The Compassion Renaissance

  The Great Commission & the Cultivation of Compassion Richard K. Stephens 2,060 words (plus notes) *** [T]he Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time.” [C. S. Lewis] [1] My purpose in this article is to make a single, important point, and to do so as clearly and concisely as I can manage. It is a confusion-creating topic, despite the fact that the scriptural language is crystal clear. I want to examine Jesus’s final command before his Ascension, often called The Great Commission [2], and decide what the proper response ought to be to it. I will show how the Great Commission leads directly to the “The Twofold Commandment” (or, “The Great Commandment”). [3] I will present an argument whose conclusion is that Christ-followers ought to make use of sound   methods with which true compassion may b

For a Christian expert on Neuroplasticity who discusses the Holy Spirit, see: The Holy Spirit and Neuroplasticity - A Christian Research Scientist’s Explanation: Jeffrey M. Schwartz *** This post gives quotations from: Rolf R. Nolasco Jr. & R. Vincent MacDonald, Andrew Dreitcer (Foreword ), Compassionate Presence: A Radical Response to Human Suffering , Wipf and Stock, Cascade Books (paperback), Oct. 19, 2016, 138 pages. Rolf R. Nolasco Jr. is professor of pastoral theology at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. He is the author of The Contemplative Counselor: A Way of Being (2011) and Compassionate Presence: A Radical Response to Human Suffering (2016). R. Vincent McDonald, is a registered psychologist in Alberta. *** 58) We are wired for compassion. It is part of human nature. It is in our DNA. This innate capacity is triggered when confronted with suffering is layered with specific emotional states, thought processes, and behavio