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  🕊 The Church as a Healing Community: A Theological and Academic Reflection on Spiritual Growth and Restoration “The church is not merely a place of worship, but a healing community where broken humanity comes to recognize itself and be transformed.” 1. Introduction: Is the Church Merely Ritual—or a Place of Healing? In today’s society, psychological clinics and psychiatric hospitals serve to restore emotional and mental balance for individuals suffering from trauma and disorder. Yet the church offers a deeper kind of healing —one that addresses not only the psychological but also the spiritual core of human brokenness. It sees human beings not merely as emotional or cognitive entities but as spiritual beings , marred by sin, in need of redemption and total transformation. 2. Church vs. Psychology & Psychiatry Category Church Psychological Clinic / Psychiatry Human View Imago Dei + fallen in sin Psychosocial being shaped by context Diagnosis Sin, i...

 The First Step Toward Holiness – Leviticus 1–2 Reflection “A life given to God begins from the heart.” 📖 Leviticus 1 – The Burnt Offering 🔹 Key Message Wholehearted worship begins with a willing heart surrendered to God. 📜 Summary The burnt offering was not for atonement, but for voluntary dedication . The offering had to be a male without blemish , and it was to be killed and completely burned as a symbol of full surrender . This represents total obedience and a worship of the whole heart. 💡 Life Application Am I ready to offer my entire life to God? True worship is not based on my feelings or circumstances, but on a heart fully dedicated to God. 📖 Leviticus 2 – The Grain Offering 🔹 Key Message Even the fruit of our daily labor is a sacred offering of thanksgiving to God. 📜 Summary The grain offering was made from flour and oil— a fragrant, pleasing gift of gratitude . Leaven (symbol of corruption) and honey (self-centered sweetness) were prohib...

 🕊️ Christianity as a “Mental Framework”: Why It Still Matters in a Pleasure-Driven Culture In the mid-20th century, both Europe and the United States were sustained, in large part, by a Christian moral vision. Even for those who didn’t personally profess faith, Christianity functioned as a moral and communal stabilizer —a kind of spiritual infrastructure. The goal of this reflection is to explore why Christian values still matter , especially in modern culture where hedonistic individualism dominates. Our desire is not to resurrect the past, but to pursue a balanced integration of traditional Christian morality and the values of a new generation. 🧠 Why Has Christianity Functioned as a “Mental Framework”? From “Be Good” to “Who Says?” In the 1940s, when someone said, “Be good,” it carried clear moral weight. Today, young people ask in return: “What do you mean by ‘good’?” “And why should I live by your standards?” This subtle shift reveals a massive cultural ruptur...

  True Freedom Lies on the Edge — But We Must Choose a Side ✨ Key Quotation “The state of true freedom, as I see it, is to stand at the center between God and the devil, to give oneself to neither goodness nor selfishness. But such freedom cannot last; it inevitably splits. As Martin pointed out, we must choose. One way or another, we will be servants—on one side or the other.” — M. Scott Peck, People of the Lie , p.127 📖 Core Idea M. Scott Peck shatters the illusion that we can remain neutral between good and evil. He explains that while we may stand for a time in the space between , that space is not stable— sooner or later, we will choose , and that choice determines our allegiance. 📚 Psychological & Philosophical Background 📌 1. Neutrality Is Not Sustainable Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl wrote: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose.” But that space is brief. Freedom exists there—but not indefinitely. Peck affirms...

 🔍 Reason to Believe (15): “Evil Is What Opposes Life” – Understanding the Nature of Evil with M. Scott Peck ✨ Key Theme Summary “Evil is in opposition to life. It is that which opposes the life force. It has, in short, to do with killing… specifically with killing that is unnecessary, that is not required for biological survival.” — M. Scott Peck, People of the Lie In his book People of the Lie , psychiatrist M. Scott Peck challenges the traditional idea that evil is just moral failure or violence. Instead, he argues that evil is a deliberate refusal of truth , a conscious avoidance of responsibility , and ultimately a spiritual energy bent toward death . 📖 Theological and Academic Insight 1. Peck’s Definition – Evil Hides from Truth and Destroys Life In People of the Lie , Peck defines evil as a pattern of self-deception and the avoidance of responsibility . Evil people shift blame, harm others emotionally or spiritually, and justify their lies to preserve a ...

  🌍 Reason to Believe (14): The World May Not Be Beautiful, But It Changes When I Become a Good Friend ✨ Key Theme Summary God is a self-existent and perfect Being. Human beings, by nature, are foolish and sinful—we cannot come to the truth on our own. And yet, in His mercy, God gives wisdom to those He has chosen, uses trials to grow us, and through us, He plants small but real evidences of love into the broken world. 📖 Theological Foundations 1. God Is the “I Am” – The Self-Existent and Perfect One “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’” (Exodus 3:14) God does not depend on anything created for His existence. He is the Self-Existent Being , complete in Himself. He is moved by no need and lacks nothing. (cf. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica , Part I, Q.3–4) 2. Human Foolishness and Evil – Why Trials Are Necessary “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” (Psalm 14:1) Scripture...

🌿 Becoming a Dwelling Place for the Holy Spirit “Forming a Body that Endures Trials Contrary to Its Own Will” ✨ Theme Summary In People of the Lie , M. Scott Peck diagnoses the essence of evil as self-deception and the avoidance of responsibility . In contrast, the person in whom the Holy Spirit dwells is one who does not avoid suffering , but faces the truth calmly and endures trials—even when those trials go against their own desires. As Christians, we long to be a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. But the Spirit does not rest in a life of comfort; He resides in the place of self-denial , because that is the place where holiness is formed . 📖 Biblical and Theological Foundations 1. Obedience that Denies the Self – The Example of Jesus “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) Jesus Himself, in the face of the cross, prayed a painful prayer of surrender , setting aside His own will to obey the Father. ...