Category Archives: Self-esteem

A long, hard look at ourselves

Life

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Jane Tooher developed this article on self-image from a conference address to Christian women, but its argument about where we find our sense of self applies more broadly. Her question: is it possible to understand yourself without reference to God?

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The gods of the body

Thought

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Concerning the body, CS Lewis suggests that Christians have tended to oscillate uneasily between contemptuous denigration and extravagant deification, whereas what is required is glad and obedient acceptance. In his book The Four Loves, he says that broadly speaking there are three different views of the body. There are “the Neo-pagans—the nudists and the sufferers from the Dark Gods, to whom the body is glorious”. Then there are those ascetic Pagans who called it the “tomb of the soul”, along with some Christians to whom the body is “a sack of dung”. And, thirdly, we have the view of Francis of Assisi, expressed by calling his body “Brother Ass”—useful and sturdy, but obstinate and in need of the stick.

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The Boundaries series

Review

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There are books; there are workbooks; there are audio and video tapes. If your head is above the sand in the world of Christian books, you will have heard of the Boundaries series, authored by Dr Henry Cloud and Dr John Townsend.

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Self-esteem and God’s esteem

Life

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Why is a woman’s self-esteem often so low? How does knowing God help with this issue?

On her bestselling CD, Kasey Chambers sings: “Am I not pretty enough? Is my heart too broken? Do I cry too much? Am I too outspoken?” From the song’s popularity, she seems to have struck a chord with most women (probably a few men, too). We spend our whole lives thinking, “Am I acceptable? Why do people look right through me?”

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Crucifying the blues

Review

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There is a large number of self-help books for people coping with depression. These books use approaches ranging from psychoanalysis and dream therapy to diet-based programs of rehabilitation. Beating the Blues is one of the better books, using a well-regarded approach which aims to give sufferers more control over their thoughts and feelings (it’s known as cognitive-behavioural therapy). (more…)

Undressing pornography

Life

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Pornography is a $7 billion-a-year industry worldwide. Pornographic films outnumber other films by three to one, and gross $1 million a day in the USA alone. British pornographic magazines sell 20 million copies a year. One American man in 10 reads Playboy, Penthouse or Hustler each month. Italian men spend $640 million on pornography a year, with pornographic videos representing 30-50 per cent of all Italian video sales. All that pornography, yet no-one talks about it. It’s like an unacknowledged cancer that metastasizes best when no-one goes for x-rays or feels for lumps. What is pornography and is it anything to get steamed up about? David Miles reports.

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