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Out of darkness into light
Reading Barbara Brown Taylor’s book Learning to Walk in the Dark, I was struck by her description of a “full solar spirituality.” She says it’s the reason Christianity today loses followers—it loves to bask in the light of God 24/7. But when darkness falls, such as loss of a job, a marriage ending, or a child acting out in some attention-getting way, the church says only that with enough faith, things will turn around. And if they don’t? “… sooner or later it will be made explicit for you: the darkness is your own fault, because you do not have enough faith.”
She says this verdict isn’t intended to be mean. But Christianity that focuses only on the sunny side of things just isn’t enough. We need tools to navigate the dark things.
I understood her point. And my experience as a Christian Scientist has been exactly that—learning from the Scriptures how an understanding of God lights the way through and out of dark, difficult situations.
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
August 26, 2019 issue
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From the readers
Wanda Grenville Hill, H. Wyeth, Hilly Longmancs
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More than just words
Karen Neff
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Find safety through understanding one God: How a principal prayed and what took place when shots were fired at school
Name Withheld
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When life defies our efforts to plan
Inge Schmidt
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The big picture
Susanne van Eyl
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Mountain climbing with Spirit
Laura BonneCarrere
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Facing down fear
Jaiden VanDeventer
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How can I feel close to God?
Deborah Huebsch
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Family healed of cold symptoms
Melanie Moser
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Quick recovery from a fall
Graham Bothwell
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'The divine method of paying ...'
Photograph by Steve Ryf
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Out of darkness into light
Larissa Snorek