Books & A/V

 

 

The Call to Wholeness:
Health as a Spiritual Journey
With a New Introduction and Resources
by Kenneth L. Bakken
121 pages; ISBN: 9781606089118
Paperback released by Wipf and Stock Publishers in 2009

 

 

 The Journey Into God:
Healing and Christian Faith
by Kenneth L. Bakken
272 pages; ISBN: 9780806640488
Paperback released by Wipf and Stock Publishers in 2015
eBook available from Barnes & Noble

The Journey into God boldly challenges the adequacy of the biomedical model alone in addressing the symptoms and causes of physical and mental illness. While allowing that the biomedical model has its place in the treatment of disease, Dr. Kenneth Bakken argues persuasively that there are untapped resourceth and wholeness in Christian faith and practice. He invites the reader into ts for healhe way of theosis, the transformation of the person in union with the divine. Opening the mystic heart of Christianity, The Journey into God gives individual Christians and Christian communities of faith a trusty map for traversing the shifting spiritual terrain of health and wholeness issues, in the twenty-first century.

The bold premise of this book is that healing is a form of what the ancients called theosis, a Greek word which roughly translates as “transformed into God.” The authors offer much wisdom regarding healing, including practical suggestions on how we can help ourselves live physically and spiritually healthy lives.

John Sanford

What a compelling call this is for the Church to embrace its historic ministry of healing and wholeness in ways that are biblical and sacramental. Here is a model for the serving Church as we move into the next millennium; and I pray that the Church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, will use this wonderful resource to be engaged in vital ministries of wholeness and wellness reaching out to all God’s people.

A. Donald Main, Bishop
Upper Susquehanna Synod,ELCA

DVDs and Audio CDs
Available from Seraphim Communications (800.733.3413) in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

The Journey Toward Wholeness:
Reclaiming the Healing Ministry of Jesus
by Kenneth L. Bakken
2-hour six-part video series, Leader’s Guide, and 308-page book

The Journey Toward Wholeness is an exciting program of Christian healing, wholeness, and renewal, promoting the integration of the traditional faith and the new science, spirituality and medicine, within a whole person model of a healthy Chrisitian community. It outlines the five-fold process of Christ-centered health and healing. The program materials include:

1. Six-part video series hosted by Dr. Bakken:
   • Introduction to The Journey Toward Wholeness
   • The Language of God: Creating Space
   • The Whole Truth: Articulating
   • The Heart of Transformation: Forgiving
   • Weaving the Whole: Integrating and Letting Go
   • Living the Empowered Life: Moving Beyond
2. A Leader’s Guide facilitates group participation in The Journey Toward Wholeness and features activities, prayers, and discussion questions for individuals, congregational Sunday forums, church liturgical seasonal series, retreats, and prayer/study groups.
3. The book, Healing and Transformation: Into the Image and Likeness of God, a special edition of The Journey into God, was written by physician and ELCA pastor Dr. Kenneth Bakken and psychologist/spiritual director Dr. Kathleen Hofeller. It is the foundation for the video series and uses contemporary and biblical stories of healing, interviews, music, images, and poetry to challenge Christians to gospel transformation.
4. The Journey Toward Wholeness features such notable experts as Herbert Benson, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and founding President of Mind/Body Medical Institute, as well as Dr. Martin Marty, George B. Caldwell Senior Scholar in Residence, Park Ridge Center for Faith, Health and Ethics.

The Heart of Healing Prayer
by Kenneth L. Bakken
25 minutes, DVD

The Heart of Healing Prayer video is intended to inspire viewers to the high calling of a healing ministry. The church is beginning to reclaim its healing ministry. Congregations have rediscovered healing services, called Parish Nurses and made the care for the sick an important part of its ministry. This video invites people into a practice of prayer for healing and offers several simple steps based in part on James 5:13-16.

• Kenneth Bakken, physician and pastor, has made the recovery of healing ministries a major focus of his life. He serves a parish, speaks at major national events and continues to see patients at a clinic.
• Father John Calbom is an Orthodox priest who is researching the healing power of love in prayer.
• Patricia Cole is a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and maintains a medical practice and is also active in her congregation in a healing ministry.
• Margaret Kittleson is a practitioner of healing prayer. When her husband was in a coma and near death she noted that his vital signs improved while she was present and praying. Her husband experienced a miraculous healing through the simple prayer of his father. She speaks of her experience with prayer and admits that this is scary territory for most but invites the viewer to enter into the mystery of healing prayer.

A Gift of Hope
by Kenneth L. Bakken
12 minutes, DVD

A Gift of Hope presentation is inspiring and empowering to the viewer to reach beyond physical healing. Others who have traveled the path of cancer recovery share their intimate stories. Leading doctors offer information to bring body-mind & spirit into the healing process. All presenters share their experience of hope.

This video is designed to encourage and empower the viewer to find quality of life by being in relationship with God, others and yourself. Quality of life is possible when you are willing to take the risks to engage the mind, body and spirit in the healing process.

Healing Meditations
by Kenneth L. Bakken
7 CDs, ~60 minutes each
Available individually or as a 7 CD set

Enjoy a guided Christian meditation on audio CD with Dr. Bakken featuring the beautiful music created for the Journey Toward Wholeness series. Expereince the guided meditation on the first track and instrumental on another. This makes a great gift for someone you know facing a difficult illness.

Through both guided and unguided meditations Dr. Bakken seeks to bring the healing grace of God’s love into our lives to make body, mind and spirit whole again. There are seven Healing Meditations CDs, one for each of six specific illnesses, and the original non-disease-specific general guided meditation.

The meditations include:

• Arthritis
• Cancer
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Fibromyalgia
• Wholeness