070: Douglas Groothuis and Walking Through Twilight

Dr. Douglas Groothuis is a professor of philosophy at Denver Seminary and author of 13 books including his latest Walking Through Twilight: A Wife’s Illness–A Philosopher’s Lament(Amazon affiliate link). Today, he shares why he wrote the book and why Christians need to recover an understanding of lament. Dr. Groothuis shares about how to deal with anger toward God, the passages of Scripture that have given him comfort, and things people do and say that are helpful. He has an active Facebook presence and if you haven’t followed or friended him yet, I highly recommend doing so. More than that, get Walking Through Twilight, read it, and pass it on to a friend.

Stories Doug shared:

• His early interest in spirituality through music and how he found Christ
• Developing as a philosopher and campus minister
• Why he thinks God did not give him a rush of spiritual experiences early in his walk
• Hospitalizing his wife Rebecca Merrill Groothuis and the change in their lifestyle after diagnosis
• The overwhelming response to his article in Christianity Today about lament
• Why the book of Ecclesiastes is helpful for dealing with life’s disappointments
• Finding honesty in music like Metallica
• Why dogs are a valuable gift from God, especially his dog Sunny
• What he hopes Walking Through Twilight will add to the church
• Things you can do to help others in crisis

Great quotes from Doug:

The pain of living with someone with dementia is deep and searing and God seems absent sometimes.

I know too much to go back.

Sometimes poetry is the best way to express these difficult, hard to describe feelings.

Resources Doug mentioned (Amazon affiliate links):

• Walking Through Twilight: A Wife’s Illness–A Philosopher’s Lament by Douglas Groothuis
• Unmasking the New Age by Douglas Groothuis
• The God Who Is There by Francis Schaeffer
• A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
• Lament for a Son by Nicolas Wolterstorff
• Pacing The Cage by Bruce Cockburn

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