions

1. When you are feeling unusually "blue," "down" or tired for an extended time, does a diagnosis help you give yourself permission to get treatment? If not, what does? Where is the boundary between what people might call feeling blue and clinical depression? In what instances, if any, might labeling something "clinical depression" help or hinder a person's dealing with the situation?

2. If you are experiencing burnout or depression, how does that interact with your Christian faith? For example, if you hear a sermon on Christian joy or the gospel as good news, and joy and good news do not match how you are feeling psychologically, does that cause you think that something must be wrong with your commitment to Christ? Is that a realistic conclusion? Why or why not? On the other hand, if you are feeling well and well-adjusted and are listening to a sermon about depression or burnout, do you feel no connection?

3. If you have not experienced burnout or chronic depression, what helps you to empathize with those who have? Are there people who are depressed who, because of their proximity, have caused you to experience some of their symptoms?

4. If you have experienced either burnout or depression and feel comfortable talking about it, what did/do you find most debilitating about the condition? Did you or do you feel the congregation and pastors were able to minister to you? Did they even notice? Did you ever feel that some church members or pastors seem to believe that depression signifies a lack of faith, and blame you?

5. In what ways can your local church help its members who may be depressed, burned out, overwhelmed or otherwise disheartened?

Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

1 Kings 19:4 
But [Elijah] went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." (For context, read 19:1-15.)

In the scene pictured in this verse, the great prophet Elijah sounds overwhelmed. Ironically, he had just had a major success. In a confrontation with some 450 prophets of the god Baal and 400 prophets of the goddess Asherah, Elijah, alone representing Yahweh, proved that his God was the only one with power. (You can read the details of that encounter in 1 Kings 18.) But here in chapter 19, Elijah is anything but pumped up from his resounding triumph in the name of God. In fact, hearing that Israel's Queen Jezebel is after him because he trumped her prophets, Elijah hightails it out of the area. Then, when he is safely away, all his energy leaves him, and he begins to feel sorry for himself. He has had it with being a prophet and he wants to resign his commission. He is burned out.

That's not merely guessing at Elijah's state of mind. This is one case where the biblical author tells us what's up with the prophet using both metaphor and by quoting Elijah's own words. The metaphor is in the detail that Elijah, alone in the wilderness, "sat down under a solitary broom tree." That is a poetic way of conveying how Elijah felt -- all alone like that single tree. And then Elijah's words let us look into his mood: "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors."

What happens next, however, tells us that God is not about to let Elijah give up. The prophet goes to sleep, but God twice sends an angel to wake Elijah and give him food -- nourishment for what is to come. And then God directs Elijah to make a forced march to Mount Horeb, where instead of looking for a fresh vision or renewal, the prophet promptly takes refuge in a cave. That apparently was not what God had in mind, for God comes to Elijah in the cave and says, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

The prophet's response is whiny and shows again how burned out he feels. "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." (Actually, that was quite an exaggeration. There were thousands in Israel who remained faithful to God, but when we are exhausted, we often fail to see the hopeful reality of a situation.)

God tells Elijah to go outside the cave and witness what God is about to show him, but Elijah won't go. So God sends first a great wind, and then an earthquake and then fire, but none of these things cause Elijah to budge from his hidey-hole. But after all the pyrotechnics of nature are over, there is nothing but the "sound of sheer silence," and it is that which finally lures Elijah to move to the mouth of the cave.

In the end, God gives Elijah more work to do: "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus ...." When he gets there, he is to anoint new kings for Aram and Israel, as well as begin schooling a new prophet who will eventually be Elijah's successor.

God doesn't seem very sympathetic. Here is poor Elijah, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually exhausted from his work as God's prophet, with people out to kill him, and God won't even let him rest -- won't even let him hunker down in this cave in peace. And when the weary prophet finally does stagger out of the cave, God adds new work to Elijah's to-do list!

But here's the real surprise: That is what works. God tells Elijah to get back to work, and Elijah does it. He goes on to again work successfully for God right up through his final hours on earth.

Questions: To what extent does this get-back-to-work response seem like a "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" (or a "get back on the horse when thrown") approach to depression? Why might that approach work in some instances and not in others? When has re-emersion in your work or other responsibilities helped you get past burnout? When has re-emersion only made matters worse? What, if anything, did help? Is there a time you felt like giving up and then knew God was internally nudging you to keep going? If so, did you resent or welcome God?

Psalm 42:5-6 
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. (For context, read 42:1-11.)

Clearly the psalmist is feeling down here -- whether depressed, burned out or otherwise despondent. And since he asks "Why?" it's apparent that he cannot tie his mood to a cause. What he feels is what he feels, whether he can identify a reason for those feelings or not.

But note that he's also giving himself a prescription: "Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God." We take it that from past experience, he's recognizing a cyclical pattern in his feelings (or as the old song puts it, "Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down.") So in hope he holds on to the belief that he will again feel able to praise God.

Note that the idea that God is a help to those who are dispirited is not confined to Psalm 42 alone, but appears in many places in the psalms. Consider these two examples:

• Psalm 94:19 -- "When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul." 
• Psalm 34:18 -- "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit."

Questions: Do you recognize some cyclical pattern in your feelings? What lessons, if any, do you draw from that? What about if you seem stuck for the long term in the bottom of such a cycle? How, if at all, does hope in God help then? Are feelings right, wrong or neutral? If you are able to recognize the signs that you are on the verge of a bout of the blues, or depression, do these signs allow you the emotional space to seek and find help, or are you too disheartened to reach out?

Exodus 18:17-18 
Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good. You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. (For context, read 18:13-26.)

When Moses' father-in-law Jethro visited the encampment of the Israelites in the wilderness, he observed that Moses was carrying the duties of leadership and judge all by himself. Jethro wisely told Moses that if he continued to do that he would "surely wear yourself out," and that "you cannot do it alone." Jethro advised Moses to delegate some of the work and keep for himself only the duties that he alone could do. "If you do this, and God so commands you," said Jethro, "then you will be able to endure, and all these people will go to their home in peace" (v. 23).

Moses took his father-in-law's advice, and delegated important work to others. Thus, he avoided the kind of exhaustion that can lead to burnout and was, as Jethro said, "able to endure."

Questions: When have you taken on so much work that you lost the joy of what you were trying to accomplish? What kept you from delegating some of the duties to others? When has delegation enabled you to endure? When has delegation been harmful -- and why?

Philippians 4:6-7 
Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (For context, read 4:4-9.)

Questions: How would you describe the "peace of God"? How is it related to matters of psychological discomfort? Is the peace of God dependent upon you transcending your depression? Can you be depressed or blue and still feel the peace of God?

Galatians 6:2 
Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (For context, read 6:1-8.)

Questions: How can you help bear the burden of a Christian brother or sister suffering the pain of burnout and depression? How can you let fellow Christians help you to bear the burdens of burnout or sadness when they affect you?

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 
Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (For context, read 12:2-10.)

We don't know what malady Paul was referring to as his "thorn" in the flesh. Bible scholars have speculated that it could have been anything from bad eyesight or bad hearing to malaria or epilepsy to headaches or recurrent depression. But for our purposes, its exact nature doesn't matter. The point is, Paul prayed three different times to God to have this ailment healed, and the only answer he got was "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." Or, to paraphrase, "Live with it in my grace."

The answer Paul received from God does remind us that not all problems, psychological or otherwise, are altogether alleviated by treatment. There is a form of depression, for example, that is classed as "treatment resistant," and in such cases, it is valuable to look for the grace of God to help us bear what cannot be healed.

With all the medical, social and psychological help available these days, "Live with it," is never the right answer for real pain until all those avenues have been exhausted. But we recognize that each of those lines of help has its limits. God's sufficiency goes beyond that.

It's good for us to remember that in this world, there is no life without storms, no existence without dry seasons, no mortality without calamity. Life is complicated and sometimes beyond understanding. There will always be disturbing aspects and dark corners we can hardly bear to look at.

But we are not alone. God's grace is sufficient. His power is made perfect in our weakness. What that means will be different for each one of us, but the Bible reminds us that a life, a meaningful life, a worthwhile life, can be lived even in the depths of human pain.

Questions: Does this text feel like a band-aid that others apply to you so they don't have to deal with you when you are depressed? With what does God's statement, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness," help you?

For Further Discussion

1. Regarding burnout, the following "suggestions" were once listed somewhere on the website of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Your class might get some insight from them as well as a laugh from the tongue-in-cheek counter-statements called the "MIT View" that someone added to them:

1) STOP DENYING. Listen to the wisdom of your body. Begin to freely admit the stresses and pressures which have manifested physically, mentally, or emotionally. 
     • MIT VIEW: Work until the physical pain forces you into unconsciousness. 
2) AVOID ISOLATION. Don't do everything alone! Develop or renew intimacies with friends and loved ones. Closeness not only brings new insights, but also is anathema to agitation and depression. 
     • MIT VIEW: Shut your office door and lock it from the inside so no one will distract you. They're just trying to hurt your productivity. 
3) CHANGE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. If your job, your relationship, a situation, or a person is dragging you under, try to alter your circumstance, or if necessary, leave. 
     • MIT VIEW: If you feel something is dragging you down, suppress these thoughts. This is a weakness. Drink more coffee. 
4) DIMINISH INTENSITY IN YOUR LIFE. Pinpoint those areas or aspects which summon up the most concentrated intensity and work toward alleviating that pressure. 
     • MIT VIEW: Increase intensity. Maximum intensity = maximum productivity. If you find yourself relaxed and with your mind wandering, you are probably having a detrimental effect on the recovery rate. 
5) STOP OVER-NURTURING. If you routinely take on other people's problems and responsibilities, learn to gracefully disengage. Try to get some nurturing for yourself. 
     • MIT VIEW: Always attempt to do everything. You ARE responsible for it all. Perhaps you haven't thoroughly read your job description. 
6) LEARN TO SAY "NO." You'll help diminish intensity by speaking up for yourself. This means refusing additional requests or demands on your time or emotions. 
     • MIT VIEW: Never say no to anything. It shows weakness, and lowers the research volume. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do at midnight. 
7) BEGIN TO BACK OFF AND DETACH. Learn to delegate, not only at work, but also at home and with friends. In this case, detachment means rescuing yourself for yourself. 
     • MIT VIEW: Delegating is a sign of weakness. If you want it done right, do it yourself (see #5). 
8) REASSESS YOUR VALUES. Try to sort out the meaningful values from the temporary and fleeting, the essential from the nonessential. You'll conserve energy and time, and begin to feel more centered. 
     • MIT VIEW: Stop thinking about your own problems. This is selfish. If your values change, we will make an announcement at the Corporation meeting. Until then, if someone calls you and questions your priorities, tell them that you are unable to comment on this and give them the number for Community and Government Relations. It will be taken care of. 
9) LEARN TO PACE YOURSELF. Try to take life in moderation. You only have so much energy available. Ascertain what is wanted and needed in your life, then begin to balance work with love, pleasure and relaxation. 
     • MIT VIEW: A balanced life is a myth perpetuated by liberal arts schools. Don't be a fool; the only thing that matters is work and productivity. 
10) TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY. Don't skip meals, abuse yourself with rigid diets, disregard your need for sleep, or break the doctor appointments. Take care of yourself nutritionally. 
     • MIT VIEW: Your body serves your mind, your mind serves the Institute. Push the mind and the body will follow. Drink Mountain Dew. 
11) DIMINISH WORRY AND ANXIETY. Try to keep superstitious worrying to a minimum -- it changes nothing. You'll have a better grip on your situation if you spend less time worrying and more time taking care of your real needs. 
     • MIT VIEW: If you're not worrying about work, you must not be very committed to it. We'll find someone who is. 
12) KEEP YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR. Begin to bring joy and happy moments into your life. Very few people suffer burnout when they're having fun. 
     • MIT VIEW: So, you think your work is funny? We'll discuss this with your director on Friday, at7:00 P.M.!

2. Respond this this, from TWW team member Liz Antonson, who is a psychotherapist: "When I was in practice, 'problems in life' were categorized but not reimbursable. That is why many providers looked for a clinical code that could justify treatment with reimbursement. 
     "It was never a stretch for me to bill out on the clinical code for depression as inevitably the burnout feature could easily be described in the depression profile. I could do what I wanted in my private practice but the rub came in the mental health outpatient clinic I worked for. Often the presenting problem was a stand-alone problem in life on which the label burnout could be affixed but did not meet the criteria for clinical depression. My clinic director was offended when I would not fudge my clinical judgment to comply with the need to be paid for services. The update of the ICD-10 accommodates that dilemma."

3. Comment on the following, from TWW team member Mary Sells: "All of us have experienced some deep depression at some point in our lives -- of that I am convinced. When I had my turn with it, I turned to my faith and to a great psychotherapist and got all the tools I needed from both. Faith is the enduring medicine for it gives us a view outside of ourselves that manifests in hope and trust in the Lord."

4. Discuss this, from TWW team member Frank Ramirez: "One of my favorite books is Lincoln's Melancholy by Joshua Wolfe Shenk. The author set out to explore Lincoln's depression. He wanted to find out how Lincoln conquered depression to go on to become one of our greatest presidents. What he discovered is that Lincoln never conquered his depression, but he still went on to become one of our greatest presidents. In part, this was because society recognized (while not fully understanding depression) that some people had 'melancholy.' It was part of who they were. Such people were not automatically disqualified from positions of responsibility. The book discusses some of Lincoln's coping strategies, since he recognized the signs that a bout was coming on better than anyone, and he had as much reason to be depressed (the death of his children, a war that threatened to dissolve the nation, generals who seemed incapable of fighting) as anyone. In some ways, I see Lincoln doing as Elijah did -- rushing back into the fray."

Responding to the News

If you recognize ongoing psychological discomfort, this may be a good time to seek some professional help to deal with and hopefully alleviate it.

Closing Prayer

Help us, O Lord, as we follow Jesus to the best of our ability, to know your peace in all aspects of our lives, whether we are strong or weak, well or ill, happy or sad, upbeat or cast down. In Jesus' name. Amen.