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Glimpsing Resurrection: Cancer, Trauma, and Ministry
In Glimpsing Resurrection, Deanna A. Thompson combines recent trauma research with compelling first-person narrative to provide insight into the traumatic dimensions of living with a serious illness. Her aim is to help those who are ill and those who care for and minister to them deepen their understanding of how best to offer support.
"The tendency for Christians to move almost immediately from death to proclamations of new life risks alienating those for whom healing and new life seem out of reach," says Thompson. Glimpsing Resurrection focuses less on the "why" to help readers instead come to terms with the "how" of living with a serious disease. In particular, Thompson provides a framework and concrete suggestions for how to be a church where those who are undone by illness can be undone, as well as a place that can love and support them to hope.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 31, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 17, 2019
In “Glimpsing Resurrection: Cancer, Trauma, and Ministry,” author Deanna Thompson combines recent trauma research with a compelling first-person narrative to provide unique insight into living with a serious illness. Her aim is to help those who are ill and those who care for and minister to them better understand how to offer healing support.
"The tendency for Christians to move almost immediately from death to proclamations of new life risks alienating those for whom healing and new life seem out of reach," says Thompson. “Glimpsing Resurrection” focuses less on the "why" to help readers instead come to terms with the "how" of living with a serious disease. Thompson provides a framework and concrete direction on how churches can authentically support those who are undone by illness with love and hope. Highly recommended!
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The author teaches religion at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota and was diagnosed with stage IV cancer in 2008. She has spent the years since talking and writing about how cancer and faith might coexist. Her books include Hoping for More: Having Cancer, Talking Faith, and Accepting Grace and The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World. For more information, visit www.deannaathompson.com.
Pub Date 31 Jul 2018
Thanks to Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.
#GlimpsingResurrection #NetGalley
"The tendency for Christians to move almost immediately from death to proclamations of new life risks alienating those for whom healing and new life seem out of reach," says Thompson. “Glimpsing Resurrection” focuses less on the "why" to help readers instead come to terms with the "how" of living with a serious disease. Thompson provides a framework and concrete direction on how churches can authentically support those who are undone by illness with love and hope. Highly recommended!
—
The author teaches religion at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota and was diagnosed with stage IV cancer in 2008. She has spent the years since talking and writing about how cancer and faith might coexist. Her books include Hoping for More: Having Cancer, Talking Faith, and Accepting Grace and The Virtual Body of Christ in a Suffering World. For more information, visit www.deannaathompson.com.
Pub Date 31 Jul 2018
Thanks to Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.
#GlimpsingResurrection #NetGalley
October 25, 2018
Christians have at the center of our faith the promise of resurrection. It is rooted in the resurrection and the promise that we too will share in the resurrection. It is promise that gives hope, but it doesn't resolve the challenges posed by this life, especially when that challenge is illness and injury. Deanna Thompson is a friend and a consummate theologian, a feminist theologian of the cross and student of Luther. She has written on her specialty, but her recent work is rooted in her own experience of cancer. This book, under review, is a further exploration of this area of concern that is both personal and public. In Glimpsing Resurrection, Deanna dives deeper into this reality, focusing on the implications of trauma studies, and how that relates to the way the church engages in ministry.
Following the work of Shelly Rambo and Serene Jones, among others, Deanna explores the way in which cancer, especially one considered incurable, creates trauma. That is, life-threatening illness can cause PTSD. It can lead to a sense that life is out of one's control. It causes life to become disordered. There is a great deal of uncertainty in life. One might go into remission, but for how long? How do you make plans for the future. She writes in her introduction: "As a theologian living with incurable cancer, I've become more aware of how our versions of the Christian story bend toward resolution while the plots of our own lives stubbornly resist it" (p. 8).
In the course of the book, Deanna introduces us to other stories of those who experienced cancer. These are theologians and clergy and others whose lives and work have been affected by cancer. These are lives that have been left undone by illness. How does one deal with such realities? Beginning with the stories, she moves to the field of trauma studies, helping us understand its value in dealing with these realities -- wherever one finds oneself in this reality, for this affects not only the person with cancer but family as well.
With these foundations, she moves to the Christian story, and how it provides space or can make space for persons experiencing the trauma of severe illness to express their anger, protest, and anguish. She explores the Psalms of lament, noting that they make up a significant part of the Psalter, and yet we struggle with giving room for lament. We stick to the praise instead. I especially found the exploration of Job to be helpful, including questions about where his wife fits, because at the end of the story she is nowhere to be found, suggesting an opportunity to explore the affects of illness on relationships. There is conversation about the cross and Holy Saturday -- life in the tomb.
This leads to the question of how the church deals with suffering. Here is where the question of ministry comes in. How does the church be present to those left undone, especially when those suffering find it difficult to be present with the community. She invites us to consider rituals of lament and healing that might bring hope and perhaps a bit of order to disordered lives, knowing that this disorder likely will not go away any time soon. Churches, as she notes struggle with illness and disorder. Like's Job's friends it knocks at our sense of orderliness.
The title includes the word resurrection. It is an eschatological hope, that has lead some to believe that Christians need not or should not grieve. She challenges us to recognize that we live in a pre-resurrection environment. It is appropriate to grieve. Resurrection might be in our future, but it is not yet with us. But some form of healing, even if not physical can be experienced, if we are open to it. The message here is one of hope. AS writes in the final paragraphs of the book "Even when our lives are limited by illness and the trauma and isolation that can accompany it, the promise of the Parousia assures us now that we are created not only for relationship with God and others in the here and now but for the relationship with God and others in life beyond this one. We are promised that the love that binds us to God and to one another is a love that persists, even in the face. of death." (p. 160). This doesn't take away the reality of the trauma, but it gives hope, if we're willing to walk through the shadow times, when life is disordered, people's lives are undone. As a pastor, understanding the reality of trauma can make better sense of ministry.
There is a density to this book. It is rooted in deep theology and trauma studies. It includes aspects of her autobiography, but this isn't a memoir. For that testimony, I recommend her earlier book Hoping for More. As she mentions the role of the virtual body of Christ, I recommend her book titled The Virtual Body of Christ. This book takes all of this a step further. It is, an excellent book, but then I've come to expect that from Deanna Thompson.
Following the work of Shelly Rambo and Serene Jones, among others, Deanna explores the way in which cancer, especially one considered incurable, creates trauma. That is, life-threatening illness can cause PTSD. It can lead to a sense that life is out of one's control. It causes life to become disordered. There is a great deal of uncertainty in life. One might go into remission, but for how long? How do you make plans for the future. She writes in her introduction: "As a theologian living with incurable cancer, I've become more aware of how our versions of the Christian story bend toward resolution while the plots of our own lives stubbornly resist it" (p. 8).
In the course of the book, Deanna introduces us to other stories of those who experienced cancer. These are theologians and clergy and others whose lives and work have been affected by cancer. These are lives that have been left undone by illness. How does one deal with such realities? Beginning with the stories, she moves to the field of trauma studies, helping us understand its value in dealing with these realities -- wherever one finds oneself in this reality, for this affects not only the person with cancer but family as well.
With these foundations, she moves to the Christian story, and how it provides space or can make space for persons experiencing the trauma of severe illness to express their anger, protest, and anguish. She explores the Psalms of lament, noting that they make up a significant part of the Psalter, and yet we struggle with giving room for lament. We stick to the praise instead. I especially found the exploration of Job to be helpful, including questions about where his wife fits, because at the end of the story she is nowhere to be found, suggesting an opportunity to explore the affects of illness on relationships. There is conversation about the cross and Holy Saturday -- life in the tomb.
This leads to the question of how the church deals with suffering. Here is where the question of ministry comes in. How does the church be present to those left undone, especially when those suffering find it difficult to be present with the community. She invites us to consider rituals of lament and healing that might bring hope and perhaps a bit of order to disordered lives, knowing that this disorder likely will not go away any time soon. Churches, as she notes struggle with illness and disorder. Like's Job's friends it knocks at our sense of orderliness.
The title includes the word resurrection. It is an eschatological hope, that has lead some to believe that Christians need not or should not grieve. She challenges us to recognize that we live in a pre-resurrection environment. It is appropriate to grieve. Resurrection might be in our future, but it is not yet with us. But some form of healing, even if not physical can be experienced, if we are open to it. The message here is one of hope. AS writes in the final paragraphs of the book "Even when our lives are limited by illness and the trauma and isolation that can accompany it, the promise of the Parousia assures us now that we are created not only for relationship with God and others in the here and now but for the relationship with God and others in life beyond this one. We are promised that the love that binds us to God and to one another is a love that persists, even in the face. of death." (p. 160). This doesn't take away the reality of the trauma, but it gives hope, if we're willing to walk through the shadow times, when life is disordered, people's lives are undone. As a pastor, understanding the reality of trauma can make better sense of ministry.
There is a density to this book. It is rooted in deep theology and trauma studies. It includes aspects of her autobiography, but this isn't a memoir. For that testimony, I recommend her earlier book Hoping for More. As she mentions the role of the virtual body of Christ, I recommend her book titled The Virtual Body of Christ. This book takes all of this a step further. It is, an excellent book, but then I've come to expect that from Deanna Thompson.
August 14, 2021
This book is a terrific addition to the growing field of Christian trauma-informed theology, and one of its greatest strengths is actually its awareness of and collaboration with that growing sub-genre. Thompson draws from nearly every writer who has published on trauma theology in the past 10 years (and beyond), including Shelly Rambo, Serene Jones, Deborah Van Deusen Hunsinger, and Maia Kotrosits; first-person accounts of cancer and illness writings from Christian Wiman, Audre Lorde, Susan Sontag, Kate Bowler, and Parker Palmer; and trauma theory from Judith Butler and Bessel van der Kolk. I was thoroughly impressed both with the breadth of her resources and how expertly she engages with them, mining for meaningful insights that she weaves into her own argument. Notably, among those theologians, she manages to strike a perfect balance between Jones, Rambo, and Wiman's landing in theological irresolution compared to Hunsinger, Billings, and Rutledge's hope that theology can foster resolution. Thompson argues for "irresolute resolution," which may sound like a cop-out, but I felt she genuinely modeled what that looks like throughout the book. It is clear that the orthodox stories, resources, and meanings of the Christian faith continue to be elevated as crucial tools, but she is constantly trying to find the space within them to allow room for irresolution when it's needed.
Most notably, Thompson's book stands out among the field as one specifically focused on illness-related trauma, and I really appreciated her emphasis on the unique nature of that as unrelated to morality. In most accounts of trauma, there is an immoral and/or unjust cause, or at the very least in natural disasters of accidents an outside cause. Illness, however, is a trauma that emerges from within one's own body, which reshapes so much of how we think about safety, healing, "fighting it," and threat. She draws from the writings of others as important case studies that help to elaborate on this, and always in conversation with her own first-hand experience of someone living with incurable cancer. That balance of intimately personal reflection, both her own and others, alongside robust trauma-oriented theological exploration was especially masterful here.
I also loved her use of Peter Berger's concept of nomos (the sense or illusion that life has structure, order, and cohesion) and anomy (that which threatens, undermines, or corrodes our sense of nomos) throughout the book; it applies exceptionally well to trauma theory/theology and served as a really helpful foundational framework throughout the book. The first two chapters are mirrors of each other, drawing from four accounts of cancer-related trauma and the Christian themes they speak to: the importance of community, the need for realistic cancer stories, the power of lament to incorporate illness into one's spirituality, and the recognition of divine suffering expressed on the Cross. The second chapter further explores and even complicates each of these ideas. If I had to recommend one chapter for a seminary class or a pastor to read, it would be third, which reimagines different biblical narratives (lament psalms, Job, the crucifixion in Mark, and Holy Saturday) in ways that uphold their value to cancer patients while also finding ways to resonate with that experience. The final two chapters were a bit less developed, but definitely don't lessen the book's excellence as a resource for Christians experiencing illness-related trauma or caring for those who are.
Most notably, Thompson's book stands out among the field as one specifically focused on illness-related trauma, and I really appreciated her emphasis on the unique nature of that as unrelated to morality. In most accounts of trauma, there is an immoral and/or unjust cause, or at the very least in natural disasters of accidents an outside cause. Illness, however, is a trauma that emerges from within one's own body, which reshapes so much of how we think about safety, healing, "fighting it," and threat. She draws from the writings of others as important case studies that help to elaborate on this, and always in conversation with her own first-hand experience of someone living with incurable cancer. That balance of intimately personal reflection, both her own and others, alongside robust trauma-oriented theological exploration was especially masterful here.
I also loved her use of Peter Berger's concept of nomos (the sense or illusion that life has structure, order, and cohesion) and anomy (that which threatens, undermines, or corrodes our sense of nomos) throughout the book; it applies exceptionally well to trauma theory/theology and served as a really helpful foundational framework throughout the book. The first two chapters are mirrors of each other, drawing from four accounts of cancer-related trauma and the Christian themes they speak to: the importance of community, the need for realistic cancer stories, the power of lament to incorporate illness into one's spirituality, and the recognition of divine suffering expressed on the Cross. The second chapter further explores and even complicates each of these ideas. If I had to recommend one chapter for a seminary class or a pastor to read, it would be third, which reimagines different biblical narratives (lament psalms, Job, the crucifixion in Mark, and Holy Saturday) in ways that uphold their value to cancer patients while also finding ways to resonate with that experience. The final two chapters were a bit less developed, but definitely don't lessen the book's excellence as a resource for Christians experiencing illness-related trauma or caring for those who are.
February 13, 2019
Dr. Deanna Thompson is a theologian and breast-cancer survivor, but she might not use the term "survivor." It turns out that her breast-cancer diagnosis is chronic, which is to say, she might not may not always remain in remission. How does one live with illness that has not been "overcome" or "resolved" in some way?
Enter the study of trauma theory. Dr. Thompson explores her illness and the loss and grief that other illnesses cause through the lens of trauma theory. Dr. Thompson explains that trauma can be defined as the "suffering that remains," so that trauma is not solely located in a singular, traumatic event, but rather can be an on-going loss or suffering.
One of the most helpful aspects of the book is examining the Christian story through the lens of trauma theory. Often times as Christians, we are quick to point to Christ's suffering on the cross, but in the next breath, we point to the Resurrection as the resolution and triumph over death. Yet, Dr. Thompson would have Christians spend more time, literally and figuratively, embodying Holy Saturday -- the in between space. For as she points out, even in Christ's resurrected body, He carried the wounds of his trauma with him.
A helpful perspective and new lens through which to view illness, suffering, and loss.
Enter the study of trauma theory. Dr. Thompson explores her illness and the loss and grief that other illnesses cause through the lens of trauma theory. Dr. Thompson explains that trauma can be defined as the "suffering that remains," so that trauma is not solely located in a singular, traumatic event, but rather can be an on-going loss or suffering.
One of the most helpful aspects of the book is examining the Christian story through the lens of trauma theory. Often times as Christians, we are quick to point to Christ's suffering on the cross, but in the next breath, we point to the Resurrection as the resolution and triumph over death. Yet, Dr. Thompson would have Christians spend more time, literally and figuratively, embodying Holy Saturday -- the in between space. For as she points out, even in Christ's resurrected body, He carried the wounds of his trauma with him.
A helpful perspective and new lens through which to view illness, suffering, and loss.
May 6, 2019
A book to be read slowly and some passages repeatedly....because of its subject matter it will be difficult for many to read. But read it...it has many insights not in any other books on coping with cancer, especially incurable cancer. Not sure why this book isn't in our local seminary library....
October 1, 2018
An important read for pastors and others who want to understand the complex dynamics of living with the trauma of cancer and other difficult diagnoses.
October 1, 2018
Raw and beautiful. Incredibly helpful for me in preparation to do CPE and pastoral care, or for anyone in relationship with someone living with serious illness.
February 14, 2020
Lovely. A wonderful mix of academic theology and personal narrative both from the author’s own experiences and from the lives of other sufferers of cancer.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews