"Unremitting Compassion: The Moral
Psychology of Parenting Children with Genetic Disorders"
Richard B. Steele
This paper describes the author's experience of raising a child with two catastrophic medical disorders, an immobilizing genetic musculo-skeletal disease and a congenital tumor of the pituitary gland. The physical and emotional toll of caring for such a severely disabled child, as well as the unusual kind of "compassion" that doing so requires, are described. Suffering with the child as her condition deteriorates, and suffering for her through constant and unavoidable self-sacrifice, finally involves suffering from the child. Yet parents facing such a situation can find in the Gospel relief from despair, resentment, bitterness, and delusions of self-sufficiency.
"Persons in Relation: The Care of Persons
with Learning Disabilities"
John Swinton and Esther Mcintosh
This paper borrows from the work of Scottish philosopher John Macmurray, in order to apply the relational concepts of the Christian tradition to persons with profound learning disability (USA: mental retardation). In contrast to western society’s stress on the intellect, an emphasis that places persons with profound learning disability on the periphery of acceptable society, Macmurray highlights the interdependent nature of humanity, from birth, arguing that the person is defined by his or her relationships, rather than his or her cognitive capacity. The paper presents a philosophical and theological framework within which the personhood of people with learning disabilities can be protected and nurtured.
"Growing Old in a Therapeutic Culture"
Keith G. Meador and Shaun C. HensonModernity manifests itself by affecting the quality and direction of our lives in a multitude of ways of which we are scarcely cognizant. One of the primary manifestations of modernity is what sociologist Philip Rieff calls the "therapeutic culture." While there may be varied legitimate interpretations of "therapeutic," some positive and some negative, this essay focuses on certain aspects of both medical and psychological therapeutic assumptions that are problematic for Christians growing older in the current cultural context. The assumptions embedded within our age include both psychological and medical claims that have frequently perpetuated the self-deception that death and suffering can be avoided if we work hard enough and trust our rational "scientific" abilities. The alternative proposed is to challenge illusions of therapeutic optimism for the narrative and hope embodied in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and the eucharistic practices of a faithful church.
"Disability: A Lived Theology"
Helen R. BetenbaughThe adult onset of disability raises painful theological and spiritual questions. The person’s struggle becomes one not just with the problems of pain and disability, inaccessibility and learning to accommodate; not just with the world’s altered view of the person as no longer "whole" and "able"; but also with one’s own self-understanding, one’s own identity and name, one’s relationship with God, self, and others. The external and internal pressures for "cure" rather than "healing" are powerful, often attaining moral weight. Wrestling with God like Jacob until one receives God’s blessing and a new name is a long and arduous process.
"The Divine Edge: Living with Manic Depression"
Carrie TaylorThis is an autobiographical essay. The author shares her experience living with a husband who suffers from manic depression. She gives some examples of manic behavior in which her husband was "on the edge" and of her responses to these episodes. The focus is on the ways in which living with someone always on the edges of mania or depression challenges one to refocus her spiritual sense of self. Living with someone living with this disease has forced the author to find her center in Jesus rather than in her marriage.
"The Last Sexual Perversion: AN Argument in Defense of Celibacy"
Michael J. McClymondIn today’s society, the notion of celibacy outside of marriage strikes many people as preposterous. Yet the arguments favoring promiscuity are remarkably flimsy. This essay scrutinizes "the mythographers of ‘free love’" (Margaret Mead, Alfred Kinsey, et al.), showing how they base their assertions on inadequate evidence and flawed methodology. Recounting some of his own experiences (as an unwillingly divorced man), the author argues that celibacy is a prudent decision for those desiring or awaiting marriage, and that it should be accompanied by a prayerful and accountable relationship to the Christian community. Celibacy, though not an unmixed blessing, is a witness against the culture’s preoccupation with pleasure, and it is a positive good to the extent that it engenders bonds of nongenital intimacy and caring.