Teleios

1. MacIlvaine WR, et al. (2014). Association of strength of community service to personal well-being. Community Ment Health J, 50: 577-82.

2. MacIlvaine WR, et al. (2013). Association of strength of religious adherence to quality of life measures. Complement Ther Clin Pract, 19: 251-5.

3. Stewart WC, et al. (2013). Review of clinical medicine and religious practice. J Relig Health, 52: 91-106.

4. Hamilton JB, et al. (2013). Reading the Bible for guidance, comfort, and strength during stressful life events. Nurs Res, 62:178-84.

5. Levine EG, et al. (2009). The benefits of prayer on mood and well-being of breast cancer survivors. Support Care Cancer, 17:295–306.

Response policy - The purpose of the comment section is to promote discussion that is encouraging, propels the further search of Scripture and raises interesting and thought provoking Biblically related questions. You may feel free to disagree with me in a constructive manner using appropriate language. I reserve the right to remove your comments if they are profane, pornographic, libelous or I do not consider them constructive or consistent with the policy stated above. By posting you no longer own your comments and you are granting me an unrestricted worldwide license to use your comments.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Was Sigmund Freud right about religion and faith?

A quest blog from Dr. W. Rod MacIlvaine…

In his book The Future of an Illusion (1927) the father of psychiatry, Sigmund Freud, argued that religion is a false belief system. He likened the various religions of the world to “childhood neuroses” and “wishful illusions” that can only lead to a “disavowal of reality.”

Like other atheists of his day, his words were particularly rancorous against the Christian faith. He believed human beings created the God-concept as a means of wish-fulfillment, nothing more.

Clearly for Freud, no real truth could be found in the Christian faith, nor in any other religion, for that matter. On the contrary, Freud believed that only science can lead us into reality.

These truth assertions, however, were never tested scientifically through rigorous experimentation and research. Therefore, they were faith-assertions and mere opinions, nothing more! And yet, they were almost blindly accepted on the basis of Freud’s reputation as a physician and theoretician.

But now, 85 years later, these claims have been tested! And Freud has been proven wrong in his own arena, the arena of science.

In the past 40 years, mountains of research have been published seeking to answer this one simple question: Does active adherence to the Christian faith provide any measurable results in terms of wellness – both physical and mental?

The Bible clearly indicates that adhering to its precepts and commands should indeed lead to significant patterns of mental wellness.

· In the Old Testament, Psalm 16:11 is a case in point: “In your presence is fullness of joy at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

· In the New Testament the fruit of the Spirit is a vibrant picture mental health: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

But does adhering to the Christian faith also produce clear patterns of physical wellness?

When Dr. Jeff Levin began to research this emerging field in 1982, he was surprised as he noticed a pattern: Frequency of attendance in weekly worship services was associated with diverse patterns of physical wellness, including better cardio-vascular functioning, lower blood pressure, faster wound healing and better recovery from surgery.

One study even examined the relationship between church attendance and mortality rate. The study tracked over 21,000 people from the ages of 18-65 over a 9-year period. The found that non-attenders lived to an average of 55.3 years beyond the age of 20, but attenders lived for an average of 61.9 years after the age of 20. That’s nearly seven years longer!

One possible explanation for this was that religious people follow healthier habits. And yet, in one study, religious adherence had marked benefits, even if the person did not necessarily engage in healthy eating habits.

So radical were these emerging claims that researchers subjected them to very stringent testing protocols, and yet in each new study the pattern was clear: adhering to the precepts presented in the Bible was a predictor of overall wellness.

Today the most published researcher in this field is Dr. Harold Koenig of Duke University Medical School. He is professor of psychiatry & behavioral sciences and the director for the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health. Other scholars in this field include the epidemiologist Jeff Levin and practicing physician Dr. Dale Matthews.

At Teleios we too have actively sought to add to this growing body of literature. We are not only passionately convinced that the Bible is God’s Word – we believe that adhering to its precepts increases the health and vitality of the whole person. This is an exciting field because it leads us back to a statement that Jesus made on the night before he was crucified: “Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

For more information on specific Teleios’ research articles please check out our Publications (http://stage.teleiosresearch.com/index.php/research-initiatives/publications/).

Thank you,

Rod

Rod MacIlvaine - Director of Faith-Based Research - W. Rodman MacIlvaine, III, DMin is on the adjunct faculties of both Oklahoma Wesleyan University and Dallas Theological Seminary. He is the founding senior pastor of Grace Community Church in Northeastern, Oklahoma – a church that has worked extensively to serve educational needs in the Spanish Speaking Caribbean. A Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, Dr. MacIlvaine works with men and women in transition, especially those who are shifting into second careers. Dr. MacIlvaine specializes in apologetics from an historical and theological perspective. His emphasis is in showing how adhering to God’s word has generated many benefits to societies, cultures and individuals.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Tools needed to mature your relationship with God

Welcome back to my blog. We are on a fascinating journey evaluating what the Bible says about wellbeing. We recently discussed the first step to entering the gateway to Biblically based wellbeing: acceptance in Christ’s forgiveness for our misdeeds by faith in his death on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:23-26). Then we evaluated the importance of understanding that our salvation is permanent – no matter what - and that we should not feel guilt in daily life (I Peter 1:4-5, John 10:27-31)!

This is a great start but is there more? Can we further improve our lives with the benefits of Christianity and the Bible?

The answer comes from the Bible’s 5-step approach to maturing our relationship with God which helps us access additional benefits to our wellbeing. I call this method the ‘5 tools to maturity’ and they are taken from Acts 2:42 and 47. They are as follows:

· Prayer

· Praise

· Fellowship

· Receiving Biblical teaching

· Reach others with Biblical truth

These five tools describe the activities in the very first church in Jerusalem and provide a model to us today for what actions individuals and the church should perform routinely. Importantly, these five activities are confirmed in later verses in the epistles.

Why are these 5 tools important? When implemented consistently, and in balance with each other, these activities appropriate God's Word into our daily lives. We will consider them individually in upcoming blogs.

For now it is important to emphasize that the 5 tools may enhance personal wellbeing, not only when performed individually, but even more so done in aggregate. A number of studies have shown that church attendance, which would allow for these five tools to be expressed in a community setting, may enhance personal wellbeing (1-4). Further, several studies sponsored by Teleios also have noted that individuals who perform these activities have enhanced wellbeing and especially when performed in aggregate (5-6).

This is exciting news! Consequently, scripture tells us that we can have a sure and certain relationship with God, guilt free, and He provides us measures to propel our spiritual growth leading to better personal wellbeing. What great promises! Join us in upcoming blogs as we look individually at these 5 tools, and why and how they can promote wellbeing. Thank you for joining me today. I look forward to seeing you next time. Please tell me your questions and comments and please share this blog with your friends.

To consider, does Scripture suggest enhanced wellbeing based on a Biblical Lifestyle?

WC Stewart

1. Parsons S, Cruise P, Davenport W, Jones V. Religious beliefs, practices and treatment adherence among individuals with HIV in the southern United States. AIDS Subject Care STDS 2006;20:97-111.

2. Reed P: Spirituality and well-being in terminally ill hospitalized adults. Res Nurs Health 1987;10:335-44.

3. Keefe F, Affleck G, Lefebvre J, Underwood L, Caldwell D, Drew J, Egert J, Gibson J, Pargament K: Living with rheumatoid arthritis: the role of daily spirituality and daily religious and spiritual coping. J Pain 2001;2:101-10.
4. Cotton S, Levine E, Fitzpatrick C, Dold K, Targ E: Exploring the relationships among spiritual well-being, quality of life, and psychological adjustment in women with breast cancer. Psychooncology 1999;8:429-38.
5. MacIlvaine WR, Nelson LA, Stewart JA, Stewart WC. Association of strength of community service to personal wellbeing. Community Ment Health J 2014;50:577-82.
6. MacIlvaine WR, Nelson LA, Stewart JA, Stewart WC. Association of strength of religious adherence to quality of life measures. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2013;19:251-5.

Response policy - The purpose of the comment section is to promote discussion that is encouraging, propels the further search of Scripture and raises interesting and thought provoking Biblically related questions. You may feel free to disagree with me in a constructive manner using appropriate language. I reserve the right to remove your comments if they are profane, pornographic, libelous or I do not consider them constructive or consistent with the policy stated above. By posting you no longer own your comments and you are granting me an unrestricted worldwide license to use your comments.

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

So why do I feel guilty?

Welcome back to my blog. The last several weeks we have started a fascinating journey on what the Bible says about wellbeing. Although the word ‘wellbeing’ is not used specifically in Scripture, many Christian lifestyle behaviors might positively affect this measure. The current medical/psychological literature indicates this is the case!

To review, we initially discussed the first step to entering the gateway to improved Biblically based wellbeing is acceptance by faith in Christ’s forgiveness for our misdeeds by his death on the cross. Then we evaluated the importance of understanding that our salvation is secure!

So then why do I feel guilty? This appears to be a common emotion in our society and almost certainly reduces wellbeing. The exact incidence of guilt is unknown in the general population or in the church, but for young adults that Jeanette and I have had the privilege to teach the Bible, guilt is present in almost all of them at the beginning our study. Interestingly, these young adults had grown up in the church and would consider themselves Christian.

Teleios therefore surveyed recently a group of attendees of a conservative Bible teaching church to determine their levels of guilt and underlying reasons. Look below at the results! Who knew?

Table: Reason for guilt and additional effects for those expressing feeling of guilt

Question	Percent
God has never forgiven me for my sins	2%
I think I have been forgiven through faith in Christ but I am unsure if all my past sins really are forgiven	5%
I am forgiven my sins through faith in Christ, but I have committed sins since, and I am not sure they are forgiven	5%
I am forgiven my sins through faith in Christ, but I have committed sins for which I really do not want to stop	13%
I am forgiven my sins through faith in Christ, but I have committed sins since, and I fear God is angry	5%
I am forgiven my sins through faith in Christ, but I am unsure if my current good works are enough.	41%

Self-identified Christians appear to suffer guilt, on a spiritual basis, at three different levels:

Ø Unbelieving Individuals - These respondents have not understood the complete saving grace provided by Christ’s death, accessed by faith alone.

Ø Spiritually Insecure Individual - These believers have failed to understand that they are secure in their salvation and cannot become unsaved.

Ø Disturbed Relationship with God - This group is perhaps the most common. They understand they are saved and secure but still believe they must work to satisfy God for his acceptance on a day to day basis.

What's the answer for these guilt dilemmas? We dealt with the first two in the past two blogs: we should realize that we are saved by God’s grace alone and that our salvation is safe. Otherwise, we have little basis of a productive relationship with God and we are exposed to guilt because we remain concerned about unforgiven wrongdoings.

What about the third reason for the Christian who still suffers guilt despite being saved and secure? Please give her the following points:

Ø The Bible makes no provision for guilt for a believer. Search the epistles and see if you can find it!

Ø The Bible indicates that we have free access to Christ, our great high priest, to help us with every need at any time! We can approach God with courage, unimpeded and unafraid. Hebrews 2:17-18, Hebrews 4:14-16.

Ø The Bible indicates that Christ died once for all our wrongdoings. For anyone who does not believe they have been forgiven, there is no alternative provision for their sin. Hebrews 6:4-6, Hebrews 10:12-18.

Therefore, the solution to misdeeds for the Christian is to not ask for forgiveness but to acknowledge God's merciful forgiveness that has already been granted (Colossians 1:14, Ephesians 1:7), recognize His acceptance and our access (Hebrews 10:19-22) and change to become obedient, moving forward and maturing in the faith (Galatians 3:1, Galatians 5:7, Romans 6:16-23, Hebrews 5:11-6:1).

What a healthy outlook! As a Christian we can know that we are forgiven, sure in our relationship with God through Christ, know we have a wonderful high priest to help us in our time of need, and when we commit a wrong, we are confident of our forgiveness. Guilt is not part of the biblical Christian life!

Thanks for visiting with me today. Next week, with the sure foundation of our relationship with God already established, we will discuss the tools needed to mature this relationship and acquire the benefits to our wellbeing that Scripture promises.

What do you think - Is guilt a problem for many Christians?

WC Stewart

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Your Relationship with God is Secure!

Welcome back. Last month we started an important journey on what the Bible says about wellbeing. Last week we considered the vital topic of entering the gateway to receiving improved Biblically based wellbeing: by faith in Christ’s forgiveness for your sins by his death on the cross. By his gracious sacrifice, God sees you as without fault and completely accepted by him (Ephesians 2:7-9, Romans 3:21-25, Romans 10:9).

What is the next step? This is also most important and it is to realize that as a Christian you are SECURE in your relationship with God. Why is this critical? We cannot grow in our faith and serve others well if we lack confidence God that accepts us.

The Bible itself makes a great example in Ephesians 5:20-33. In this fascinating letter the Apostle Paul likens the relationship between Christ and the church (individual believers) to marriage. In the same way a married couple will find it difficult to grow in their love, intimacy and confidence in each other if they fear their partner will reject them, so a Christian will find it next to impossible to grow in the love of God if they fear His repudiation.

Likewise our loving God, who made and understands us, knows we cannot grow in His love without the confidence that He will not reject us. Wow, this seems incredible! How can we know this from Scripture? There are three basic arguments:

· Direct statements. Scripture says it directly in a number of verses (I Peter 1:3-5, John 10:27-31 and Romans 8:28-39).

· Position. Because of our salvation we have unchangeable positions before God.

o We are declared legally innocent; as in a court of law this cannot be overturned (Romans 3:21-25)!

o We are legally adopted as God’s children (Ephesians 1:5).

o We are sealed by the Holy Spirit to salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14; II Corinthians 5:5).

o We are baptized by the Holy Spirit, being made like Christ in his death and resurrection. Therefore, we are a new person in Christ, a change that cannot be undone (Romans 6:2-9)!

· Perseverance. God causes us to persevere through our life unto salvation not by our own stamina (II Timothy 1:12, Philippians 1:6, I Thessalonians 5:23).

What great promises! Because of our faith in Christ we are a new person who cannot be unmade, with legally unchangeable promises that guarantee our salvation. This comfort and confidence allows us to invest ourselves in knowing and serving within a wonderful relationship with God. We should not be burdened with guilt and worry over the status of God’s acceptance of us.

Everyone wants security! Next time we will continue our discussion security and how it relates to guilt.

Thank you as always for joining me I'm honored that you would read my blog.

WC Stewart