From ThinkChristian and the Atlantic

• The draw of shalom is powerful, even shalom as we imagine it. Our failure to achieve shalom has to be dealt with. There is no escaping loss in the age of decay, even if you call your shadowlands “Holland”.

Quotes From the Atlantic piece. The author’s view of shalom bleeds through:

A major reason for this change is the growing perception that gay men and women are not so different after all: they want a loving and stable partnership with another person, they want to settle down and raise a family, just as heterosexuals do. As we close the gap, and de-emphasize difference, we remove the source of shame.

One of my clients, Nicole, came from a family background with psychosis on both sides. As a teenager, her sister attempted suicide. Her deeply troubled brother lived at the fringe of society, doing menial jobs, sleeping in his van. When she came to me at the age of 18, Nicole was deeply depressed, with occasional manic flights into grandiosity. She suffered from mild auditory and visual hallucinations; she cut herself with razor blades. She often felt persecuted by songs that would get stuck in her head, endlessly repeating and making sleep almost impossible for days on end. To anyone who met her, she seemed frankly disturbed.

After many, many years of intensive psychotherapy (and without the aid of psychiatric medication), Nicole has grown dramatically. She eventually managed to put herself through college, build a career, marry another professional, and have children. If you met her today, she might strike you as a bit eccentric but not disturbed. By most people’s standards, she’s an accomplished and successful woman. As long as she respects her limits, Nicole functions at a fairly high level.